Despite the growing importance of economies outside the ‘western’ hemisphere (Thussu, 2007: 28), the scholarly discourse within media science is still unceasingly revolving around the issue of ‘Western’ hegemony. This is mainly concerning two aspects of media: structures and content. While on the structural (MacBridge Report 1980 (Hafez, 2007: 80)), financial (Thussu, 2007: 27) and institutional (Cottle, 2009: 30) side a dominion of US-American (Vu, 2012), Australian (Hafez, 2007: 173) or European (Hillard, 2009) media corporations is still observable – although translational interlinkages, mergers and complex shareholder-structures make it increasingly hard to detangle (Hafez, 2007: 159) – research on the content-level is starting to look for more democratic models. The ‘core periphery’-approach (Galtung, 1971) is slowly being reassessed, yet the ‘flow’-model (Thussu, 2007: 11) still postulates that the major influence is coming from ‘the North’ flowing towards the economic ‘South’ (Cottle, 2009: 29), only being challenged by minor ‘contra-flows’ (Thussu, 2007: 20) of niche products which find some fans among sub-cultures in the ‘Western’ society. That those flows could interweave at some point and take on ‘hybrid’ (Thussu, 2007: 20) forms, is only recognized to take place at the receiving end. This can for example refer to the evolution of a certain kind of ‘German’ reggae or ‘Chinese’ rock music. Hybrids almost never happen on the structural level of pre-modeled content, e.g. ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ has the same look, sound and rules all over this planet. Thus amalgam media products are primarily developing in a more active media use. This kind of media use can contribute to the emergence of trends or sub-cultures. Aligning with Fiske (Fiske, 1987), I am daring the thesis that it is less important who is controlling the buttons behind the media corporations (structures), but it gives much more information how people are actually using this output (content) and produce meaning (Storey, 2001: 175) if we want to find out, how globalized this world is within the media (Storey, 2001: 190). As a starting point I will therefore take a sub-culture, evolved from media content flowing in the less frequented direction of ‘East’ to ‘West’: cosplay. And as the contemporary medium of choice concerning self-expression, the Internet appears to be the appropriate study subject.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 What is cosplay? Context.
2.1 Cosplay = Hybrid media-use
2.2 Cosplay = An ‘Imagined’ Community
3 Where is cosplay? Insights.
3.1 Cosplay needs media
3.2 Cosplay on facebook
4 What is cosplay? Outlook.
4.1 Cosplay = Not re-importable
4.2 Cosplay = Not only Asian
4.3 Cosplay = One global culture
Research Objectives & Key Themes
This paper investigates the identity-formulation processes within the global cosplay community, specifically analyzing how social media platforms like Facebook facilitate these transnational subcultural exchanges. The primary research goal is to determine if cosplay functions as a truly global, hybrid culture that transcends national boundaries, or if it remains tethered to specific regional influences and traditional power structures.
- The role of media and the internet in forming "imagined communities" for cosplay enthusiasts.
- The reciprocal influence between original Japanese subcultural roots and Western adaptations.
- The empirical analysis of global cosplay popularity via social network data.
- The investigation into whether local cultural hybrids are "re-exportable" to Japan.
- The impact of cosplay on personal identity, escapism, and the construction of "second selves."
Excerpt from the Publication
Cosplay = An ‘Imagined’ Community
Some sources state that the very linguistic base of the term ‘cosplay’ can already be regarded as a proof of the influence of contra-flows (cocoro books, 2007: 3). Cosplay “burst from the streets of Tokyo” (cocoro books, 2007: 3), it is a ‘Jap-ish’ fantasy-word, created by the Japanese youth seeking to name what they are doing. Originally deriving from the Japanese word ‘kosupure’ [コスプレ], meaning ‘costume play’ (Hitzler & Niederbacher, 2010: 45), the term is now being used by English-natives and others alike.
A cosplayers (or ‘layers’ how they call themselves casually (cocoro books, 2007: 3)) dresses up as a fictional character (based on any media) and presents himself best possible as this figure. Cosplay with its contemporary characteristics (see below) originates from the Japanese Manga-Scene that developed during the 1970s and 80s in Japan (Hitzler & Niederbacher, 2010: 45) and spread over to Europe with the immersing popularity of Manga Comic-Series like Sailormoon (Hitzler & Niederbacher, 2010: 45). However the idea might have arisen from American SciFi-Conventions (Gagnon, 2011) and its central theme, too, is fandom (Hitzler & Niederbacher, 2010: 45).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical debate surrounding Western media hegemony and establishes the thesis that audience use and meaning-making—exemplified by the cosplay sub-culture—are critical to understanding globalization.
2 What is cosplay? Context.: This section explores the concept of hybrid media-use and defines cosplay as an "imagined community," examining how individuals use the sub-culture to transcend their everyday reality.
3 Where is cosplay? Insights.: This chapter provides an empirical analysis of cosplay communities on Facebook, demonstrating how digital platforms serve as the primary infrastructure for global participant interaction.
4 What is cosplay? Outlook.: The final section synthesizes research findings to argue that cosplay is evolving into a global cultural amalgam that promotes tolerance, identity-sharing, and common values beyond its Japanese origins.
Keywords
Cosplay, Globalization, Identity, Media-use, Facebook, Sub-culture, Imagined communities, Contra-flows, Hybridity, Digital Natives, Social Media, Fandom, Cultural Pluralism, Manga, Self-representation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how the cosplay sub-culture operates globally, specifically focusing on identity-formulation and the role of social media in enabling a transnational, hybrid community.
What are the central thematic areas?
The study centers on the intersection of media globalization, the development of virtual "imagined communities," and the way individuals express identity through the performance of fictional characters.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks if cosplay is a truly hybrid global culture, whether national identity persists within it, and if local adaptations can be re-exported back to the culture of origin, Japan.
What methodology is employed by the author?
The author utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of Facebook group data with qualitative insights derived from an online survey conducted within the cosplay community.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The body covers the theoretical context of media flows, the linguistic and historical origins of cosplay, an empirical breakdown of global cosplay participation, and a discussion on the shared values of the community.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Cosplay, Globalization, Identity, Imagined Communities, Hybridity, Digital Natives, Fandom, and Social Media.
Why did the author choose Facebook as the primary study subject?
Facebook was chosen due to its global reach and the "grass roots" nature of its groups and pages, which provide an ideal digital environment for examining how sub-cultures define and interact with one another.
What were the findings regarding the "re-importability" of cosplay?
The findings suggest that Japanese cosplayers generally do not look for external influences, implying that re-importation is currently limited, although the global community increasingly embraces a shared, non-nationalistic amalgam.
How does the community handle the issue of cultural background?
The community is described as a place of high pluralism where the specific cultural origin of a character is largely irrelevant to most participants, emphasizing shared passion over geographical boundaries.
- Quote paper
- Michaela Strobel (Author), 2012, Re-importing the foreign?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/204116
