How U.S. Film Spreads American Culture

The last three pieces of U.S. media I watched were, The Martian (2015), Henchmen (2018), and Limitless (2011). There are many ways in which these three films may have been helpful to people from other countries to learn our culture. Media from other countries will both show and influence culture.

Media may be one of the easiest ways for culture to spread it's influence throughout the world. Japanese manga, video games, and anime are imported from around the world and have shown people many things from a far away eastern culture. Likewise, American culture has spread primarily through our popular culture, music, and film. The U.S. film industry is arguably one of the largest media institutions in the entire world. Our films are seen worldwide and Hollywood is a Goliath not soon to be trifled with. American culture is thus known far and wide.

For example, The Martian, may teach foreigners about our space program and NASA protocols. It's a movie about a NASA astronaut that accidentally gets abandoned on Mars. It shows that we are a developed nation with human rights concerns and technological prowess. It also shows that we have an interest in Mars colonization. People in other countries can both see this as something to be admired and something to be feared. American dominance may only yet be beginning as our country is relatively young on the global stage. Our films are an ode to the collective conscious and display the things we feel, think, and dream about. People who watch our films may be influenced on a memetic and cultural level as they absorb our ways of thinking and values.

Henchmen is a film about an orphan who dreamt of being a comic book supervillian. The film displays struggles of individualism, and identity. These concepts may be harder to understand and absorb for eastern cultures like China but nonetheless be understandable. In fact, one of the reasons China bans certain films is to maintain control over their population. They see Westernization as a threat to their way of life and power. Media can be used in propaganda wars to subvert other countries and their citizens. For example, while American films celebrate individualism and the country itself Chinese films tend to be historical and pro Chinese government. While both films about America and the Chinese government can be considered propoganda America is far more free than China, hence our media is less nefarious.

The last film, Limitless, probably reveals the most about the American psyche. The main character, Eddie Mora, is a disheveled writer who is unable to write any books. One day an old acquaintance offers him an experimental drug, NZT. NZT enables the user to use the full potential of the human brain. Armed with a massive IQ Eddie becomes able to do almost anything he sets his mind to. He can learn entire languages in a single week, create an ultimate formula for the stock market, and rapidly learn and excel at anything he wants. The film represents our massive yearning for individual triumph and excellence. Most people in America would give anything to have a pill like NZT so they could become the people they want to be. This American mindset is something I feel many cultures around the world would both understand and be confused by.

In the past I remember reading an article about the middle east and the hit television show, Friends. It was found that the show not only did a good job of showing American culture and values but also improved the perception of Americans in the eyes of those from the middle east. Some of these were from war torn countries, which held significant animosity against the United States. The funny and relatable TV show not only made foreigners like us more but also understand and improve their perceptions of things like equal rights and capitalism.

Film is undoubtedly a great force with the potential to impact cultures and peoples from around the world.