Thus far thus lengthy
web-log has sought to explore and better appreciate how the American
global economic template has ever expanded to continue as the prime
orchestrator of global enterprise; as worldwide enterprise continues
to expand, even if today albeit at a slower pace.
The old adage that “the
business of America is business” has in the past both obviously
propelled and gained from globalisation, yet today that commercial
imperative provides advantages beyond the dreams of 19th
century industrialists and bankers.
Arguably far greater
direct and indirect influence through not only the conventional
exportation improved industrialised goods, processes and associated
services to EM nations, but in a now well established communications
age, has since Berners-Lee's original work created much of the
multi-faceted jigsaw that behind the modern internet.
In doing so, seemingly
seeking to maintain its role as the globally governing soft-power
agent. Ever greater worldwide social (and thus commercial) impact
from the epicentre of California.
Carrot Not Stick -
Now within a period in
which the old system of Western military and economic dominance is
increasingly countered and challenged by the major EM players across
the rest of the world – through official UN channels - America well
recognises the importance of a soft-power agenda and associated
capabilities.
To counteract the
weakened powered of the once entrenched idea of the 20th
century “US military-industrial complex, America's self-created
21st century position is that of a “glocal
socio-economic enabler”.
Doing so through
continued use of the traditional mix of media (cinema and TV), but
today critically inserting an already largely screen-based 20th
century culture construct into the far bigger, immersive and so
influential platform of 'the web', which simultaneously allows
portions of the global population (young today but increasingly
older) to (through video downloads and similar) inter-mingle as what
are effectively “cyber-citizens”.
And in doing so the
physical and ethereal merge, creating a continuum whereby the
societal 'life constructs' of yesteryear blur; this mass of
cyber-connections – now known as 'the cloud' – altering what was
only a short time ago a separate sense of self vs others. So in turn
changing the dynamic of what was previously the innately private, the
social (family/friends), the civil (community), the state
(nationhood) and critically commercial life, as both contributor and
consumer.
[NB this has been
termed 'info-communism' by some thinkers and wordsmiths].
Creating the 'Picture
Perfect' World -
Wherein Hollywood once
provided the catalysts for global consumer trends through weekend
cinema visits and later all-week television, today multi-screen based
lives have become the norm. This global lifestyle ostensibly
generated by a plethora of largely Californian enterprises which in
the past and today's present span the full spectrum of the IT and
'cyber-connected' value chain.
This continual cycle of
creation and improvement in hardware, software and content has long
moved on from the old Hollywood template of selling the ideology of
the 'American Dream', since that has been largely achieved. Since
moved onto the innovation required to create the fundamental
utilities which together combine to form the component parts of the
techno-social infrastructure. An infrastructure which enables the
fundamentals of a still very new 21st century world to
operate.
'Upstream' are the
increasingly affordable device enablers such as Apple's almost
mythical iPhone and iPad, Microsoft's 'Surface' tablet and its
smart-phone section via the Nokia buy-out.
Screen floating Apps
(applications) increasingly provide a personally edited tableau of
short-cuts to preferred lifestyle enabling functions; whether
organising basic travel schedules, ordering local take-away food,
listening to radio, playing games, file sharing etc (with over
250,000 on the Android system). These are increasingly smart-phone
user's preferred access points, so commercially highly competitive.
Thereafter, web-browser
programmes such as Explorer, Safari, Chrome, the various off-shoots
from 'open-source' Mozilla and Firefox. [Though given population
saturation in the west such low-value applications now left open to
other countries to create browsers to capture EM web-surfers].
To web-entry points
such as the massively dominant Google and lesser Yahoo and Bing. To
social and professional networking sites such as Facebook and
Linked-In, and often correlated virtual communities such as Twitter
(of which the US accounts for 10 of the top 18).
To a plethora of
e-commerce offerings, whether solely 'clicks' based or 'clicks and
bricks' retailing, in which originators such as ebay and Amazon still
dominate 'share of mind' and so power-broking capabilities. And onto
associated web-payment services such as ebay's PayPal, which today is
viewed as a conventional debit/credit system akin to credit-card
companies and banks.
And of course, at the
'down-stream' end, amongst the global populace, there is
'cyber-citizen up-loading', wherein individuals and groups can
contribute to and seemingly participate within the virtual community
constructs, typically of heavy graphic content spanning static and
moving imagery. Herein, compared to other video-upload sites such as
Yahoo! or even Facebook, the audience power of Google's Youtube
cannot be over-stated. With over 1 billion separate visitors per
month across 61 countries, 80% or so of upload content originating
from outside of the USA.
However, of lesser
standing but specific note is the (San Francisco based) Internet
Archive, which with a mission of “universal access to all
knowledge” appears to be collating all past and present works both
from before and during this internet era.
Prevailing Perspectives
-
The internet has
demonstrated its enormous power over but a short few decades, with of
course thinking people split into one of three camps: wholly pro,
wholly anti, but the majority recognising the advantages and
disadvantages of the net.
Detractors will state
that like any dependence related drug, the free-to-all, 'open-source'
systems which helped to rapidly grow the fundamental network was
developed on the back of underpaid 'ant workers' seeking their own
fame and fortune. Similarly the 'open-door, self up-load' systems
have likewise been a primary attractor and enabler of spreading web
interest, with what has effectively been no-cost content provision
for companies such as Google and Facebook. Each has gained enormously
from the willingness of global citizens to contribute for free, with
relatively few new media-made personalities having made money
compared to the massive market capital values of the corporations
themselves.
