It is no question that the media’s representations influence the manner in which people across the globe interact with each other. Media sources including publications, the Internet, television, cinema, and books provide the foundation for what Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin coin “Cultural Imperialism” from America on Film. “Cultural imperialism” can be defined as “the promotion and imposition of ideals and ideologies throughout the world through cultural means” (Benshoff & Griffin 23). Unlike traditional imperialism, the notion that one country holds a more dominate position in terms of hierarchies through force and economic control, “cultural imperialism” involves the taking over of other cultural dimensions with not force, but rather the abundant cultural products and ideologies affiliated with the system in power. With America’s position of media implementations, few can argue that this dominant position belongs to the United States; while many other cultures across the globe involuntarily submit to the ideologies distilled within these representations.
Because of these notions, it is difficult to make an analysis of an image or media representation without placing more significance on its interpretation or meaning. By examining a specific work at a denotative level, then a connotative level, and finally analyzing the dichotomies affiliated with the work, one is able to make a strong visual analysis to establish its literal meaning. For the purpose of exercising this task, one might choose to examine two images from the media. "At the Time of the Louisville Flood" Margaret Bourke-White (1937) and "Refrigerator" Martin Johnson and Osa Johnson (1920) are two great historical images to practice one’s visual analysis skills.
The image above is undoubtedly one with significant historical context from America. Taking the first step, viewing this image at the denotative level, one is obliged to describe what it is they truly see. The above image includes a line of African-American people. A decent number of these people are holding baskets or bags. In addition, it is important to note that these individuals are fairly well-dressed, and are all wearing warm clothing. The background appears to be a billboard, promoting America’s “high standard” of living. The billboard’s image depicts a family with two children and a dog, riding in a car. The textual portion of the billboard includes two phrases; “World’s Highest Standard of Living” and “There’s no way like the American Way.” After analyzing the image at the denotative level, one can begin to explore an image at the connotative level. Examining an image at a connotative level entails incorporating the denotative analysis with associations or emotional suggestions from a cultural standpoint. The image appears to be an actual image, in that it more than likely was not staged by the photographer. This image is compiled of two main images; the line of African Americans and the background of the “American Standard of Living” billboard. Through the usage of cultural codes, one might assume that the above image is depicting a line (which is in focus) of African Americans’ at a soup kitchen (or receiving bread from a similar system). The backdrop provides a sense of irony to the people in the line because their envisions of America undoubtedly provides them with a different view about living “The American Way.” The lighting, angle, and focus that the photographer used for this image creates no question that her intent was to capture the whole image of the background billboard within her frame.
The next image one might consider examining for the purpose of visual analysis is titled “Refrigerator.” What this image focuses on at a denotative level is a well-dressed White woman, sharing a tray of ice cubes with two indigenous people of color. The background includes an opened, fully-stocked refrigerator, and selves with a surplus amount of canned food. Upon moving on to the connotation analysis of the image; one might suggest that from the woman’s gestures that she might be uncomfortable (but trying to hide it), while enlightening the two indigenous people with a technological advance that their culture may or may not have been knowledgeable about, ice cubes. The photographer undoubtedly staged the image, seeing as different lighting patterns are used. The white woman appears to be under a significant amount of lighting, while the two indigenous males appear to lack similar lighting, yielding the depiction of a darker-than-reality skin color. The photographer also made it point to include within the frame of the image the fully stocked refrigerator and the abundance of canned goods. From a cultural standpoint, one could strongly argue that these are two ideas that the culture of the indigenous people have not adopted into their practice of lifestyle. This notion of whiteness being affiliated with technological advancements, and a sense of superiority can be established through Ronald Takaki’s Different Mirror. This image might be suggesting that America’s viewpoints on persons from different cultures support the notion of the existence of a specific hierarchy, affiliated with Americans.
