THE Growing Influence of English Mass Culture
The Growing
Influence of English Mass Culture
This
article considers the influence of English mass culture on Estonia. How these
issues affect
Estonia, a small Baltic country, leads to a discourse on our cultural identity,
and to a specific look at the effects of
American mass culture.
In
any discussion of English (or "Western") ideas of culture and
consumerism in young peoples' eyes, we need to focus on several issues:
computer software as a carrier of Western culture and the connection between - and universal language of- Hollywood and
American mass culture. It is my contention that computer software design is
deeply influenced by American and Western culture, and therefore reflects its
values and priorities. These very same values are "downloaded" into
cultures all around the world, embodied in the Microsoft Office suite.
I
believe that a language is an integral part of culture, and vice versa, so one
cannot separate them without some clear effects. Language expresses, embodies, and
symbolizes cultural reality: people view
their language as a symbol of their social identity, and this is an especially
poignant point for a country like Estonia, force-fed a diet of Russian
language and culture for so many years. It is interesting how Estonians identify with their language and its
uniqueness, and why we often fret about the loss of our cultural identity We crave and loathe the same
things at the same time: Wanting to be more "Western" in our lifestyles, while retaining our
"Estonian" character in our languages and attitudes. Estonia is
greatly influenced by English mass culture and it is definitely the youth of
today who are being exploited by it.
We drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American
music, use Microsoft software, and eat fast food. We do all these things daily.
When you visit schools in Estonia, you will
find students listening to music on their CD players: it is mostly American pop
music from singers like Britney Spears, Christina Aquilera, Ricky Martin, Ciara
and Eminem. Everywhere you go in this
small country, which used to be behind the Iron Curtain, everyone knows about
Madonna, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong and other icons of American music.
Another
field where the influence of English mass culture has been felt is fashion.
Young people especially like American fashions. If you visit
Tallinn, you can see many young students wearing the same
brands - 96 New York jeans, Guess, Prada - that you might see in Texas or
Tennessee. Is it in Kohtla-Järve or Kansas that you might hear a teenaged
boy saying, "Look, I'm wearing a Tommy shirt and Polo
pants?" 'Viru Keskus', the "American style" shopping mall in
Estonia, has become very popular among young people as
they may buy there any global brand. I assume that this is a 'Western' idea: to make young people believe that brands stand for something
special, and convince them that they also will become special if they buy and wear a
product that carries a certain name. Many young people define themselves less by their social class or ethnic origin than by
their personal brand set: the jeans they
wear and the labels on their clothes. They try to imitate the lifestyles of the
rich and famous. Young people feel
that they are on the way to pursue an American Dream if they have prestigious
and costly products, and hope to establish their social position through them.
Yet, others think that the brands are the evil of a consumer society, enriching
their corporate owners by exploiting people's insecurities and desires; the brands represent a triumph of
consumerism over human values. The older generation assumes that our nation of
workaholics has become a nation of 'shopaholics.' Nowadays, more and more Estonian families, like many American ones,
find themselves struggling to pay off their credit card debt, a modern
convenience which helps people buy anything, even the things they cannot really
afford.
Our food and
restaurant activity is one area that has been influenced a lot by
American-style fast food restaurants. Years
ago, America's foods began to affect the rest of the world - not only raw
staples such as wheat and corn, but with a new American cuisine that spread
worldwide. American emphasis on convenience and rapid consumption is best
represented in fast foods such as hamburgers, french fries, and soft drinks,
which virtually every American has eaten. By the 1960s and 1970s, fast foods
became one of America's strongest exports as franchises for McDonald's and
Burger King spread throughout Europe and
other parts of the world, including Estonia. Traditional meals cooked at home
and consumed at a leisurely pace - common in the rest of the world, and once
common in the United States - gave way to quick lunches and dinners
eaten on the run as other countries mimicked American cultural patterns.
This
is strange in my country with traditional food, but it is necessary in a modern
society characterized
by time binds. Many of us believe, however, that our traditional food has to be
saved from such influences. Now there is a
tendency to open fast food places, but with local and regional products so that our traditions are not lost. After the initial
excitement of trying other kinds of foods, we now think that Estonian products are healthier and
should be served even in a frugal lunch. Perhaps, then, it is no surprise that McDonald's is less successful
in Estonia than it is in other countries; the culture of the Estonian people is oriented to eating at home with
the exception of the four or five big cities in the country.
Another
aspect of strong impact of English mass culture on Estonia is the omnipresent computer.
