Media, Sex, Violence, and Drugs in the Global Village

Prominent media scholars such as Herbert Schiller have long noted the implications of Western--especially American--cultural influence on peoples of the developing Third World. Media, Sex, Violence, and Drugs in the Global Village provides a multicultural analysis of the impact of globalized Western media, including movies, syndicated radio programs, the Internet, and satellite and cable television programs. Looking specifically at themes of sex, violence, and drugs, an international cast of media scholars offers case studies of countries grappling with the influences of both Western cultural imports and similar local productions. For example, the authors examine the extent to which Hollywood's methods are copied by producers outside the United States and whether or not these result in more sex-, violence-, or drug-oriented themes in indigenous productions. The book further proposes a framework for understanding the political, social, and economic problems that face media policy makers in an age of globalization.