Communication Strategies

Though dynamic and ever changing, culture is affected by many factors especially in the present world. Mass media is one such factor that has great effect on culture since it affects everyone in the society irrespective of age. Use of televisions, internet and radios affect all aspects of human life including social, political as well as personal lives. Due to the effects of globalization, American mass media culture has greatly affected other media cultures in the whole world. Since culture which is basically peoples way of life can be affected in various ways, this essay shall focus on how the American mass media culture has affected the Korean culture.

Although many aspects of culture are affected by mass media, the effect on language cannot be underestimated. Currently, Korean vernacular language contains a lot of American English words. In addition, due to globalization, knowledge of English is quite crucial in Korea since some companies in the country are even reluctant to employ someone who does not know English (Lee, 2004). As much as there may be many factors that have contributed to penetration of American English into Korea, media has played a great role. Korean mass media has also been greatly affected by the same.  For instance, a lot of Korean print media and advertisements in the television contain English loan words. Moreover, there are two newspapers in Korea namely the Korea Times and Korea Herald that are written purely in English. Similarly, billboards, shops and restaurants are tagged with English. Consequently, Koreans are influenced to include English words in their vernacular and to go to an extent of learning the language.

The current Korean Music is greatly affected by the American Music. Pop music which originated from America is quite common in Korea and is frequently played in the Korean radio and television stations.  Internet has played a great role in this since it is possible for Koreans to download American music from the internet. Moreover, Korean and American musicians interact freely and as a result, they influence each other. Since American culture is always viewed as superior culture, Koreans, just like other people in the rest of the world have become affiliated to the American music which they access freely through mass media.

The United States content on the internet has had great impacts on people in most places in the world, and Korea is not exceptional.  Most of the Koreans especially the youth are attracted to the pornographic websites. Browsing such sites has become a common habit among the citizens. This is greatly influenced by the fact that some of the Koreans feature in some United States pornographic cites.  Despite the fact that the Korean government has been trying to barn the pornographic sites, much has not been realized from the same and as a result, Korean traditional sexual culture has been affected greatly.

Korean mass media borrows a lot from the United States mass media. For instance, some of the radio and television stations air some United States programs. As a result, Korean citizens are greatly influenced by the information they get from such programs. Moreover, some of the programs are similar to the United States program which is a clear indication of United States mass media on Korean mass media. In addition, according to Moon  Yi Park (2007), a lot of Korean immigrants in the United States have embraced American culture due to the effects of the mass media.

The Korean education culture has also been greatly influenced by the American mass media. Through the numerous advertisements that appear in the American mass media, most of the Korean scholars have found their way to Western universities.  Consequently, most of the courses studied in America have also been introduced in Korean universities. Study methods from America have also been incorporated in the Korean education system.

Mass media has greatly affected Korean politics since it is the main channel for political communication. Initially, print media was the medium of communication that enabled people to communicate in the political process. Further developments in communication and technology like radio brought numerous changes in the political communication process and the current development involving computer technology networks is greatly contributing to changes in the Korean politics. Unlike during the era of the radio, communication technology like the internet is allowing citizens to communicate their opinions without any barrier and to access political information without any barrier whatsoever.  A lot of internet forums have been established that mainly discuss political issues affecting the Korean citizens. Mass media therefore has played a great role in influencing democracy in the country as such forums not only allow citizens to access information but also influence the making of major policies in the country (Lee, Afif, Eun-Ho  Suk-Kyoung, 2007). Further studies indicate that in 1990s United States used computer networks extensively especially during the 1992 presidential elections. A lot of campaigns were conducted through computer networks and therefore it is clear that the United States political culture is extending to other countries like Korea.

Due to the current technological development in various sectors like the sector of communication, the effect of mass media on culture needs not to be overemphasized.  Since culture is usually the peoples way of life, Korean culture has been greatly influenced by mass media. A lot of Korean cultural aspects like language, social values, norms, politics and religion clearly indicate the great influence of mass media on the same (Moon  Yi Park, 2007).