How Media Protect Traditional Culture

（利物浦大學）

Introduction

Developments in technology have placed the media in a position where it an important promoter of culture. An example can be given of the television program Bite of China， which is broadcast on CCTV. This program narrates different traditional Chinese foods. This program is an example of how the media， acting as a mediator， aims to transmit the food culture of China to different parts of the world. The program give details about where the particular food comes from， how it is cooked and consumed. This is an example of how the contemporary media is used as an effective way of promoting culture while also shaping it.

Brief Introduction of British Cultural Transmission

According to Rosenberg （1970： 55）， anyone who wants to understand the concept of popular culture should also include research techniques that include the media. An example of what these scholars are referring to can be seen in the way the media had an impact on the popularity of the British rock band which， the Beatles. The media was able to transmit Beatles culture right across the world， in essence leading to the spread of British culture to different parts of the world. This also led to the popularity of the City of Liverpool， where the band came from.

Apart from its impact on the development of culture， the media also has an impact on promoting traditional culture. For instance， one can refer to the 2010 series Sherlock which is based on the fictitious story of Sherlock Holmes. According to Michael （2003： 600）， even though the character of Holmes was a work of fiction， it was the first in the modern literature to be treated as if it was real. This series was well received across the world including in countries such as China. Even though the Chinese tend to prefer productions from America， they showed their interest in this series through their engagements on social media. The interest in the Holmes series is indicated by a rather funny episode where some Chinese viewers asked a visiting British premier when the next episode of Holmes would be airing. The interest in the production led to a lot of young people in China starting to read the Holmes novel. Even the adults who had read the novel a long time ago where inspired to want to read it again.

Initially， the story of Holmes and the culture it portrays was widely restricted to readers. However， when the television screen adopted it， it has attracted more attention and its capacity to transmit culture became even more pronounced.

Another example of the media’s power to transmit culture can be seen in the television series known as Downton Abbey. Those who watch this series are given access to aspects of the British culture such as food， clothing， architecture， and other customs. The popularity of both the series that have been discussed here can be equated to the spread of the popularity of British culture. They have made more people aware of the country’s couture. This has potential to inspire more people to listen to British music， read British literature， and visit some of the locations depicted in the series. This is evidence that the media， more so television， has the potential to promote traditional culture.

Apart from promoting culture， the media can also play the role of preserving it. Earlier on， this paper discussed how the mass media promoted the Beatles and in extension the British culture. Unfortunately， the story of the Beatles became a tragic one as the band split just after 10 years and John Lennon was murdered in 1980. Even though these tragic events happened， the Beatles have remained as popular as ever， even among those who were born after the band had split， due to the effect that the media has in the transmission of culture. Technological changes make it even possible for people to listen to the songs using different devices such as computers and smartphones. It is not just the Beatles that the media has used to transmit culture around the world， other popular groups include Beethoven， Mozart， and Chopin among many others. If it was not because of mass media， the culture represented by these groups would not have been conserved.

Brief Introduction of Chinese Cultural Transmission

Even though China has a long history of food including Cantonese， Shandon， Anhui， and Zhejiang among many others enjoyed by many domestic and foreign food lovers， many of the young people in the country know very little about this culture. This is mainly because there are not many avenues in the media showcasing traditional culture. When The Bite of China arrived in the scene， it filled the gap created by a dearth of programs promoting Chinese culture. The program has generated some interest in Chinese culture to an extent. This is an example of the mass media playing the role of opening the masses to a mediated universe of contemporary experiences and ideas too （Shah， 2011：2）.

The effects of the media as a transmitter of couture can be seen in China with regards to the proliferation of American and Western culture in Chinese media. This has an impact on the Chines culture. Young people are finding it difficult to resists this culture being transmitted by the media from elsewhere. If not enough attention is given to the preservation of the Chinese cultures， there is a possibility that they could disappear and be replaced by foreign culture.

In order for the Chinese culture not to face extinction due to bombardment by other cultures， the media， especially television， will have to play a central role. Some efforts are already in place to do this. For example， there is a program on CCTV called Lecture Room， where a history professor is invited to talk about different historical events and characters from China's past. This is making people gain an interest in the country’s history. Such programs bring to the fire what Cai Yu （2014： 149） was referring to by noting “Each culture system， in order to play its cultural function， must have its central concerns as well as relevant ritual practices”. Another good example of how the media can help in transmitting culture is a program on CCTV calling on viewers to compete on the knowledge of idioms. This， coupled with the rise of the internet makes it possible to meet the ideal proposed by Fortuna （2015： 81） who says that the new technologies are making information more fluid， which increases the opportunities for teaching and learning.

Conclusion

This paper has shown the influence of the media on popular culture， whether it relates to preserving it or changing it. Examples have also shown that the media also has a strong influence on the preservation of traditional culture too. However， it is clear that if no deliberate efforts are put in place to preserve traditional culture， many of the young people will soon abandon it. This is the reason why a deliberate effort needs to be made so that both the traditional forms of media， and the new technologies are helping to preserve and promote culture. More programs such as A Bite of China are required.

References

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Carolyn， F. （2015）‘Digital Media Literacy in a Sports， Popular Culture and Literature Course’， Journal of Media Literacy Education， 6（3）， 81-82

Neil V， R. （1970）‘Taking popular culture seriously： TheBeatles’， Journal of popular culture， 4（1）， 53-56.

Saler， M. （2003）’Clap If You Believe in Sherlock Holmes'： Mass Culture and the Re-Enchantment of Modernity， c. 1890-c. 1940’， The Historical Journal， 46（3）， 599-622.

Shah， H.2011， the production of modernization： Daniel Lerner， mass media and the passing of the traditional society， Cambridge University Press， 2-3.