In the article "International Advertising and Global Consumer Culture," Frith explores how low context and high context societies have used advertising. She looks at three case studies: Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. What I find interesting about this article is in her section on Homogenization of values on page 5. The argument is that cultures use language/communicate differently. High context cultures use languages to communicate a point indirectly and low context cultures like the US are blunt. I thought I would give an example of just the opposite of that in Taiwan. It’s an example that validates agency from periphery states being bombarded with the center states 'cultures.' It's also an example of a periphery state using language and animation to be Very explicit about issues. The article is arguing that with Globalization values will be normalized and everyone will be explicit. I don't doubt that could be true. However, I wonder at the assumption that the high context/low context paradigm is valid to start at all. It has truths to it, but believing it as the only option is limiting.
Here's the set of links I have on the topic. Just choose any celebrity gossip topic that interests you. I guarantee its well worth watching.
Company site: Next Media Animation http://www.nma.com.tw/
An example of a video on Youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/NMAWorldEdition
Article: from Wired magazine http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/mf_appledaily/all/1
Wikipedia about founder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_La
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