Thus extending the
reach of US soft-power interests worldwide, and with such willing
'sheep' (especially amongst the young), little backlash to the
development of apparent 'global knowledge archives', which would (as
seen historically with Alexandria Libraries) re-affirm the US as the
true super-power well after the 21st century has been and
gone.
Hence there is ongoing
debate about the rights and wrongs of what some see as a new era of
remote, web-based US (and possibly Chinese) induced shared
imperialism; stretching from possible real-time “eye in the sky”
legal enforcement drones to the capture of humanity's entire works of
knowledge.
But the fact is that
here and now if you are surfing the web, your are very likely to be a
what may be described as a “cyber-citizen of the Californian
Cloud”.
And as obviously seen
by various protests from private individuals to national governments
(eg Germany) there is a now a not so covert cyber-connection directly
into to America's 'National Security Agency' and ally agencies such
as GCHQ. The NSA's own agenda for domestic surveillance will
understandably be defended by the argument that the world willingly
uses its nationally built information super-highways and so has a
right to monitor them.
Yet this raises the
question as to whether the older 'military-industrial complex' has
simply been updated by an IT surveillence mandate which may or may
not have associated consumer informational advantages to the likes of
Google, Facebook, with Mark Zuckerberg's call on Washington seen as
empty rhetoric given mutual advantage.
This apparent watershed
for America's pseudo-stewardship of the web comes as undoubted
increasing concerns arise from a more confident remaining world.
A Re-Cap of Worldwide
Transition -
The previous 25 years
or so has seen great worldwide change as many of what were previously
classed as 2nd and 3rd world nations encouraged
internal economic policies which maximised advantage of their their
core attributes and competences, whether based upon commodities,
heavy industry, light industry or people's capabilities; an optimum
mix of all.
Although today somewhat
contracted and slowed, such EM output(s) have formed a global supply
chain of activities - modern-day 'silk roads' and 'spice trails' -
which previously led to the economic apex of North America and
Europe, and still does; but now equally re-circulates to serve the
increasingly more sophisticated realms of B2B and B2C commerce across
EM regions.
After ongoing Western
economic expansion over the last two centuries, albeit with collapses
and revivals, it appears the fact that the 'consumer saturated' West
has been for decades a region of arguable value destruction. The
demand for ever more goods and service content being squeezed by ever
harsher competition, a process only made viable – but only over a
short term - by what was to be revealed as baseless credit expansion;
the pulling back of that 'illusionary curtain' in 2007/8.
Today the outcome of
this much shifted economic dynamic for many of the world's people's
is encapsulated in the idea of the 'Shifting Middle'.
This a fundamental
concept to the 'global future' wherein the consumer and credit
excesses of the once comfortable and very much envied West
(represented by the SUV and mass designer consumption) has under-gone
a global reversal.
Wherein EM regions' new
consumers take on the mantle “hyper-shoppers” so as to
demonstrate themselves as successful, and critically globally brand
aware. Deploying their “new money” gained from entrepreneurship
and improved private-sector salaries, they are simply in effect
re-enacting the first phase modern consumption era of the late 19th
and early 20th centuries across Europe and North America.
Importantly, unlike the
EM roller-coaster rides of 1980s and 1990s when introduced (or
re-introduced) to global capitalism with 'boom and bust' experiences,
a greater appreciation of the importance of far stronger national
balance sheets and more acute budgeting has shown that many EM
countries are able to better cope with the demands of global capital
markets; even when temporarily erratic.
Hence, much of the
globally available 'value added' to be created and captured will come
from existing and new supply chains across those goods and services
sectors which exist far beyond historical western boundaries. Given
the “size of the prize”, this sets an ever harder task for those
western biased firms not already well integrated; given ever more
pronounced intra-EM relationship building.
Furthermore the ongoing
desire for mergers and acquisitions of western firms by healthily
aspirant EM conglomerates and sector-specific firms – being either
cash rich, obtaining asset-backed finance or stock issuance for
re-capitalisation will obviously advance their own goals toward
'global standing', broadened distribution channels and new research
and development facilities, so able to capture high-value solutions /
IPR.
[NB Though in practice
this is often easier said than done, given the usual practice of
self-interested agenda amongst most firms' managements - western
included.
The automotive realm
has seen cases of the weaker 'prey' gain internal advantage, by
demanding an ever bigger financial contribution from the newly
acquiring EM parent to achieve strategic goals. That drain often more
value-destructive so than the apparent strategic riches actually
delivered].
Toward a Re-Balanced
World -
Today we fortunately
live in an increasingly 're-balanced' world, afforded by globalised
interaction.
Availability of
officially generated economic data providing statistical
illustrations of this ongoing re-balancing is available from numerous
public and private sources. But perhaps instead better to view such
change at ground level, whether physically or virtually.
The majority of western
children (of increasing ethnic backgrounds) are no longer kept
ignorance of portions of the external world - and indeed vice versa -
as was the case through the 'cold war' and well into the 1980s. Now
living in what may be viewed as an increasingly internationalist
world with accordant internationalist outlook and internationalist
values.
Inter racial social
mingling within ever more ethnically diverse large cities and towns
has resulted from short and long term immigration policies, the
political imperatives toward the bi-lateral advantages of trade
agreements open-up not only financial but cross-cultural flows, and
improved opportunities for international travel for many people
spanning leisure, education and commerce opens hearts and minds.
