Going beyond a dualistic view of culture and economic power: the case of reality television in Greater China

Abstract

Recent development of the global media market, including the purported decline of American media and the rise of regional centers, have shown the inadequacy of existing theories in capturing the essence of such changes and an urgent need to re-conceptualize key concepts such as culture and market economy. This paper examines the role of culture as it is reflected in the way viewing preferences feed back to production decisions that lead to the transformation of imported media genre, using the reception and transformation of reality television in Greater\r\nChina as an example. The paper argues that there is the need to go beyond the dualistic “either-or” conceptual framework and see cultural/economic, and media/audience power as moving forces rather than dualistic dichotomies with a linear, predetermined relation. The paper explores the potential of the Chinese Yin/Yang mode of thinking for developing an alternative analytical model for media studies.