Donatella Della Ratta examines the “war of civilizations” assumed by Western media by looking at Arab media.

During the first Fulf War, there were no local Arab media, so the region relied on CNN. Now there are local media. Because of their ownership, it’s hard to tell the difference between private and public; in this, it’s not all that different from Western media, she says. Three major networks absorb most of the advertising dollars from smaller nations; they are Saudi Arabian (the Lebanese one is headquartered there) and entertainment-focused. What’s on these three networks? Survivor. American Idol. [Local versions, of course] A pop music show. A Coke commercial with a pop singer who was paid $2M for it. She also shows a frame from a Coke commercial that tries not to be quite so Western. The same Saudi Arabian culture doing the first type of TV is also doing the second type, she says. Behind both are Western companies like Coke.

She says there is a growing interaction between the Arab world and the West, but mainly through images. Real interaction is decreasing, but interaction through TV and brands is increasing. Exclusively media mediated. Brands are not the best cultural mediator. We need more real interaction.

Some more about Donatella here. [Technorati tags: ArsElectronica2005 medoia DonatellaDellaRatta arab]

Categories: Uncategorized dw