Japanese and U.S. Media: Graphics as a Reflection of Newspapers' Social Role

Abstract

A comparison of graphics from the New York Times and the As& Shimbun shows striking diferences in their number, type, and use and is suggestive of other social, organizational, and cultural contrasts.As first radio and then television have outstripped the print media's ability to report fast-breaking news events, newspapers have increasingly turned to providing detailed background information and analysis beyond the capabilities of the broadcast media. At the same time, and for much the same reason, the newspaper has come to assume a didactic role, functioning as both textbook and teacher for those who have advanced beyond the classroom or whose specialized training has left gaps in their understanding of the complex modern world (6).Considerable variation exists both within and across societies in the extent to which the didactic role of the newspaper has become institutionalized. Outside of the Communist world, where the major role of the press has long been seen as that of instructing a mass readership, the society in which this role is most clearly exemplified is Japan:In no arena is [the penchant for study] more clearly manifested than in the mass media. . . . Newspapers, magazines, and television are expected to convey generous amounts of information. Not only do Japanese spend nwre time reading than their American counterparts-whether it be newspapers, magazines, or books-but a higher proportion of the media they encounter is designed to enhance knowledge and skills (11, pp. 29-30).Like so many features of Japanese social organization, this didactic role of the newspaper is seen by some as an anomalous holdover from the past that James R. Beniger is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, where he teaches courses on communication, technology, and quantitative methods and statistics. D.

Informational/Transformational Advertising

“…Likewise, Madden, Caballero, and Matsukobo (1986) noted that contrary to their expectations, the information content of Japanese magazine advertising exceeded the information content of U.S. advertisements. Beniger and Westney (1981) also identified differences between U.S. and Japanese newspapers, with Japanese newspapers utilizing graphs and charts more often. Cutler, Javalgi and Erramilli (1992) outlined a number of differences in magazine advertisements across five different countries, while Miracle, Chang, and Taylor (1992) found differences between U.S. and Korean television advertisements.…”

Print Advertising in the Pacific Basin

“…Several studies document the existence of cross‐country differences within these areas. For instance, differences in pricing information ( Reinhard and Phillips, 1985), the use of illustrations ( Beninger and Westney, 1981), communication appeals ( Mueller, 1992), and status or quality content appeals (Belk and Pollay, 1985; Madden et al , 1986; Mueller, 1987) have already been documented.…”

“…Japanese marketing strategies also reportedly focus on the intuitive, subjective, and image‐oriented advertising approach ( Lazer et al , 1985). Thus, it may be conjectured that Asian advertisements are more apt to choose visual illustrations which are more adaptable to symbolic (aesthetic or metaphor) approaches ( Beninger and Westney, 1981).…”

The Effect of Cultural and Demographic Factors on the Perception of Product Information among Korean College Students

“…Visual perception is an ability of information gathering (Stern & Robinson, 1994) and a unity of sensory and personal experience (Barat, 2007;Yu, 2012). Scholars also have examined cultural differences in the processing of information in visuals (Beniger & Westney, 1981;Helgert, 1992;Jeon et al, 1999;Taylor et al, 1997). Similarly, the proportion of indirect visual forms in Korean ads is significantly higher than in U.S. ads, while direct visual forms in U.S. ads are significantly higher than in Korean ads (Bu et al, 2009).…”