¶ … 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...
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…
