Papers - Conference 2009 - Institute of Latin American Studies

Juxtaposing concepts over social globalization and post colonialism with Brazilian aspectsregarding media consumption and digital exclusion one would say that global village idea is farto be a reality in contemporary Brazilian society. Most of the characteristics that can beconsidered an index of a rather globalized society- degree of English speakers, Internet users,foreign media consumption and interpersonal exchange- are exclusive of a Brazilian minoritythat has the largest share of capital in the country. Broaden this capitalist aspect to a globalscenario - in a world where the economies of the nations are truly globalized- the aforementionedfeatures of the so-called global society can be found in the western wealthy countries- in NorthAmerica and Western Europe - in a more egalitarian way. Brazil, as an underdevelopmentcountry with large social differences, can thus be somewhat seen as significant case of study oversocial globalization structures and driven forces.Brazilian history, alike in many other countries, started to be told with the arrival of what iscalled “western civilization”. Since then, people from the land are becoming more and morewesternized by having in western civilization the only model to be followed as the elite of thecountry- the ones that detain the power to rule- are and have always being European. So isplausible to say that Brazilian elites have always followed the footsteps of the most developedcountries in Europe, while being somewhat chased by Brazilian population.Therefore, by its classist and hierarchical characteristic, the ones that are already consideredmembers of the elite try to stay where they are, while others struggle for a better position in thesocial pyramid. Such differentiation that is intended to be made between Us, -the members of thedeveloped society, the ones to be followed- and Them – the ones that follow- is not exactlylinked to wealth, but is more precisely present in the signs of one‟s wealth, in how closer oneseems to be from the global elite. This cyclic pursue for exclusiveness, based on how one seemsto be, brings the idea of a club as “the exterritoriality of elites is assured in the most materialfashion- their physical inaccessibility to anyone not issued with an entry permit” (Bauman: 21,1998).Moreover, media plays a central role in the creation of such social layers, or clubs, both as alifestyle advertiser and a source of western cultural productions through the dissimilarity of thecontent that is offer in Brazil in different types of media. The national orientation of terrestrialtelevision contrasting with the, mostly north-American, schedule in paid television reinforces17