I cannot imagine my life without a computer and the Internet. The personal
computer has already become one of the most ubiquitous appliances in today's
modern world. The Internet has led directly to the creation
of many Estonian companies. In Estonia, as in all countries, English mass
culture guides the way we create documents, surf the Web, send
e-mail, and exchange information in a multitude of different
ways. Most PCs are usually loaded with the same basic kinds of American software:
an Internet browser, an e-mail client, and at least some sort of productivity
software, most likely a word processor. This means that thousands of Estonians,
like millions of people all over the world, whether at home, the
office, Internet cafes, or other venues, are constantly working, communicating,
or entertaining themselves through software, while at the same time they slowly
internalize the thought processes, priorities, and values embedded in
the applications they use. As computer and software usage
grows among cultures worldwide, it will become increasingly important to understand
how software can act as a carrier of culture, and what effect, if any, this can
have on other cultures. Software design is deeply influenced by American
culture. Since huge amounts of software language,
applications, and associated hardware were initially created in the United
States, I believe that American cultural values are reflected in the design
and functionalities of such applications. I constantly use 'Microsoft Office', which I find very practical. I think that one of
the most widely distributed software
applications in the world - Microsoft Office suite - reflects. I assume that
the potential impact of software to
influence cultural traits and values may be greater than that of the transient
trends of popular culture.
In Estonia, we live
between two poles of anxiety. One is in the open: the fear of Russia and of things we know, such as hunger, bombs, crime and
violence, mass deportation, Chechnya, and concentration camps. It is a publicly accepted, undeniable fear. During
the Soviet regime, cultural policies
were geared for Russification. Their real aim was to destroy the basis of
Estonian national identity and
Estonian culture. Resistance was most pronounced in cultural life. A distancing
from the stable patterns of
post-totalitarianism began in Estonia's cultural life and policies in 1988,
when representatives of the cultural
field voiced their views for the first time in public against the environmental
and nationality problems created by Soviet rule. To counteract influences from
the East, there was a renewed interest in Western culture and information:
popular radio stations like Radio Free Europe,
Voice of America and the BBC World Service.
The
other pole of anxiety is the fear of losing our cultural identity. Estonia is a
small country that has struggled through the centuries to maintain its cultural
identity in the face of overwhelming and often
brutal external pressures. The Preamble of the Estonian Constitution of 1992
proclaims, "the preservation of the Estonian nation and culture"
among the main functions of the independent state. Support for identity, the
openness for cultural influences from other parts of the world, and support for
creativity and concern for
participation in cultural life have all become a part of Estonian cultural
policy. Estonia has stood on the
cultural dividing line between Eastern and Western Europe for centuries. The impact that such a position has had on the characteristic
features of the culture is tremendous. Our cultural scene is
distinguished by many peculiarities and is a highly complicated way of
existence for a small nation. Being open to
the sea and trade due to its geographical position, Estonia has been characterized throughout the centuries by a large
variety of cultures. Bearers of different cultures arrived here at different times and for different reasons.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Catholicism vied with Protestantism, the latter winning the
ultimate victory. This led Estonians to a focus on literary culture and the
written word. Church has never been particularly important to Estonians, as it
is in Catholic or Orthodox cultures.
Hence, we do not have over-ritualised attitudes towards the state, religion or culture. After Estonian re-independence in 1991,
the consumption of culture quickly acquired the same structure as that
of the western world. The younger generation saw English mass culture as a true
blessing and safeguard of freedom. But many
adults fretted that Estonians were losing their identity; they were also concerned because many young people
didn't even know about the traditional Estonian holidays. The older
generation wants young people to feel a responsibility to preserve our culture.
Exposure
to foreign mass culture is sometimes seen as having an adverse effect on the structure and
vocabulary of the spoken and even written language. Characteristically, as a
small nation, the Estonian identity is
closely connected to our language. Estonian is one of the world's smallest cultural languages to include contemporary
terminology for all major fields of life. Recently, there has been a lively debate over the needs and
possibilities to protect the national language from foreign influence. We borrow English words in ever
increasing numbers, not merely terms from trade and commerce, but words of a much more important kind.
English contributions to the Estonian lexicon have become more numerous and widespread. The interface between English
and Estonian became even closer due
to new means of communication. It is quite difficult to enumerate all the
fields of human activities of Estonia on which English has exercised an
influence. The result of English influence is that the Estonian language borrows
English loan-words, adapts them, and subsequently integrates them into our daily professional and personal vocabularies.
Everyday, we hear words like "OK", "good", "shopping",
"pub", "blockbuster", "pop singer", and
"computer". In the Estonian version of the popular TV game-show "Who wants to be a
millionaire?" every contestant uses the English expression
"fifty-fifty". It seems ironic, then, that some parts of Estonian
syntax show a 50:50 balance between 'own' Estonian and loan-stems.
