HSY3703
ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE: MARCH 2026 (MEMO)
,HSY3703 ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE MARCH 2026
Selected Question (Study Unit 5):
"Do technologies such as television, radio, and social media platforms influence
the dissemination of cultural practices across a continent? Critically examine
their impact within the African context to illustrate the development of global
consumer culture."
Discussion of Main Issues for Final Portfolio Essay
Introduction
I will be looking at how television, radio and social media affect culture in Africa. It also
explores how these technologies spread a "culture of consumerism" the desire to buy
products and live lifestyles promoted by global companies.¹
Media and Consumer Culture
According to Sklair, global capitalism works on economic, political and cultural levels. At
the cultural level, companies persuade people "to consume above their own perceived
needs."² Sklair calls this the "culture-ideology of consumerism", the belief that
happiness comes from owning things.³ Media technologies are key tools for spreading
this message through advertisements and lifestyle images.
¹ Leslie Sklair, The Sociology of the Global System (London: Prentice-Hall, 1995), 47.
² Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 47.
³ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 48.
,How Media Work in Africa
Television powerfully spreads global culture. There were 180 million television sets in
1965, but over one billion today.⁴ In African cities, satellite TV brings programmes from
wealthy countries into homes, showing lifestyles people may desire.
Radio remains important in Africa. It is cheap and reaches many communities. Even
radio carries advertising and music promoting consumer goods.
Social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok are widespread among young
Africans. These platforms connect people to global trends, but they are businesses that
profit from advertising and encouraging consumer desires.
Mixed Effects on African Culture
Held and his co-authors suggest cultural globalisation can lead to "homogenisation,
contestation, hybridisation, and indifference."⁵ In Africa, we see all these:
Homogenisation: Cultures becoming similar
Contestation: People resisting foreign influences
Hybridisation: Mixing global and local cultures
Indifference: People not caring either way
For example, Nollywood uses digital technology to make African films, yet sells them as
products in a global market. This shows hybridisation.
The Problem of Unfulfilled Desires
Media spread "materialism and consumerism as the paramount values."⁶ Those who
can afford consumer culture buy freely. But many Africans cannot afford these goods,
leading to frustration.⁷ Sklair asks: "can capitalism ever achieve its global goal of
transforming all the people of the world into genuine consumers?"⁸ In Africa, media
create desires that most people cannot satisfy.
, ⁴ Roger Burbach, Orlando Nunez and Boris Kagarlitsky, Globalization and Its Discontents (London: Pluto Press,
1997), 22.
⁵ David Held, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton, Global Transformations: Politics, Economics
and Culture (Oxford: Polity, 1999), 330.
⁶ Burbach et al., Globalization and Its Discontents, 23.
⁷ Burbach et al., Globalization and Its Discontents, 23.
The Role of African Elites
Sklair's "transnational capitalist class" includes business people, politicians and media
personalities who benefit from global capitalism.⁹ Their luxurious lifestyles, shown in
media, become examples ordinary people are encouraged to follow, though most will
never reach that wealth.
⁸ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 186.
⁹ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 71.
My conclusion
Television, radio and social media do influence cultural practices across Africa. They
promote global consumer culture. However, local cultures adapt and mix with global
influences in complex ways. The main problem is that media create desires that cannot
be satisfied, leaving many feeling excluded from the "good life" they see on screens.¹⁰
¹⁰ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 187.
ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE: MARCH 2026 (MEMO)
,HSY3703 ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE MARCH 2026
Selected Question (Study Unit 5):
"Do technologies such as television, radio, and social media platforms influence
the dissemination of cultural practices across a continent? Critically examine
their impact within the African context to illustrate the development of global
consumer culture."
Discussion of Main Issues for Final Portfolio Essay
Introduction
I will be looking at how television, radio and social media affect culture in Africa. It also
explores how these technologies spread a "culture of consumerism" the desire to buy
products and live lifestyles promoted by global companies.¹
Media and Consumer Culture
According to Sklair, global capitalism works on economic, political and cultural levels. At
the cultural level, companies persuade people "to consume above their own perceived
needs."² Sklair calls this the "culture-ideology of consumerism", the belief that
happiness comes from owning things.³ Media technologies are key tools for spreading
this message through advertisements and lifestyle images.
¹ Leslie Sklair, The Sociology of the Global System (London: Prentice-Hall, 1995), 47.
² Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 47.
³ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 48.
,How Media Work in Africa
Television powerfully spreads global culture. There were 180 million television sets in
1965, but over one billion today.⁴ In African cities, satellite TV brings programmes from
wealthy countries into homes, showing lifestyles people may desire.
Radio remains important in Africa. It is cheap and reaches many communities. Even
radio carries advertising and music promoting consumer goods.
Social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok are widespread among young
Africans. These platforms connect people to global trends, but they are businesses that
profit from advertising and encouraging consumer desires.
Mixed Effects on African Culture
Held and his co-authors suggest cultural globalisation can lead to "homogenisation,
contestation, hybridisation, and indifference."⁵ In Africa, we see all these:
Homogenisation: Cultures becoming similar
Contestation: People resisting foreign influences
Hybridisation: Mixing global and local cultures
Indifference: People not caring either way
For example, Nollywood uses digital technology to make African films, yet sells them as
products in a global market. This shows hybridisation.
The Problem of Unfulfilled Desires
Media spread "materialism and consumerism as the paramount values."⁶ Those who
can afford consumer culture buy freely. But many Africans cannot afford these goods,
leading to frustration.⁷ Sklair asks: "can capitalism ever achieve its global goal of
transforming all the people of the world into genuine consumers?"⁸ In Africa, media
create desires that most people cannot satisfy.
, ⁴ Roger Burbach, Orlando Nunez and Boris Kagarlitsky, Globalization and Its Discontents (London: Pluto Press,
1997), 22.
⁵ David Held, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton, Global Transformations: Politics, Economics
and Culture (Oxford: Polity, 1999), 330.
⁶ Burbach et al., Globalization and Its Discontents, 23.
⁷ Burbach et al., Globalization and Its Discontents, 23.
The Role of African Elites
Sklair's "transnational capitalist class" includes business people, politicians and media
personalities who benefit from global capitalism.⁹ Their luxurious lifestyles, shown in
media, become examples ordinary people are encouraged to follow, though most will
never reach that wealth.
⁸ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 186.
⁹ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 71.
My conclusion
Television, radio and social media do influence cultural practices across Africa. They
promote global consumer culture. However, local cultures adapt and mix with global
influences in complex ways. The main problem is that media create desires that cannot
be satisfied, leaving many feeling excluded from the "good life" they see on screens.¹⁰
¹⁰ Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 187.
