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Globalisation is Driven not by Culture but by Capitalism. What effects has this created?

Global consumers have developed similar preferences for television networks in the same way they have for McDonalds and Coca Cola. This study looks at the effect that the consumerist explosion has had on the media and what effect the media has had on the cultural identity of its consumers. Transnational Media Conglomerates (TNMCs) are now huge multinational operations which may mean that the cultural values of audiences are becoming homogenised.

This study examines several strands of research to reach a conclusion and insight into how and why TNMCs operate within the concept of a globalised cultural sphere. It includes several case studies of how TNMCs are positioning themselves within new markets and how they are overcoming the difficulties posed by cultural identities across the globe.

The founding theory is Marshall McLuhan's writings surrounding the concept of the global village (after McLuhan 1964, McLuhan and Zingrone 1995). This provided the scope for national identity to be studied within the context of a global culture.

The findings of this research confirmed (as expected) that media organisations are driven by the constant need to maximise profit. The audiences of the products of TNMCs have become fragmented in the face of media capitalism and complete cultural homogenisation is an unlikely possibility although there is now a consciousness of a culture at a higher level than the nation state.

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