Media as Global Change Agent

Research Review

Cultural Domination Decreasing Diversity in the Media Market

By Brannen Jennings

Media are often used as instruments of cultural change across societies. Haim Bresheeth’s article “The Media War – USA vs. EU: The Market Share Battleground,” published in the Journal of Media Practice, discusses the cultural domination battle of media between the United States and the EU, specifically in the arenas of film and television. Bresheeth discusses not only the cultural struggles, but also the economic struggles for control between the two “industrial giants.” His arguments cover the history of this fight for dominance, reasons why the U.S. media are so successful at penetrating the EU media market, and what needs to be done to transform this unequal dominance.

This fight of cultural imperialism started when the EU began a process of “self-identification,” applying more imagination to be separate and different from the United States. Despite these efforts, viewers weren’t attracted to the new EU media, but rather the American Hollywood-style media. Bresheeth discusses two problems with European cultural products—the economic side, dealing with the lack of European-wide distribution, and the structural side, dealing with the lack of locally owned companies. To its detriment, the European Union is comprised of many countries, and therefore has a lack of common networks. On the other hand, the U.S. is very successful and acquires large profits due to its large home market and booming computer software industry.

Bresheeth asserts that we need to “protect cultural identity,” and to do so the EU must have a much higher political and financial pledge. After all, diversity makes the world a more interesting, resourceful place.