Download pdf
A Study on the Construction of the National Media Image of American Science Fiction Films in the New Century
- 1 Macau University of Science and Technology
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
As a significant genre of Hollywood blockbusters, science fiction films showcase the unbeatable technological prowess of the United States, serving as a vital avenue for international communication and the display of a powerful national image. Science fiction films have left a distinctive impression on audiences worldwide, portraying the United States as the global leader in technology, owing to the presence of real scientific research facilities, enigmatic scientific symbols, advanced research equipment, and extraordinary imagination within the genre. Since the turn of the century, American science fiction films have undergone a significant shift in their communication strategy, presenting a "hardcore Iron Man" national media image. This paper, employing agenda-setting theory and content analysis methodology, explores the specific pathways through which American science fiction films constructed the national media image from 2000 to 2019.
Keywords
new century American science fiction films, national media image, agenda setting
[1]. Pew Research Center. (URL: https://www.pewresearch.org)
[2]. Cheng, M., & Zhao, X. (2020). The historical evolution of the concept and practice of national strategic communication in the United States. News and Writing, 2020(02), 58-65.
[3]. Meng, X. F. (2016). National image and the communication of cultural symbols in China. Five States Communication Publishing.
[4]. Duan, P. (2007). Communication strategies in national image construction. Communication University of China Press.
[5]. Wang, X. P. (Year). National Media Image in a Multimodal Perspective: Concepts and Characteristics [EB/OL]. URL: http://www.cssn.cn/skgz/bwyc/202208/t20220803_5460865.shtml
[6]. Xing, L. J., & Zhao, J. (2021). New media and international communication of China's national image. Modern International Relations, 2021(11), 10.
[7]. Liu, X. Y. (2002). Reflections on media's role in shaping the national image. International Journalism, 2002(2), 6.
[8]. Song, Y. (2012). Constructing the international image of the United States: Voice of America news reporting. World Knowledge Publishing.
[9]. Xiao, Y. (Doctoral dissertation). (Year). Content analysis of the construction of the United States' national image in People's Daily. Lanzhou University.
[10]. Wang, X. Y. (Doctoral dissertation). (Year). Research on the United States' national image in the dissemination of American TV series in China. Zhejiang University.
[11]. Chou, Z. J. (2017). Not like "propaganda" but propaganda: The construction and shaping of the United States' national image. Masses, (04), 8-10.
[12]. Lipman, W. (1989). Public Opinion (S. Lin, Trans.). Huaxia Publishing House.
[13]. McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187.
[14]. Cohen, B. C. (1963). The Press and Foreign Policy. Princeton University Press.
[15]. Shi, A. B., & Wang, P. N. (2017). Agenda setting theory and research after 50 years: Origins, evolution, and prospects. Journalism and Communication Research, 24(10), 13-28+127.
[16]. Ghanem, S. (2013). Filling in the tapestry: The second level of agenda setting. In Communication and Democracy (pp. 3-14). Routledge.
[17]. Carroll, C. E. (2015). Mapping the contours of the third level of agenda setting: Uniplex, duplex, and multiplex associations. In The Power of Information Networks (pp. 52-70). Routledge.
[18]. McCombs, M., Llamas, J. P., Lopez-Escobar, E., et al. (1997). Candidate images in Spanish elections: Second-level agenda-setting effects. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 74(4), 703-717.
[19]. Zhang, F. L. (2020). Global financial governance agenda setting and China's international discourse power. World Economics and Politics, (06), 106-131+159.
[20]. Jiang, X. Y. (2007). Analysis of themes in Hollywood science fiction films. Dialectical Materialism Communication, 29(5), 7.
[21]. Johnston, K. M. (2016). An Introduction to Science Fiction Films. World Book Company Beijing Branch.
Cite this article
Jiang,W. (2023). A Study on the Construction of the National Media Image of American Science Fiction Films in the New Century. Advances in Humanities Research,3,21-36.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Journal：Advances in Humanities Research
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).