Globalization and Pop Music

Essay # 45330

Anthropology
Music Studies
Sociology

A look at the significant link between globalization and popular culture in contemporary society.

1,994 words () | 9 sources | MLA | 2003 Australia

Paper Summary:

The process of globalization permeates every aspect of comtemporary society, manifesting itself especially through mass culture. This paper explores popular music as a mirror reflecting the economic, technological and socio-political implications of globalization in a comprehensive and open manner.

From the Paper:

"The issue of globalisation is deeply embedded in contemporary cultural values as a complex interconnection of processes that work in a contradictory and often opposing fashion, involving a system of societies, cultures and institutions worldwide (Tomlinson, 1997; 170). As Pickering suggests with much insight, globalisation cannot be viewed as purely a result of collective cultural imperialistic expansion by the west, but also as a heterogenous and multi-centred process (2001;47) inherently tied to commodification, capitalism and modernity. As a result, global economic, political and social importance are all inherently manifested through popular/mass culture, especially that of the pop music genre, which is not only cross-cultural but also relies heavily on the capitalist global construct as its main source of profit and survival. As Robert Burnett asserts, ???"most fundamental aspect of popular culture as a concept is that it is the product of industrialization"? (1996; 194), shaped by the advanced urban economies through corporate production. As a standardized product of global economy, popular music is able to assert much socio-political, economic and technological influence, becoming a motivational force behind cultural globalisation through its unifying persuasiveness, vast output and secularity, highlighting the significance of the link between the global trend and the popular music genre in today?'s society."