Explore the Impact of Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism: Judging Another Culture Solely by the Values and Standards of One's Own Culture

• Ethnocentrism means applying one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved.

• Ethnocentrism can be seen in common portrayals of the Global South and the Global North.

• The opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism, a guiding philosophy that states the best way to understand a different culture is through their perspective rather than judging them from the subjective viewpoints shaped by one's own cultural standards.

• Ethnocentrism was first applied in the social sciences by American sociologist William G. Sumner in his 1906 book, Folkways.

• Ethnocentrism can be related to racism, stereotyping, discrimination, or xenophobia.

• Ethnocentrism can be explained at different levels of analysis, such as intergroup, individual, and identity construction.

• Ethnocentrism may enhance in the presence of interethnic competition or hostility.

• Ethnocentrism has both negative and positive effects throughout history.

• Ethnocentrism has influenced rankings of various cultures according to the degree to which they developed significant milestones, such as monotheistic religions, technological advancements, and other historical progressions.

• Ethnocentric classification of "primitive" was used by 19th and 20th century anthropologists and represented how unawareness in cultural and religious understanding changed overall reactions to non-Western societies.

• Ethnocentrism is believed to be a learned behavior embedded into a variety of beliefs and values of an individual or group.

• Ethnocentrism influences consumer preference.Ethnocentrism and its Effects in Media

• Study shows a correlation between national identity, consumer cosmopolitanism, consumer ethnocentrism, and the methods consumers choose their products, whether imported or domestic.

• Ethnocentrism is not necessarily negative, but it leads to negative feelings and stereotyping of the out-group members, which can be confused with racism.

• Scholars agree that avoiding stereotypes is an indispensable prerequisite to overcome ethnocentrism, and mass media plays a key role regarding this issue.

• Ethnocentrism in media content creates an issue in the exchange of messages in the communication process.

• The media industry is dominated by the Global North, so Western ethnocentrism tends to be exposed in the media.

• Western companies are usually the leaders of the film industry, and it is common to be exposed to content based on Westerners' point of view.

• Examples of ethnocentrism are constantly seen in films whether intentionally or unintentionally.

• Social media can play a positively constructive role in educating, guiding, entertaining, and bringing awareness towards other cultures.

• However, social media can also allow for other cultures to judge one another and create controversy.

• Ethnocentric individuals may hinder the exchange of information by diminishing the interest of interacting with people from other cultures.

• Overcoming ethnocentrism requires avoiding stereotypes and creating a better understanding of different cultures.

• Ethnocentrism in media can lead to stereotypical images of cultures that differ from our own.