American Media: Worldwide or Nationwide

For this weeks post I was asked to interview an international student attending Lindenwood University, and I thought there was no better place to go than the place I do my Work and Learn: the Cafeteria. At my college we can enter a program called Work and Learn where we work 150 hours a semester earning eight dollars an hour, and most of the international students work in the cafeteria. Tonight I found this assignment a great way to not only learn about different cultures, but also to make new friends. I met two girls in the cafeteria from two different countries. I decided to ask the first about her nation’s television and newspaper distribution.

Erica is from Japan and she is at Lindenwood studying Business Management and wants to go back to her hometown to work. When I asked her about American Media she wouldn’t stop talking about it. She said that all of it was translated on her local stations so she could watch her favorite shows. This is when she surprised me by asking me if I watched anime, Japanese cartoons (for lack of a better definition), which I have to admit I am addicted to (InuYasha is my favorite!!!). She explained that the same concept applied to American shows; the words are dubbed over. She also said that American music was very popular. When I asked her about Japan’s newspaper system she said it was all done through individual providences. Japan is made up of 47 providences, and each one is responsible for their own newspaper branch.

All in all Japanese media seemed to be handled about like American media in most respects. Then I talked to a girl from Brazil who was also studying Business, but unlike Erica, Jackie wants to get her visa and work in the United States. She said that in Brazil their regular ‘cable’ television has some American shows; however, they aren’t translated. This being the case, there are two options for Brazilians if they want to watch these shows. They can either learn English or pay for a different type of television that either dubs over the words or has the translation at the bottom. She also explained that most of her favorite series’ are in their fourth season here but are only in the second season in Brazil, so she missed two entire seasons when she came to college. The Brazilian newspaper system, according to Jackie, isn’t very popular where she lives. She said that you can usually find a newspaper in her local bookstore, but other than that newspapers weren’t around except in big cities. This is a lot different than the American press, for you not only find one but three or four major newspapers in most medium sized cities, let alone major ones.

When you look at media it is going to be different in every culture, but the basic idea is the same, well at least in Japan, Brazil, and America. The main thing is that different cultures pull from each other to create change and to improve. No country hasn’t been affected in some way, and in my opinion that’s the way is should be.