No
one can doubt the present-day significance of American popular culture in
Estonia. Entertainment such as movies, music, and television programs hold a
special appeal to young people. The American moviemakers obviously know what audiences
like and enjoy to watch, and I am sure that the
cinemas here would be empty without Hollywood. The American movie industry has
been popular in Estonia since the
1990s and - in contrast to McDonald's - young people don't think that Estonia
is losing its cultural identity by
watching exported movies from the United States. I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture
because often people are influenced by what they see on the "silver
screen." Most of the entertainment programs and documentaries we watch on
TV are from America, and most of the
movies we go to are made in Hollywood. Sometimes, the movie theaters are swamped with low-cost American films - violent
action films. This type of dominance creates a negative effect on the young generation and can increase crime. In this
situation, we should recognize that
the spread of culture to another country can also spread the problems inherent
therein. Television and other mass media broadcast a portrayal of a
privileged American lifestyle that many Estonians hope to imitate. People all over the world view American television programs.
American television has become such an international fixture that
American news broadcasts help define what people in other countries know about current events and politics.
The debate about the power of TV to influence people's behavior and beliefs has been going on ever since the medium
became widely popular in the West in the 1950s. Many people in our country are
worried about the impact of the 'Western-style' TV on social behavior, particularly
crimes of violence; its effects on the political process; and whether it causes
a deterioration in cultural standards. A lot of Estonians say that the growing
size of the American media conglomerates threatens the global cultural
endowment.
American culture
has been pervasive in Estonia in the last 15 years. Today, American culture
often sets the pace in modern style. While mass media made entertainment
available to more people, it also began to
homogenize tastes, styles, and points of view among different groups. Like it
or not, America has become the
dominant cultural source for entertainment and popular fashion, from the jeans and T-shirts young people wear to the music groups
and rock stars they listen to and the movies they see. American entertainment is probably one of the
strongest means by which American culture influences Estonia, although some people resist this influence because
they see it as a threat to their unique
national culture.
Mass
media in Estonia are becoming increasingly Americanized. More channels are devoted
to talk shows and pop music, games and quizzes. As the influence of American
culture grows around the world, members of local cultures
consistently express concern about the integrity and survival
of their ways of life. Many Estonians particularly fear the influence of
Hollywood films, television, and popular music, which infiltrate
their homes through cable, satellite, and the Internet. They see these technologies as powerful carriers of American cultural
values, which they fear will erode their own culture, especially amongst the
young. When considering Hollywood's effect, our youth take their cues from the way the Americans - good and
bad - are portrayed in the movies. For instance, many Estonian youth begin to
dress, talk, and even behave like his or her actor from a particular American television series. Who, fifteen years ago,
would have imagined that the American films, television programming, and
recorded music which dominate our market could lead to Estonians aping the
hip-hop culture with baggy jeans and baseball caps turned backwards?
In
2005, young Estonians have high expectations about technology: text messaging,
cell phones, and doing research on the Internet are our
everyday activities, and connectivity is continually increasing. We get news
"alerts" as text messages on the same mobile phones that we use to
pay for our car parking fees. We shop
online, pay online, greet our buddies online, all the while remembering that time is a currency for us. In fact, we, young
Estonians, respect and understand time. We know how to use it, and we know what it has done for us. We
are busier than ever before. Writing from my hometown in northeast Estonia, this strikes me as one of
English mass culture's most profound influences. The challenges we face are also profound: How do we
preserve our unique culture while embracing the things we need and love?
Must I choose between Estonian music and Eminem? Will I even have time to consider this choice, or will it be made for me?
We will never lose the need to co-operate with the United States and the EU on the ways they export
their culture to us. My question? When, if ever, will "they" see that
they need "us" too?
No
Estonian can be ignorant of what time and the effects of mass cultures have
done to us. Centuries of our history reinforce this often-painful memory. Yet,
we Estonians have survived and regained (some would say maintained) our independence.
We will maintain our independence also in the European
Union, NATO, wherever. We must not lose our independence, which is in fact the
main foundation for our culture and
its network of social and psychological rituals. At the same time, we want and need to make Estonia culturally and economically
attractive abroad, and part of this demands that we accept English mass culture.
This
time, culture is clearly in the service of economics. But it need not always be
so. Our Estonian society is also a society of achievements and therefore, it can
progress at the same rapid pace that our technology does. I argue for a happy
medium: Where we embrace the things we love from the West, but
don't lose our appreciation for the things that make us special. Perhaps, one
day, we will recognize something in "English mass
culture" that is quintessentially Estonian and come to speak of the influence of
Estonian mass culture on the west. I hope I can help make that happen.