But unlike even 20
years ago the major influence change is that of the 'down-loadable'
world.
A vicarious, remote yet
intriguing experience of cyber-access into foreign lands is now well
established, whether viewing geographies academically from far above
through satellite snapshots to the far more personal of viewing of
someone else's video-captured, downloaded travels; Montevideo via
video, just one possibility.
However, it is the
increasing ability to exist within the seemingly unbounded world of
global cyber-space, which for many has by virtue of time spent,
become as real as their own immediate physical surroundings. Indeed
positively hyper-real (better than reality) since it offers
immediacy, breadth and depth of experience, often of the often
unfamiliar but attractive.
That may be to help
satisfy the ambitions of a financially constrained yet highly
ambitious EM student undertaking web-based learning from the
free-to-view 'Khan Academy' (originated from the US). Or conversely a
very wealthy but aged European seeking to construct a set of
destinations for a 'bucket list' world tour.
The crux is that whilst
for many of the remaining poor Thomas Friedmann's pronounciation that
“The World is Flat” remains as elusive as ever, the fact is that
his identified prime drivers which under-pin the thesis are still
valid; even if ironically the re-balancing dynamic now presents
certain advantages of operational 're-shoring' back to the West
across various sectors.
Info-Tech Jigsaw Meets
Ethnographic Mosaic -
So with an apparent
ongoing metamorphosis of the USA away from a geo-political global
mechanism and toward a role as an info-tech powered enabler of
socio-economic value creation, it obviously recognises a need to
appreciate the emergent matrix-like conceptual framework.
A global framework
which matures and meshes across the two vital dimensions of:
1. 'Technology and
Content Enablement':
Comprising of the
hardware and software that make up the skeletal structure of this
newly arrived and ever deepening cyber paradigm.
2. 'Cross-Cultural
Assimilation' required:
Comprising of
hybridisation formulae across human activity over the full life-span
in which cyber-based and cyber-related activities become the cultural
norm, so provide for an arena by which the 'glocal' can be made
manifest.
Thus the web and its
access devices and contents effectively replicate with far greater
technical complexity, societal influence and personal immersion, the
former 'alternative reality' created by the Hollywood film industry.
However, whilst film
undoubtedly draws the viewer meta-physically inward to merge the
'subject' (viewer) and 'object' (depicted picture), the relative
passiveness of the watcher meant that he/she was always being 'fed'
the material.
In stark contrast, the
internet truly absorbs the viewing participant into the
'screen-world', because he/she is fundamentally proactive.
Furthermore, very importantly, because increasingly that screen-world
has become an information-based, intermediate space between the
viewer and the physical world.
The cyber-screen
increasingly becomes the 'help-point' for interaction with the
external world, which by virtue of the web's growing omnipotence
regards people and products, means that it becomes almost the de
facto (even if hyper-real) 'life environment'.
The 'Looking Glass'
Feedback Loop -
Given the absorbed
potency of this 'through the looking glass' environment, that which
is graphically created to populate this virtual world becomes 'as
real, if not more powerful, as the surrounding physical reality,
often the preferred environment, which in turn powers a feed-back
loop impetus back into the physically real world.
Such a cultural
feedback loop – from beyond back into reality - looks set to
continue the expanding trend established in from mid-20th
century America onward.
Whereas 20th
century European simulacrum tended to be more conventionally applied
by the classically inspired minds of the establishment, seen by the
UK's “re-editions” of mock Gothic late Victorian villas, psuedo
Arts and Crafts 1920s houses, 1930s Tudor-esque suburban houses, the
1990s redesign of the black taxi and later the neo-classical New
Routemaster bus; things were different on America's West Coast.
Although the 'old' East
Coast mentality was likewise restrained Anglo-centricism given its
narrow establishment roots, the comparatively younger West Coast was
the direct opposite. Wealth here was firstly created by the “Go
West” wagon train pioneers of the early 19th century who
developed the small Latino towns of the coast into modern cities. In
doing so they became the new Anglo-establishment, but who later
experienced rivalry from inbound 'emigrees' (typically wealthy jews)
during the late 19th century and early 20th
century.
So just as their began
an internal “culture war” inside Europe between 'old-money' and
'new-money', so a similar episode began in the USA, centred in
California.
[NB Design history's
discourse between classicism and modernism rarely truly reflects the
politicised nature of this power struggle. In the 1920s both
Germany's Weimar Republic and Russia's Early Communism are
illustrations, wherein a heavily jewish influenced modernism (see
Bauhaus originators) sought to super-imposed a supposedly classless
aesthetic over the long reigning historically evolved 'establishment
aesthetic. (Later post-modernism became the ironic convergence of the
two polemics: eg Disney's HQ with classically deployed giant dwarfs].
Thus from 1920 onward
with empty reaches of California that were to become suburbs, mains
streets, early shopping malls and commercial centres, were
effectively viewed as a 3-D blank canvas by those who had made money
from Hollywood cinema and its associated supporting enterprises.
Given the mutual
distrust of the time between protestant and jew, and exclusion from
establishment activities such as elite country-clubs and golf-clubs,
jewish enterprise sought to in a way seek to create a different
(anti-establishment) Californian environment; an early but powerful
form of 'culture jamming'.
Thus new aesthetics
were sought to displace the classical, and various sources were used
from Austro-Germanic modernism (eg the AEG building) to inspiration
drawn from Hollywood visual story-telling itself such as the
theatrical backdrops and studio sets, the bright colours of original
cartoon arwork and especially so 'cinematic futurism'.
