ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by considering the nature of globalisation and the way a range of technological, economic, and political developments intensified the impact of globalising forces during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It explores issues of globalisation and business conglomeration in relation to media industries geared to the youth market. Theories of globalisation have, since the late 1980s, impacted across a range of academic disciplines. Accompanying the rise of neoliberal governments, fundamental economic shifts also spurred (and, themselves, reflected) trends towards greater globalisation. Theories of ‘cultural imperialism’ were a facet of the fierce criticisms that, during the late twentieth century, were being aimed at aspects of globalisation. The chapter concludes by considering the way youth cultures have been mobilised by countries such as Japan and South Korea in exercises of 'nation branding' that attempt to extend the countries' 'soft power' through boosting the global appeal of their national media and popular culture.
