You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Exposure to international media such as films, TV and magazines has a significant impact on local cultures. What do you think has been the impact? Do you think its advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
It is certainly true that being exposed to foreign media which includes movies, TV and publications has significantly affected local cultures as evidently seen in my country, the Philippines. It greatly affected our local languages and family values.
Exposure to international music, TV shows and magazines has caused a change to our local languages. By constantly listening for instance, to western songs and watching American TV series such Pretty Little Liars, people in my country have eventually adapted the European language or even an American accent. As a result, this adaptation could gradually lessen the use of our Tagalog language. However, it could also make us globally competitive especially when hardly looking for an employment internationally. As for my experience when I was looking for a nursing job in Melbourne, Australia, one of their hospitals’ requirements is for me to be able to communicate English in advanced level.
Also, constant exposure to foreign media has caused a considerable impact on family values. For instance, my country is a very conservative nation. Reserved people here strongly disregard sex before marriage, but because of foreign cultures regard this unacceptable notion as acceptable and obviously shown in American and western films, Filipinos tend to do so. This leads to the negative influence of my country’s family culture.
In conclusion, I think that there are benefits and drawbacks brought to local cultures by international media, but I cannot deny the fact that because of these foreign sources of information, I have learned a lot, most especially English language. So I certainly believe that there are more positive effects of these global media than the negative ones.
[ by – Rona Lyn G. Olivar ]
Sample Answer 2:
It is well known that media globalisation such as movies, TV and magazines have great effects on internal cultures. It highly influences the cultures formation and a massive change is observed through nation’s behaviours. Although globalisation through media has many advantages that put people around the world altogether, we cannot avoid some disadvantages to being conveyed.
Media is a good carrier of knowledge and information. It saves time for the learner to acquire new science or even help him to create ideas. Also help in countries development, whenever a country mimics successful plans of other countries, like the United European organisation where the countries involved in this organisation exchange news of flourishment and high achievements. We can also see that people living in different countries watch same programs and read same magazines are able to get closer, however, far they are. They can also exchange languages and habits of different cultures, and easily understand each other. And though, somebody can go anywhere and meet with his best friend or even with his soul-mate where common thoughts meet.
On the other hand, media has some disadvantages that we cannot avoid, and I believe that children are getting the greatest percent of loss there are some impolite scenes transferred to their pure minds, from where catalyses bad thoughts. In addition, nowadays, there are research studies that justify the opinion of most watched TV increases the percentage of stupidity and foolishness. It also does not give the children or teenagers to practice beneficial activities and be more productive to their society. One more bad consequence of media prevail is that it weakens the relations between the individual and family or friends. One is less able to communicate with people around him and share wonderful moments. There will be no good memories to accompany him in elderly and hard times.
To sum up, we can conclude that media shows obvious change on a variety of cultures and generates new disciplinary of living ways. However, we should not go in deep with it and we should entertain it within the limit to avoid its drawbacks.
[ by – Samar Ahmed]
Sample Answer 3:
There is no doubt that today we are living in a global village where people all around the world listen to the same types of music, watch similar movies, television programmes and even many of us extends our interests to read books and magazines which were published in overseas. While some people have argued by these tendencies could destroy one country’s culture and brings adverse effects on people lives, others oppose this notions completely. However, personally, I agree with the group of people who believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages for several reasons. In this essay, I will give some reasons to support my assertion.
To begin with by looking at the advantages of these processes; firstly through television programmes, we could get a deeper knowledge of different cultures and diverse lifestyles. Secondly, if people spend the time to read books or to read magazines that were published on overseas then probably they would gain knowledge in a foreign language. Finally more we share our ideas and thoughts through media then more we understand each other. That will definitely help us to reduce the prejudice among nations.
However, its disadvantages seem greater than its advantages. One is that nowadays people all around are influenced by the international media. Consequently, many of us are trying to imitate the lifestyles of other cultures that will lead to cultural erosion of a country. Another point is that our identities are being lost due to the over exposure to international media. For example in these days, people all around the world have been trying to wear the dresses and costumes of the characters on the television programmes. This means that a majority of world people are trying the same fashions and trends and ultimately we are losing our culture and unique identities.
To conclude I would like to reiterate that international media definitely help us to reduce the prejudice among nations and help us to gain knowledge in different languages as well as in different cultures. However I believe that its merits outweigh by its demerits owing to the fact that it would bring significant amounts of threats to one country’s culture and a threat to our identities, those factors are unavoidable aspects of our humanity.
[ by – Shijoy Dsilva]