A new palette of
possibilities were seen that could be deployed as the new Californian
architectural and environmental aesthetic, leading to 'pop-u-lux',
sourced from replication of the powerfully influencing aspirational
lifestyles seen on the silver screen.
Perhaps for the first
time, but the citizens of California populated not an organically
grown place, but an automated, manufactured replication or
interpretation of fantasy-lands created by what was originally the
real estate development body Hollywoodland.
So a massively powerful
new commercial template had then been born, by which views of new,
better highly aspirational lifestyles were created for silver-screen
mass consumption – creating the 'American Dream' – and in new
districts like West Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Burbank, Culver City
and Windsor Hills, that dream-scape could be physically stepped into.
Within an automotive
theme, Detroit was also undergoing cinematic influence, with General
Motors the first to deploy the “colour and art” skills of Harley
Earl, poaching him from a previous post as Hollywood set designer.
The ability for people to drive lower, wider, longer, sleeker, chrome
laden automobiles then completed the ideal of 'living the dream'.
Thereafter the basic
commercial model for steering, promoting and re-inventing mass
consumption (through designed obsolescence of cosmetic trends) had
been formed.
Contemporary
“Auto-Replication” of Californian Original -
Though the 20th
century saw major economic expansion of Europe and the US, the fact
that the cultural semiotics of European tradition were so entrenched
meant that the socio-commercial experimentation that is
'image-replication' was largely localised to California.
However, in a very much
smaller manner it was also seen sporadically across the rest of the
country along its arterial highways (eg renowned Route 66) wherein
the Auto-Aesthetic and Cartoon Aesthetic had taken hold via chromatic
road-side diners and giant-sized follies providing identities for
local motels.
Nevertheless, the
regurgitated images of Californian and highway 'pop-u-lux'
environments – through magazines, books, television and cinema –
have since been absorbed into the popular consciousness of the
westerners, from Paris, Texas to Paris, France.
That imagery compounded
by to date a California-centric and California-seduced global media
industry, and the previous globalisation of American pop-u-lux
iconography, most notably McDonald's 'golden arches'.
Plus of course the
constant mass-media reference to the fantasy-escape location of Las
Vegas (in Neighbouring Nevada) where what is essentially an adult
theme-park was developed in the late 1980s. The central backbone of
'The Strip' consisting of levels of contrived simulacra including a
miniature New York, a miniature Eiffel Tower, a miniature Venice, a
full size pyramid etc.
Hence, now at a point
in history where the US itself has both dramatically slowed in terms
of overall trickle-down economic strength and expansion, and also has
started to become far more protective of its 'heritage environment'
(both natural and man-made structures), the irony is that America may
no longer be able to re-play its self-devised televisual
socio-commercial growth template. If indeed able, only so in a far
smaller and less impacting way.
Recognising this,
investment-auto-motives believes this is precisely why the US has
been the prime actuator - at a tremendous cost of billions if not
trillions of US dollars - in developing the world wide web.
Just as the
'televisual' of cinema and television provided the template for the
last 'American Century', so the web offers itself as the perfect
image immersive vehicle for American influence across the Berners-Lee
ideal of a borderless cyber-space world, which in turn as 'the cloud'
sits metaphorically above other sovereign lands.
[NB the implications of
this has been well recognised by foreign governments since the web's
initial expansion].
“Auto-Replication”
within the Emerging World -
American commercial and
cultural influence to date upon foreign cultures is plain to see.
Japan's post WW2
sporting love affair with Baseball, the Middle-East's previous
adoration of large gas-guzzling V8 cars and SUVs, India's own
'Bollywood', Pan-African US style freeway network ambitions, Brazil's
desire to mimic the 'sports economy' and promotion of 'High-school
Proms' to limit children dropping-out of education.
Looking forward, as EM
countries increasingly expand internal and intre-regional telecoms
capabilities to equal the user saturation levels and high
connectivity speeds of the advanced Triad region's, the
aforementioned socio-commercial matrix that is the 'Ethnographic
Mosaic' coupled with the 'Info-Tech Jigsaw' will present new
challenges and opportunities for major corporations, SMEs, small
enterprises and new start-ups on both sides of the now closing AM –
EM divide.
However, as seen in
Part 3, it is inevitable that those commercial minds of California
and Wall Street will seek to maintain the historic pattern of
evolutionary business model adaptation.
Whether that be sold
wholly as production rights, the US made product distributed to local
partners or licensed for local transmission (freeview, cable and
satellite), or indeed (as in the case of Disney's and Universal's
theme-parks) effectively transplanted 'as is' upon foreign soil or
with adaption for local taste and sensibilities (such as Tokyo
Disneyland), and operated either directly or via franchise (as per
Tokyo Disney), or indeed the former followed by the latter.
Given its long
historical commercial interaction with the rest of the world, the US
has long recognised the manner by which it must effectively
proportionately hybridise both American and of domestic foreign
cultures (eg Tokyo DisneySea). And as seen previously has
successfully achieved this to date through 'centrifugal' and
'centripetal' initiatives inbound and outbound; to increasingly
create 'glocal' connections.
The difference today is
that with the advent of the web, yet another layer cultural
interaction has been created, but with its innate attractiveness and
so social power comes yet greater complexity regards cultural
interaction.
Unlike much of the rest
of the western world, Washington's recognised by the 1970s that
California should operate as a 'global bridge', with a much debated
but remaining open-door immigration policy, attracting Latinos,
Asians (Japanese, S.Koreans, Indians and Chinese) to its
universities, start-ups and established firms.
