Intercultural Dimension And Difference Analysis Of A Case Study On National Variations Of The "Got Talent" TV Franchise

Beginning around 2005, with the ever rapid update and development of the domestic talent shows, television studies have seen the growth of interest in the genre of reality shows. Exchange and adaptation of the TV format point simultaneously to a conditioned"Glocalization", yet academically the cultural value frames of this specific kind of program still does not seem to have been given enough attention. Therefore, this research is put forward in an attempt toward filling the gap and taking a profound look into the characteristics and values of media culture. The thesis seeks to redress the current balance, and herald the emergence of an important, exciting, and challenging area of television culture studies in the Chinese mainland.This is a quantitative thesis using the methodology of content analysis and comparative culture study, taking two of the talent show TV programs --"Britain's Got Talent"and"China's Got Talent"– as the research sample. The thesis focuses on media culture construction, analyzing the difference between the two talent show programs that are produced by different nations. Hofstede's latest"Six Culture Dimensions Theory"is applied in this study together with the media format analysis theory, to construct a new culture dimension system that is especially suitable for this case study. By comparing the two programs item by item, the thesis helps to understand what sort of culture difference are between these programs and how value factors reflects or influence the"Glocalization"process. Then the author evaluates the relation between the"media culture differences"and Hofstede's"culture differences".Results show a significant difference between the two programs on the dimension of"long-term orientation", and great difference on dimensions of"individualism","masculinity", and"indulgence and restraint". Besides, as"China's Got Talent"made distinct adjustments on most of the dimensions, the researched"media culture difference"shows significant variance from Hofstede's"culture difference". By analyzing each, both media and cultural effects are accounted for.