How Australia Is Being Americanised by the the Influence of New Media Essay Example

The Australian culture has been forever changing and Australia is seen as a multicultural country, however, Australia has always leaned towards becoming Americanised. This can be largely contributed to the evolution, introduction and utilisation of new media. New Media is a broad term that evolved in the latter part of the twentieth century. Most technologies described as ‘new media’ are digital. For example, the Internet, including websites, CD-ROM digital televisions etc. New Media is also considered as interactive forms of communication that use pod casts, blogs, virtual worlds and social networks. For example, facebook, MySpace and Twitter have become common forms of communication for not only individuals but also businesses and groups. By calling New Media ‘new’, it can be seen that the term is in relation to ‘old media’ forms such as magazines, newspapers and film. Modern Australian culture has been influenced by many different countries. Many of the people who have come to Australia since 1945 were motivated by a commitment to family, or a desire to escape poverty, war or persecution. Great Britain colonized Australia with the purpose to explore new lands and alleviate the burden of over crowded prisons in Great Britain. People of the Asia Pacific Region immigrated to Australia because they were geographically close and it was largely due to the Gold Rush. During World War 2, many US Soldiers were stationed in Australia mainly for training and some for rest and recreation. Apart from their accents, the visiting soldiers brought lots of money, goods, clothes and music that had never been seen or heard in Australia. As there were so many soldiers, they were abundantly supplied with their luxuries and comforts from their home country. All of a sudden, Australia was introduced to American culture. Since then, and prior to the new media era, Australia has also been exposed to many varied and different American television shows eg The Brady Bunch, Get Smart,