Blackwell Reference Online

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In the 1940s, → Paul F. Lazarsfeld defined international communication as a study of the “processes by which various cultures influence each other” ( Lazarsfeld 1976 , 485). The term “culture” has been defined in a variety of ways over the years. An all-encompassing definition of culture was given by Kroeber: culture “is a way of habitual acting, feeling and thinking channeled by a society out of an infinite number and variety of potential ways of living” ( Kroeber 1952 , 136; → Culture: Definitions and Concepts ). “Intercultural media effects” denotes the idea of change or modification to the culture of individuals living in a given society induced as a result of their exposure to media content produced in another society. Since → television is still the most popular and prevalent form of entertainment media around the world, this entry will be confined in scope to the cross-cultural impact of entertainment television (→ Entertainment, Effects of ; Television: Social History ). The question here is: Can the culture of individuals in a given society be changed or modified as a result of their exposure to entertainment television programs produced in another society (→ Intercultural and Intergroup Communication )? The various perspectives about this topic that have emerged during the last 40 or so years can be categorized according to their assumed strength of impact: strong ... log in or subscribe to read full text