Chapter 10 of our text, The Global Flow of Visual Culture, very much pertains to human trafficking as globalization largely fuels trafficking. To narrow this post, I will be focusing on cultural imperialism- an ideology or a way of life that is depicted to the world by means of cultural practices or products.
Migration is both a root cause of human trafficking, a misconception and an underlying agenda. The free-flowing system of knowledge, ideas and images use a variety of appeals to persuade an individual that a certain culture is superior, or lifestyles within a culture are dominant, oftentimes leading vulnerable populations starry-eyed and curious, inspiring them to explore the unknown and achieve the expressed ideals. The text states that despite the ease in the exchange of information that globalization brings, national security and boarders have tightened since the 9/11 terrorist attacks (390). In terms of human trafficking, this securitization has resulted in those that wish to migrate trusting underground sources to assist in securing entry, citizenship or jobs in the destination country.In my previous blog posts, I have discussed the counter human trafficking campaigns of Eastern Europe, argued to suppress migration, as well as the media's stereotypes of traffickers themselves, most notably a minority male. In the case of migration, the movie Taken (discussed in this previous post, aired in over 10 countries, and rooted misconceptions of the issue in over a million global citizen's minds.
These two posts can be tied into this discussion of globalization by calling into question the media's shaping of the issue, motivations (such as economic and immigration policy agendas in the US) and how this molds and contributes to our own views. This is paradoxical- the clever packaging and framing is contrary to the supposed democratic path of information globalization is theorized to fuel (399).
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