Decoding the Global: Italian Audiences and the Cultural Reception of American Television

This thesis investigates how Italian audiences receive, interpret, and adapt American television within the broader context of media globalization and cultural exchange. Drawing on theories such as cultural imperialism, hybridization, and glocalization, the review explores how global media flows interact with local cultural frameworks, with a particular focus on the influence of U.S. media as a driving force of these exchanges. Informed by reception theory and the encoding/decoding model, the study highlights the active role of audiences in negotiating meaning and emphasizes the significance of cultural context in shaping the reception of transnational media. It offers insights into the dynamic relationship between global media and local identity. Developments like the rise of streaming platforms, a shift in preferences from dubbing to subtitles, and the emergence of hybrid viewing practices have contributed to greater exposure to English language content, particularly among younger viewers. Additionally, participatory practices like fansubbing show how audiences assert agency in shaping translation and media access, challenging traditional methods of localization. The findings reveal that Italian viewers are not passive consumers but active participants in the process of reinterpretation, revealing varied forms of acceptance, resistance, and adaptation. The thesis emphasizes how cultural context shapes media reception and the evolving relationship between global media narratives and local identity.