Papers - Conference 2009 - Institute of Latin American Studies

cannot afford, but is also a question of being entitle to the “developed ones” world, to consumewhat they consume, to do what they do, to turn us into them and differ ourselves from the rest.Such scenario thus interacts with fashion in many ways, as is not solely an “open channel” fromwhere foreign lifestyle, subcultures and trends can enter, but also – because of its direct link withthe elite- is a driven force that underpins the lower echelons‟ pursuit to be part of the “globalizedworld”.However, such “global life” pursuit is not exclusively created by its fashionable characteristic asan elite trait. The Brazilian society hierarchical peculiarity (DaMatta, 1991) -that places Brazil ina lower level as a ‘País de Terceiro Mundo’ (Third World Country) in relation to developedcountries (First World Countries) – strengthens the eagerness of Brazilian society in belonging tothe “western world”. Furthermore, mass media, including terrestrial television, play a significantrole in the – usually positive– “outer world” advertisement through the spectacular lives lived onHollywood movies and international showbiz magazines.“In the past two decades, as the deterritorialization of persons, images, and ideas hastaken on new force, this weight has imperceptibly shifted. More persons throughout theworld see their lives through prisms of the possible lives offered by mass media in alltheir forms. That is, fantasy is now a social practice, it enters, in a host of ways, into thefabrication of social lives for many people in many societies”. (Appadurai: 54, 1996)c. INTERNET AND THE ‘DETERRITORIALIZATION’ PROCESSSuch „deterritorialization of persons, images and ideas‟ is increasingly taking part in the worldwith the popularization of the Internet. The non-necessity of physical movement to join onvirtual communities - unified by interests, tastes and possibilities in common- gathers peoplefrom different geographical locations, not just by a „mediated interaction‟ as in online forums orinstant messaging, but also through cultural productions consume in „mediated quasiinteractions‟that “create a certain kind of social situation in which individuals are linkedtogether in a process of communication and symbolic exchange” (Thompson; 84, 1995). Thisform of communication, performed by mass media, is monological in its essence as createsrepresentations forms for a broad range of potential recipients without direct inter-personalfeedback possibilities; however its „quasi‟ interplay does not jeopardize its role as a communityassembler since it “can form bonds of friendship, affection or loyalty” (Thompson; 85, 1995). In14