Thus California already
has an embedded 'glocal' cultural advantage by way of its short-term,
and medium-term immigration policies leading inevitably for those who
have something to offer with dual homeland and US citizenships.
[NB In real terms it is
a strategic strength that Canada, the UK and continental European
countries must envy, and one which Japan must recognise as requiring
drastic immigration policy change to secure its global future; even
if it upsets its American ally].
Disney's Velvet Glove -
The fact is that from
its earliest days Disney's imagery, its Mickey Mouse Club and overall
compounded brand strength has gained the attention of people
worldwide over many generations. The logo, characters and productions
creating a parent to child link which since the 1930s has become a
prime cultural thread.
[NB Whilst Universal,
Warner Bros, Time Warner etc have enjoyed success, none have the
engrained 'brand equity' of Disney gained from longevity].
From the initial
cartoon days of Mortimer Mouse and Steamboat Willie, morphing into
Mickey Mouse, the 1937 song “hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go”
deployed in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to imbue a national work
ethic, mid-century efforts such as 'Lady and the Tramp' seeking to
reduce upper-class vs immigrant antagonism, to the re-hashing of
Europe's old fairy-tales as with Chicken Little.
Disney-Pixar as the
“All American” Vehicle -
Previously
investment-auto-motives highlighted America's need to recapture its
credibility with foreign states, post Iraq, Afghanistan and the
politically explosive mobile-phone hacking affair of world leaders by
the NSA.
The film 'Saving Mr
Banks' will be viewed by those external analysts encompassing a
broad-spectrum perspective as a small but useful component part in
such a necessary charm offensive.
As intimated
previously, Washington is keen to once again re-represent itself as
the global good. Amongst many foreign policy initiatives under this
banner, it no doubt wishes to re-imagine, recapture and redeploy Walt
Disney's father figure profile.
'Saving Mr Banks' acts
as a partial and subtle bio-pic, centred upon the fractious but
ultimately successful efforts to secure the film rights to Mary
Poppins from the female author PL Travers.
This story 'based on
actual events' appears an outright effort to demonstrate to the rest
of the world – perhaps EM nations specifically – of America's
willingness to effectively purchase the stories which comprise the
social fabric and and cultural pillars of foreign land.
Critically wishing to
be seen as a credible, responsible steward.
Yet whilst this remains
part of the corporate strategic agenda to broaden appeal, influence
and profits, the Walt Disney Company also appreciates that its core
capability is the personification of animals and inanimate objects
from the everyday world around us.
This spans from Mickey
Mouse to Jiminy Cricket and far beyond within the animal kingdom.
However, given the social impact of the automobile, its myriad of
'ready-made' characterisations derived from size, shape, face-like
front and obvious dynamic movement – all leading to the pet-like
affinity many owners have - perhap only the car has a plausibility to
be transformed. And from a child's perspective, turning objects into
animated beings through play, it is almost natural.
Internationalist Appeal
of Characterful Cars -
Previously, Part 3
highlighted how that plucky little VW Beetle 'Herbie' was deployed an
audience draw from 1969 onward throughout the 1970s, 1980s and to
recent times. But undeniably the appeal of that character wained as
American, western and global economies improved and people enjoyed
more modern cars, thus the world-wide car-parc of original Beetles
depleted and the everyday social connection weakened.
But Disney (and indeed
the auto-industry at large) continued to well recognise that there
had not been a generalised social disconnect to the car by the
public, simply that different models had different levels of appeal,
and even for the best loved the social connection essentially
governed by the on-the-road life-span of specific models.
Moreover, as part of
its supposedly impartial brand values, Disney could not be seen to
effectively sponsor one manufacturer in preference to another, or be
seen as 'bought-off' by product placement; plus the fact that any
negative real-world impact upon a single 'chosen' brand (eg
popularity decline, PR disaster etc) would impact Disney's own income
stream. Better not to “nail Disney's colours to one mast”.
Instead, given the
plethora of vehicle brands, models and a variety generated by
history, nationality and global expansion of the auto-industry, far
better to open Disney's doors to all types – intentionally
reminiscent of America's indiscriminate historical immigration stance
– so as to re-create on screen, through merchandise and via
themeparks, an animated 'world of cars'.
Named “Cars” to
provide simplicity and international appeal, and to be obviously
created through ever improving CGI animation enabling ever bettered
rendering, but which could alsoif required provide various 'pictorial
canvases' from the intentionally cartoonesque of original Disney to
the photo-realistic required for immersive video game participation.
[NB Without an in-house
animation facility of its own, Disney initially negotiated a
(seemingly) split deal arrangement with Pixar Animation Studios of
Emeryville, CA. Pixar had been operating since 1986 as an independent
entity (after Apple's Steve Jobs financially assisted to extract the
unit from LucasFilm). But a commercial disagreement pertaining to
non-split ownership of rights created tensions until on 05.05.2006
Disney acquired Pixar outright. Between 2005 to 2013 Pixar has
produced 14 animated productions including 'Toy Story', 'Monsters
Inc', 'Finding Nemo', 'The Incredibles' etc ].
[NB It must be stated
herein that investment-auto-motives is only familiar with a few of
these productions since myself (Turan Umran Ahmed) is not a member of
the general target audience. But is for obvious reasons familiar with
'Cars'].
