Core Response #4

Michael Curtin's piece, "Thinking Globally: From Media Imperialism to Media Capital," is both interesting and frustrating in its parameters and generalizations. It takes a clear approach in both intent and methodology, aiming to convey the broad outlines of how media systems operate within and among countries, using minimal case studies (as helpful as they generally would be) and a more theoretical explanation of principles in order to convey the points. This approach in and of itself isn't bad, and indeed there are many insightful points to be found: Curtin begins with a succinct summary of the history of global media studies, breaking down the immensely flawed, simplistic media imperialism concept and introducing a more multivalent approach. His three principles of media capital are generally sound too for an industrial context, clearly delineating the market logic and economic drive that is paramount to capitalist-minded enterprises.

However, Curtin's view remains too insular throughout, and from the beginning he draws a strange, not truly congruent one-to-one comparison between the film industry and the television industry. Leaving aside the idea of films and television that are not intended to turn a profit, in the independent sphere or otherwise, film and television have historically occupied different sectors in the entertainment realm, both in terms of respectability and in production and transmission; this wouldn't necessarily be a problem if film wasn't used as practically Curtin's sole reference point in the the explanation of the principles. Without more examples from the television world, the true value of these principles is left somewhat nebulous. Even more to the point, however, is that the second half of the article neglects the global aspect that was discussed before. While the piece does touch on various (film) industries in different countries, what is left unaddressed is the degree to which these products crossed their national borders, an artistic exchange that is vital to any concept of global media. (Notably, this is one area in which, generally speaking, film has far outstripped television, especially when considering the historical prevalence of well-known foreign films compared to TV shows.) Even though examples like Murdoch in Asia are brought up prior, it is strangely absent from the second half, and Curtin's points lack an application without this fundamental concept.