Globalization and The Simpsons

My case study was a response to the question: How does globalization shape media products and industries?

The globalization of media helps connect countries all over the world by reducing the differences between nations. The Simpsons, first produced in the United States, is an animated show that satirizes the life of an American family and is produced mainly for the adult demographic. The show is an example of a media product that has become so widely popular around the globe that it has not only been translated but re-made by multiple countries using their own culture and beliefs within the episodes. For example, in Pakistan’s version of the show, they removed anything relating to sex, drugs, or alcohol by either photo shopping or deleting scenes all together. That information was gathered from the article "The Globalization of The Simpsons: A Study of Satire in International Media" written by Domingo. The Simpsons is also an example of successful cultural imperialism as it has reached the lives of so many various cultures and dominated the industry worldwide. Europe was the first country to re-make the show, which is an example of cultural proximity, because they also speak English and closely share cultural ideas. It has been translated into over 15 languages and airs in over 17 countries. The show has been accused of tyrannical cultural imperialism for trying to spread ”American values” across cultures.

When I asked if the class thought globalization could be another word for Americanization, there was an excellent point raised about how the media created here in the United States incorporates characters and features from other parts of the world which brings great diversity and causes popularity worldwide. We could essentially thank other countries as they are indirectly contributing to the overall success of the show. Without globalization, we could not share shows with one another and be mutually entertained by well-produced media products.

The second question I asked was: "do you think there will come a point where globalization in media will have gone too far, and if so, what do you think will be the tipping point?" There was a great discussion following the addressing of this question about the fact that media is shared and enjoyed among countries today that we do not need to be worried about it going too far any time soon. There are so many shows produced in other countries that are enjoyed all around the globe and it is so interesting to think about how we are all connected based on media products and that we all enjoy products from all over that no one would want to see that go away any time soon.

Here is a video about how The Simpsons is portrayed and made in Arabic:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Eyyz-kGzc&index=3&list=PLEBDE29BA64778C06

If you would like to take a look at the sources I used to produce my research to further the detail I provided, please look at my list of sources below.

Domingo, Sasquatch. "The Globalization of The Simpsons: A Study of Satire in International Media." Medium. N.p., 28 Aug. 2016. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

Ferrani, Kristen Brooke and Jessica Ruggiero. "Kristen Brooke Ferrani." PennState. N.p., 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

"Leaving Springfield." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

Smith, Matt and Logan Lott. "Matt Smith." PennState. N.p., 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

Straubhaar, Joseph D., Robert LaRose, and Lucinda Davenport. Media now: understanding media, culture, and technology. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016, pp. 537-569. Print.