“Cars (1)”, “Car
Toon”, “Cars 2” and “Cars 3” -
The first of the 'Cars'
stories in 2006 was a subtly powerful attempt to capture the hearts
and minds of the young and old relative to their own vehicle
affiliations. Contrasting a modern race-car's “100 mph” ambitious
(city) lifestyle (represented by Lightening McQueen) with the
long-slowed lifestyle of forgotten small-town USA (represented by
Mater and others) – once integral to American life but previously
by-passed by the speeding Freeway of modernity. The film was released
a year or so before the cracks in the over-blown US economy appeared.
The remit of 'Cars ' was to highlight the advantages of a
'down-shifted' life with old fashioned values such as community,
caring and sharing; all as part of the local economy's socio-economic
agenda. It would prove highly pertinent as the socio-economic fabric
of the USA became effectively shredded.
It was well received by
the cinema critics across the US and worldwide, with the typical
anthropomorphism of automotive characters put through testing times
so notionally aiding their maturity – thus echoing child
development across id to ego to super-ego.
But the fact that
beyond the immediate character-driven plot was one of a changing
America which had to re-discover its slower-paced old fashioned
values so as to assist social cohesion and a more localised attitude.
(This reflecting the budget cut-backs in major city and state budget
cut-backs). It also seemingly sought to generate a new patriotism
regards the US auto industry prior to GM's bankruptcy and
re-emergence and the likewise collapse and revitalisation of Chrysler
(under foreign FIAT)
“Cars (1)” was
indeed a popular and welcomed story by many US citizens, ostensibly
pre-empting the consequences of the 2007/8 financial crisis and its
social impact.
The well known plot
centres around the juxtaposition of until then the fast-paced dynamic
of American city life, as represented by the more shallow race car
character of Lightning McQueen, and the slow-pace of a backwater town
previously by-passed by the speeding modern freeway (ie modern times)
and represented by a cast of seemingly yesteryear characters 'led' by
Mater the battered old tow truck. Forced to spend time in the town of
Radiator Springs McQueen begins to re-evaluate his life and
ultimately recognises the importance of small town values and
relationships.
A message which began
to ring true for much of the 'downsized' population after 2007/8 and
obviously especially pertinent to those with young children who
recognised the mutually supporting roles of nuclear and extended
families and friends. Its message about mentally and morally
returning to an earlier more simplistic golden-time (also that of
Disney's heyday) appears to have since been influential.
“Cars Toon” is a
spin-off commercial initiative, presenting character led short
stories, created for Disney's own XD channel (reaching 71% of US
households), broader television and DVD formats. To date it has
focused upon two distinct boundaries. First the world-wide,
travel-bound adventure tales of friendly and comical 'Mater' the
breakdown truck; who was actually the #2 character in the films but a
character to which younger children are drawn, but now 'side-kicked'
by 'Lightening McQueen' (ex #1).And secondly, the goings-on in
home-town 'Radiator Springs' in which the lives of these and other
characters are played-out.
“Cars 2” suffered
more so from press critics, no doubt perceiving the film as little
more than a poorly constructed sequel to leverage the goodwill of the
original and maximise merchandising potential with its additional
characters.
The plot consists of
the backdrop of a world championship race for McQueen (setting the
scene for a wide cast of international vehicular characters) and the
drawn-in involvement of Mater put between an internationalist set of
western heroes and ex-Eastern bloc affiliated villains; all involved
in a conspiracy to intentionally undermine a new eco-friendly so that
its seeming champion can actually gain more from his interests from
the old fashioned oil sector.
It is actually a well
constructed plot given its subtle world-orientated agenda (and
seemingly beyond the appreciation of most film critics) but does
proffer a not so unbiased 'new energy' message which panders to
California's own interests (such as Tesla Motors) and equally a bias
against 'Putin's East and similar oil rich CIS regions, even if
displayed as a comical defunct yesteryear CCCP . Interestingly
however, it does tread a political fine-line with US allies, with the
prime villain being Britain's Sir Axel-Rod whilst simultaneously
bestowing a similar knighthood on the new hero Mater; California then
intimating at what it sees as British 'double-dealing'.
Again the adventures of
the characters are superimposed over the bigger backdrop of the
American international agenda. It is one which seeks to redirect the
bogey-man figure away from the international arena and specifically
'Islamic Fundamentalism' and toward domestic growth agenda issues.
However, the past is not forgotten by California, subtly hinting at
that retreated threat, via the major irritations caused to the public
created when fighting 'international terrorism' such as overtly
strict airport security controls (removal of shoes and belts etc)
made humorous with car character 'extras'.
[NB Also very
interesting is the way in which certain car models (such as the 1970s
BMW 2002) are made subtly visible in specific places ranging from
airport hall to casino. It may be the case that one animator drives a
2002, or possibly a manner to raise the car's profile and price
amongst enthusiasts, or to add to BMW's historical American
connection.
Plans for “Cars 3”
has just been revealed by Disney's CEO Bon Iger.
Whether this continues
in an internationalist theme by moving on to new foreign lands (via
the threads of the World Grand Prix or Mater's fighting international
crime) or indeed returns to the USA backdrop (to presumably
intermingle “big city America” with “small town America” for
economic growth) remains to be seen.
But there is no doubt
that Disney's ambitions for its own domestic and internationalist
expansion are being constantly revisited.
A World of Cars -
Undoubtedly when
Disney-Pixar first considered “Cars” the movie it was wholly
conscious of the manner by which a global audience could be reached
using the now homogeneous entity of the car.
