Diasporic media and migrant worker consumerism: Thematic critique of magazine advertisements for the Filipino community in Taiwan

Issue Date

11-2016

Abstract

The financial burdens of Filipino migrant workers are exacerbated by the lure of miscellaneous consumer goods peddled to them by businesses looking for a lucrative share of their remittances. This study examines a profit-oriented model of diasporic media that directly serves the business interests of its publisher and its advertisers. It analyses the Taiwan-based EEC Now magazine and criticizes the duplicity of its proclaimed mission of 'Caring for Migrant Workers Now and in the Future'. Through a thematic analysis of advertisements published in selected issues of EEC Now, the study reveals the consumerist ideology espoused by the magazine: the commodification of the migrant worker's body, the obligatory sending of balikbayan (repatriate) cargo boxes and cash remittances and the search for the next overseas destination. Applying concepts from Baudrillard's theory of consumer society and San Juan's critique of Filipino diaspora formation, the themes from the analysis reveal how profit-oriented diasporic media reflect social inequities and service the global capitalist system that ultimately spawned labour migration.

Source or Periodical Title

Global Media and Communication

ISSN

1742-7665

Volume

12

Issue

3

Page

247-258

Document Type

Article

Language

English

Subject

Advertising, consumerism, diasporic media, Filipino migrant workers, global capitalism, thematic analysis

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766516675494

Digital Copy

yes

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