Sociocultural Analysis of the Commodification of Ethnic Media and Asian Consumers in Canada

Abstract

This article studies the transformation of ethnic Asian media in the Canadian context and examines the role of media firms in the organization of Asian-language media by employing political economy and cultural studies perspectives. The analysis begins with the discussion of the body of knowledge related to ethnic media and Asians. It then investigates the role and limitations of ethnic media, not as a public sphere offering alternative views to the mainstream news and commentaries, but as a commodity, which is an advertising tool to target ethnic minorities and corporations. It also maps out the ways in which Canadian corporations and advertisers have commodified ethnic media. Finally, the article explores the overall socioeconomic impacts of ethnic media and the ethnic population on mass media marketing and its representation of Asian ethnicities.