Yet crucially,
simultaneously able to deploy a myriad of stereo-typically humorous
ethnic personas through the different vehicle models types and
related character.
The 'seen it all'
Sheriff in the form of an old Mercury Eight, the 'down-shifted' motel
owner and love interest in a Porsche 911, an enthusiastic Italian
FIAT cinquecento, his counterpart forklift truck, a hippy VW microbus
whose liberal ways irritates a veteran WW2 Willys Jeep, the 'big
mamma' appeal wrapped within a 1950s showcar style, her partner as a
late 1950s Chevy Impala 'lo-rider', and a host of others.
The later filmic
introductions in 'Cars 2' of British, Italian, French, German,
Japanese, (once) Eastern bloc characters and many others thus expands
the international personality platform of the Disney sub-brand so as
to all intense purposes be seen as increasingly worldwide.
With only perhaps
greater focus on Latin America, India and China to come, perhaps in
'Cars 3'.
So the world portrayed
through automobiles and criticallyy through the background of
de-constructed and re-constructed associated automobilia; wherein car
parts become the aesthetic forms for everything from mountain peaks
by way of hood emblems to era-specific architecture displayed using
era approapriate items, whether that be the pistons shown as petrol
forecourt pillars of a 1950s pop-u-lux era Radiator Springs or the
1910 headlamp surrounds which form part of the lattice metal-work of
a Parisienne marketplace.
By doing so the world
at large as we know it, is alternatively recast to befit a world of
car-based characters; a ploy often used in children's animation to
provide an enhancing context
However, in doing so,
the reality-altered backdrops and environments themselves provide
possible new inspiration for tomorrow's architects and planners,
taking the feed-back loop seen by Californian pop-u-lux and
re-deploying it using contemporary screen-derived imagery. In which
case portions of our newly built surroundings would be effectively
that of the irony of new 3-D simulacra contrivences sourced from
established 2-D based simulacrum amalgamations. So continuing our
post-modern era of cultural contextual naval-gazing for new
inspirations.
A 3-D 'Cars' World:
Theme-Park -
Although in-situ
theme-parks had existed well before the mid 1950s, an early rendition
exemplified by London's upper-middle class Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens
espousing foreign tastes as opened in the 1660s onto to the
mass-market appeal of New York's Coney Island, it was not until Walt
Disney opened his 3-D wonder-world of until then 2-D screen
characters and fantasy surroundings that the term 'themepark' was
truly established.
Disneyland was
originally planned to sit beside the animation studios in Burbank,
north to central LA, but it lacked required acreage and access And no
doubt the local municipality preferred to avoid the stream of
tourists and instead grow a higher value activity its cinematic and
televisual
The attraction needs no
explaining, itself reproduced with varying expanding and suitable
content across the globe, from Florida to Tokyo to Paris to Hong Kong
to Shanghai. During this expansionary process the original site has
likewise been updated to suit Disney output.
Thus in June 2012,
after 6 years growing publicity, the new attraction of 'Cars Land'
was opened, appropriately utilising a portion of old car park
ear-marked for development.
In essence a life-sized
representation of the imagined Main Street that makes-up much of
'Radiator Springs', itself portrayed as a revived relic of the 1950s.
Individual lots given the commercial spin of variously themed gift
shops which accord to the sensibilities of the relevant character
that notionally resides within. Trundling around voicing witty
phrases are moving life-size models of the primary cast adding the
required dynamic.
The coupled attraction
is the Radiator Springs Racers, offering the riders a within the
screen experience provided by cast interactions. (The ride deploys
the same 'slot-car inspired' mechanical ride system as the Chevrolet
sponsored 'Test Track' at EPCOT in DisneyWorld, Florida).
The obvious corporate
manifesto is to immerse visitors into at least for a short time the
feeling that physical and fantasy realities have melded to provide
periods of escapist and dream-like joy.
EM Internationalisation
of “Cars” Themed Parks -
With a successful
implementation of the Disneyland “Cars Park”, it seems likely
that Disney will hope to replicate the original across the globe. But
altered as necessary regards character cast and environs to befit the
different regional histories. This expected as 'Cars' probably
expands to draw from many various EM locales.
And so the adventures
of the central characters to date effectively replayed with new, and
where positive closely associated older, vehicle shapes, and the use
of various regionally well known character-actors to replace lesser
known US character-actor highlights the recognised importance of
local orientation.
The fact that the
character Mater (the tow truck) has a near look-a-like by way of Ivan
(the Russian-esque tow-truck) indicates that the ever growing new set
of characters with localised national personas could likewise be
developed as core local characters.
Thus the roll-out of
similar Cars-centric theme-parks across EM geographies could either
take on the original US format, or be cosmetically localised,
depending upon the sales popularity of media and merchandise sales,
or indeed merge both.
To this end then,
unlike the Disney mega-parks of the past, some of which saw poor
early returns on investment, a new more risk-averse business template
may be created that demands smaller stakes and could be under-written
or co-ventured with EM governments and firms.
One which deploys a set
of smaller sized “Cars Parks” through a greater number of
countries. A parallel here to the ubiquitous American shopping mall,
where an exact or similar design replicated time an again, would
allow for great economies of scale, with a near one time design and
development process, reduced cost build materials and speedy
construction.
Disneyfication:
Creating New Realities -
As portrayed, the
modern-day idioms of 'simulacrum' (the evolutional copy) and
'hyper-reality' (that of an experience which improved upon the
original) have from their European historic and 20th
century roots been 'extruded' yet further by the culture moulding
minds of California.
