Chapter 10

The Global Flow of Visual Culture

Globalization of communication technologies over the past few decades has shown that global image flows may allow an increased circulation of concepts, ideas, politics, and images, but this also helps to foster the growth of multinational corporations and the expansion if political influence by powerful nations over distant dominance with fewer resources.

but the ideal of a global world without boarders does not match the social reality of trying to forge such a world in the twenty-first century.  the reality is that national boarders have tightened since 2001.

The Global Subject and the Global Gaze

The declaration of being one. The idea that we are all one on this earth and Earth Day in 1970 solidified the unity of this "globe".  The picture of the earth was released in 1972 by NASA, the image is called "the blue marble.

after this no one would ever be able to perceive things in the same way.  "In an image such as this, the globe connotes and knowledges as within the reach of the next generation, thanks to the new communications technologies offered by companies like IBM".  Satellites are a key reason the changed perceptions of the earth and how we understand them.

During the 1960s and 1970s people were infatuated with the idea of satellite transmission.  Some artists projects during this time involved performers situated in different places but performing together through broadcast feeds.  And interconnectivity was a theme in ads like that of BBC.

The ability to use the web and find exact gps data mapping out entire towns and locations, The ability to both render this and get exact pinpoints of anything in anywhere in the world has only been possible with the help of satellites and things like NASA. 

Cultural Imperialism and Beyond

It is a paradox of globalization in the early twenty-first century that the new liberalization and policies of open media flow have not created a more democratic flow of information for the people. Some things like CNN have become more of a opinion changing point because they have the ability to be broadcasted globally and this gives them a chance to change things to help them win if favor.

Global and national are in constant battle, because the global is what shapes opinions of the entire world but they still must regulate in the laws of the nation-state they are broadcasting from.

Global Brands

The domination of commodity logos. But because of these global brands smaller companies have been able to create business by playing off the well known logos.  And on the global Starbucks was able to market "local" to entice consumers that the world is attainable through coffee.  Some of these brands create a subculture or even identity of its consumers because of the heavy influence they have over the global market.

Indigenous and Diasporic Media

programming in the global media environment demonstrates the power of cultural products to reaffirm ethnic and local values over the homogenizing forces of a vast national communication system.  The indigenous and automous practices of looking can not only survive in an era of globalization but can also thrive by using global technologies in a manner that rethinks what local means.

Borders and Franchises: Art and the Global

Globalization impacted distribution, exhibition, and production of art.

Art increasingly form of tourism.

Museums used to create images of urban centers as locus of creative global economies.

“Global sharing” as diasporic distribution of “world-class” culture.

Visual and material globalization of beauty and culture.

Franchise model = forge global network of display.

 Tension is between global and local/national.