Media Effects on Acculturation and Biculturalism: A Case Study of Korean Immigrants in Los Angeles' Koreatown

Abstract

Given the assumption that mass media reflect the cultural values of a society, this study investigates the effects of American and Korean mass media on Korean immigrants' acculturation process. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression modeling were used to evaluate how exposure to mass media is related to the acculturation process. The survey results from the two different analyses were consistent with each other, in that exposure to American mass media was a significant positive predictor for the acceptance of American cultural values and a significant negative predictor of the affinity for Korean cultural identity. However, exposure to Korean mass media was related to neither immigrant's affinity for Korean cultural identity nor acceptance of American cultural values. Thus, we surmise that even though Korean immigrants are frequently exposed to both American and Korean mass media, they tend to be Americanized instead of bicultural due to the strong effects of the American media.