Southern California's
Anaheim promoting and demonstrating original metaphorical entry into
the cinema screen, whilst Mid California's Palo Alto and Silicon
Valley created the newer but far more 'reality blurred' and
commensurately powerful cyber-space based web-world.
But presently sat
squarely between these two past and future fantasy realms sits the
modern town of Celebration, Florida; a Disney originated
master-planned ideal. It is positioned next to Disneyland, and has a
direct streetway, but since Disney Corp's promised return of control
to democratic powers, it has fundamentally operated autominously.
Celebration is best
considered a community experiment which by virtue of its town-values
related to 'new urbanism' (civic mindedness, ecological, sustainable
and 'socially temporate') ultimately recalls the historic
manifestos of the Garden City Movement seen in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries in the UK, Germany and USA.
Critically, whilst much
of the architecture and layout may be viewed as all too Disneyesque
in design and execution (bordering set-like) the environment was
planned to evoke small town living with a quiet, safe and intimate
'vibe'. To European eyes the multitude of interspersed mock-style
buildings ironically recalls the 'living set' of the film 'The
Truman Show' or context for a 'Stepford Wives' life; but in actuality
has aesthetic overtones not too removed from conventionally created
small upper-middle class towns in Florida and S.California, which
themselves are often highly stylised and likewise 'bound' nature into
manageable chunks.
The critical aspect is
that for inhabiting and visiting populations the town offers the old
Garden City ideal but overlaid with re-interpretations of popular
culture iconography. And befitting the less high-brow American, it
has deliberately not deployed an arguably more tasteful prescription
by way of a local vernacular (as per the planners of Poundbury in
the UK). Given the location next to Disneyland, the corporation
simply accorded to modern American cultural sensibilities, which
ironically has itself helped mould.
The point is that
Celebration – its mix of regulated architectural fakery and
regulated living agreements to maintain standards and order – is
the 21st century's version of good living to many people,
itself a much wished for dream-like environ for many of the worlds
aspirational EM peoples.
Re-Building
the Physical From the Ethereal -
Thus
we have seen how Disney has via its themeparks and into its
experimental town, managed to re-build the physical from the ether of
imagined screen orientated worlds.
As
the physically real and virtual reality continue to form the basis of
a new hyper-reality so the man-made environment around us will be
affected by the ever more conjoined 'internet of things'.
Modern
'cyber-citizens' then have and will increasingly experience this 'new
world' around them very differently. As it develops to become the
norm such people will probably have a far more accepting, less
questioning manner, as IT devices themselves become increasingly
absorbed as lifestyle enablers, gaining ever more emotional
attachment, from the formality of an 'electronic concierge' to the
absolute reliance of a “Hal pal”. (Hal the name used for the
central computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey).
[NB
Indeed, research into the 'animorphisation' of electronic items has
been long ongoing, especially in Japan during the 1980s/90s and
increasingly so by the likes of the US's DARPA and Boston Dynamics.
So the notion of a much evolved Tamagotchi though far more
animalistically plausible as a pet-like 'device character' (perhaps
based on present robotic work such as BigDog/LittleDog) serving its
supposed master/mistress to interface with cyber-space through
contactless interaction (as per cars and credit cards) is not
far-fetched. Thus within 'the internet of things' everyone might want
or need the interpretative device such as K-9 from the BBC's Dr Who
series. (This very alpha-numeric prevalent in computing circles)].
The Glocal 'New
Horizon' -
Thus the old phrases of
“its an upside-down world” or “a topsy-turvy world” do indeed pointing to the underlying emergent and philosophical realities upon us.
But whilst that metaphor of the very altered old AM vs EM relationship (that of 'global economic vertically') proves itself undoubtedly true, the new world being constructed also consists of a soft-power 'inversion'. w
Whereby the simulacra inspired screen image, itself evolved from either the post-modern physical world or the now embedded info-entertainment sourced cultural overlay, itself increasingly becomes used as the source for inspiration or copy+ artifact in the physical world. Whereby technological progression - such as the science of 3-D printing - is able to make such conjecture more than possible when made affordable via industrial economies of scale.
But whilst that metaphor of the very altered old AM vs EM relationship (that of 'global economic vertically') proves itself undoubtedly true, the new world being constructed also consists of a soft-power 'inversion'. w
Whereby the simulacra inspired screen image, itself evolved from either the post-modern physical world or the now embedded info-entertainment sourced cultural overlay, itself increasingly becomes used as the source for inspiration or copy+ artifact in the physical world. Whereby technological progression - such as the science of 3-D printing - is able to make such conjecture more than possible when made affordable via industrial economies of scale.
Hence the philosophical
acumen, operational capabilities and ethnically diverse workforce of
corporations such as Disney (and their broadly talented supplier
base) could indeed when interjected into the 'Structural Jigsaw of
the Web' and the global 'Ethnographic Mosaic' provide the
under-pinnings for a “Glocal New Horizon”
The “glocal
auto-replication of the Californian original” may yet be the (overt
or less obvious) west coast corporate ambition, which in turn serves
the micro-economic template needs of Emerging Market countries and
thus drives their macro-economic agendas.
Walt Disney recognised
from the foundational sketches of his cartoon layouts: that it is
better to build from the bottom-up, than to try and re-configure from
the top-down.
[At Disney] “we keep
moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're
curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths”...and after
all... “it's kinda fun to do the impossible”
