ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the cultural uses and impact of VCRs in two related ways. The primary effort is to examine the ways in which social class may be related to the economic and cultural choices involved in VCR use and VCR impacts. Social class is shown to be strongly related to VCR acquisition, use, and effects in a number of societies. However, social class effects are seen as taking place within certain contexts. One context is the general system of social and economic stratification, which in large part depends on patterns of economic development. The other context that seems most critical is the nature of the television system, both its structures and content. To examine these issues, several cases in Latin America are examined and compared, along with some comparisons to other regions.
