This thesis’ objective is to gain an understanding of how American popular culture impacts the Dutch youth’s perception of and resonance with American culture, taking the sitcom Modern Family as...Show moreThis thesis’ objective is to gain an understanding of how American popular culture impacts the Dutch youth’s perception of and resonance with American culture, taking the sitcom Modern Family as its case study. In this thesis, ‘perception’ refers to the way that American culture is viewed, and ‘resonance’ indicates the experienced affinity with American culture. This thesis statement is confirmed through the employment of a survey targeted at Dutch youth aged 16-25, in which the Dutch attitudes towards American culture are measured according to the reaction of the Dutch youth to the characterization of American culture as described by Wright and Rogers. They constitute five American values; ‘Freedom’, ‘Prosperity’, ‘Efficiency’, ‘Democracy’ and ‘Fairness’; and some features: ‘Individualism’, and ‘Cultural Pluralism and Tolerance’, which are present in Modern Family. The key finding of the quantitative research is that higher exposure to American popular culture through TV leads to a higher level of normalization of American values. The analysis of exposure levels to American popular culture and its relation to Dutch attitudes towards American culture is performed by comparing the watch histories of respondents: 81% have watched Modern Family whereas 19% have not. Expanding on the concept of ‘Perception’, this thesis demonstrates that the more one is exposed to American popular culture (like the viewers of Modern Family), the more one has normalized the American values, which impacts the Dutch perception of American culture. ‘Resonance’ builds upon this and finds that this normalization of American values among viewers of Modern Family has reached such high extents that they have become incorporated into Dutch culture. American popular culture has boosted the omnipresence and normalization of American values, which has, in turn, impacted the way Dutch youth resonate with American culture.Show less
This essay aims to show how Hallyu (the South Korean Wave) can be considered a soft power tool, and to answer the question, “What have been the results of Hallyu’s influence on North Korean society...Show moreThis essay aims to show how Hallyu (the South Korean Wave) can be considered a soft power tool, and to answer the question, “What have been the results of Hallyu’s influence on North Korean society?” By introducing the theory of ‘soft power’, I illustrate how Hallyu can be used as a political instrument. I use Chomsky’s ‘propaganda model’ and Elull’s concept of ‘horizontal propaganda’ in order to describe how North Korean society is structured by the Kim regime’s use of propaganda, and how this manufactures consent for the acceptance of social, economic and political policies. Furthermore, by using the ‘uses and gratification’ approach, and the ‘cultivation theory’ I explain the reasons for and effects of Hallyu consumption in North Korea. In doing so, I outline the opportunities and limits of Hallyu as a soft power tool. While the North Korean regime uses (the threat of) violence to maintain control of its citizens, there is also a large amount of public support that bolsters its power. The influence of Hallyu is contradicting the propaganda that is pervasive in North Korean society, thereby undermining consent. This in turn can lead to destabilizing the various institutions upon which the regime relies for influence and control. We cannot predict that this will occur, but we can identify a number of changes that we can relate to the influence of Hallyu.Show less
