Comparative review of reality television, gender, and authenticity in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria

¶ … technologies, modern media has the ability to absorb and become influenced by cultures from all around the world. The media of the eastern world, such as in Saudi Arabia and Nigerian have been influenced by the west, particularly the United States of America. Marwan Kraidy's (2009) "Reality Television, Gender, and Authenticity in Saudi Arabia" and Brian Larkin's (2004) "Degraded Images, Distorted Sounds: Nigerian Video and the Infrastructure of Piracy" deal with the westernization of Middle Eastern and African cultures which has been thwarted by the governments of those societies.

Marwan Kraidy (2009) explores the ramifications of a pan-Arab reality show called Star Academy which is broadcast in Saudi Arabia. In that nation, the program caused considerable problems because the political basis on which the Saudi government is run was undermined by the production. Star Academy was obviously influenced by western media, such as the television programs "Pop Idol" and "The X-Factor" from England, expanding the westernization of the popular culture. The Saudi government has expressed that one of its goals is to prevent foreign influence from dictating the culture of the Saudi national identity (Kraidy 2009,-page 349). A controversial facet of the program was the fact that women were allowed to compete the on the program and had the chance to win which put them in competition against men and placed them on an equal plane with members of the male gender. The author of the article states, "Star Academy was so polemical in Saudi Arabia because the show subverted the religious bases of Saudi social order by promoting women's agency, featuring cultural hybridity and individuating authenticity" (Kraidy 2009,-page 346). One of the most important aspects of the Saudi Arabian culture is the subjugation of women and by providing them agency this reality competition broke open the discussion of women's rights in Saudi Arabia. There are very strict regulations which dictate how women may behave in Saudi society. Even compared to other Islamic nations, Saudi Arabia is considered highly misogynistic. Women are not even allowed out in public unless they are accompanied by a male member of their family. Television and other forms of media have been strictly monitored to prevent the ideology of other cultures regarded agency of women to permeate Saudi society. It is this which has made the program Star Academy so hotly debated in the country of Saudi Arabia.

In his article, Brian Larkin (2004) explores how westernization has similarly influenced African popular culture in Nigeria. That nation has an economy which is aided by the act of media piracy, particularly of products which are pirated from the United States and other western countries, as well as India. Computer processes have made it all the easier for piracy to transpire (Deibert 2010,-page 55). Though the process of piracy is illegal, the economic growth in Nigeria that was brought about by the widespread criminality was able to create a legitimate film industry which is now allowing for legal creation and distribution of material (Larkin 2004,-page 290). Larkin argues that in this country, the influence of the western world has not only improved the economic standing of what had been a financially endangered nation, but also was directly linked to the creation of a new industry in Nigeria.

As the technologies continue to progress and new ones are developed, there is going to be further cultural interaction and a culture will either develop negatively in response to the foreign influence such as in Saudi Arabia, or positively such as in Nigeria (Benkler 2011,-page 155). The two articles are from entirely different perspectives and each is compelling in its argument. Of the two, the Larkin article seems to be more convincing, but this may be in no small part due to my own cultural influences. Being a part of western culture, I am more likely to believe that the influence of the western world is a beneficial world. Also, being part of this culture influences the gender normative in which I believe, which is that women should be treated equally and thus I will not see the arguments against female agency as a problem and wish the Saudi Arabians would change their entire social structure. Cultural homogenization is a problem according to the Saudi Arabians, a point which is agreed to by John Tomlinson (1995). While it is true that there needs to be individuality in cultural identity, certain influences are not necessarily bad things.