Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mobile devices and homogenizaiton.

In Yoon's article on mobile phones and youth culture she suggests that mobile phone is a dual symbol of techno-progress and also a threat to homogeneous culuture. In this sense the mobile phone serves as an example of how the phone looses touch with its original referent. In this sense it fulfills Appadurai's theory about homogenization and homogenization of culture. Once the mobile phone becomes an object which no longer coincides, but rather threatens, the post colonial "imaginaire" of Korean culture. The tension of mobile phones promoting individuality seems to provoke the question of indigenization and mcdonaldization. Can individuality and indigenous culture be promoted and perserved in a globalized society? or do they threaten global order? National order?

No comments: