Bonnie Randall

SCAND 455

Paper

 

Out With the Old, In With the New? A Study of Western Influence on Current Baltic Pop Culture

 

Outline:

I).   Introduction

II).  Technology as Catalyst for Pop-Globalization

III). McBaltic: Commercial Lyons in the Baltic

IV). Hollywood vs. National Film

V).  Western Influence in Baltic Music

VI). Conclusion

VII). Annotated Bibliography

 

 

Drastic changes since the Soviet era abound in the Baltic. In the Baltic’s pop cultural landscape, these changes are quite evident. A subject seldom tackled by academics, popular culture is an all-engrossing topic that reflects the self-consciousness of a region’s people. Whereas politics and economics are often left to the experts, “pop” culture (defined as “Of the general public” in The American Heritage College Dictionary[1]) is something that every citizen can be a part of. In the Baltic, a region once separated from the West by the Iron Curtain of the U.S.S.R., rapid Westernization and globalization have drastically shaped pop culture today. It was my intent to study Western influence on Baltic pop culture, thus eliminating the plethora of Eastern and Russian influences in this paper due to time constraints.

David Katz, former U.S. diplomat to Estonia, said, “They (the Balts) did not try to save the best of the old and blend it with the new. They simply threw out the old and started with a clean slate.”[2] In terms of the Baltic’s advancements since 1991, Mr. Katz’s words are echoed by many. However, I have found examinations of technology and communications, commercialism, cinema and music question this idea. As it pertains to Western influence and pop culture, Balts did not simply throw out the old for the new. Rather, the Baltic peoples have created a pop culture puzzle, consisting of foreign and native elements that have intricately worked together to form a broader picture.

 

Technology as Catalyst for Pop-Globalization

 

Technology and communications have proven to be effective forces in the ever-changing popular culture landscape of the world. The creator of the Internet, Vint Cerf, said of his invention, “It (the Internet) offers a global megaphone for voices that might otherwise be heard only feebly. It invites and facilitates multiple points of view and dialog in ways unimplementable by the traditional, one-way, mass media.”[3] This observation of the Internet is quite applicable to the Baltic nations and their pop cultures. Whereas once the Iron Curtain separated the Baltic from the West, now mobile phones, Western television and the Net provide everyday access to the outside world. Arturas Tereskinas of Lithuania’s Vytautas Magnus University writes, “Nowadays Lithuanian consumers of electronic media can experience a common heritage with people they have never seen.”[4] Due to the vast pop culture changes that have occurred with the advent of the Internet, I feel it is necessary to provide readers with some basic hi-tech statistics from the Baltic nations.

Examples of the Baltic’s technological feats abound. In the 1990’s, Lithuania saw a sharp rise in Internet users between 1997 and 2001, from 35,000 (1997) to 250,000 users (2001)[5]. In Latvia, there were 40.3 personal computers for every 1,000 people in 1997. By 2001, that number had risen to 153.1 per 1,000 people[6]. Comparing personal technology in the Baltic nations’ to other ex-Soviet states, these increases become even more astonishing. Whereas Latvia and Lithuanias’ Internet users made up approximately seven percent of the populations in each country in 2001, less than three percent of the Russian Federation was tapped into the Net[7] and a mere one percent of Ukrainians used the Internet.[8]

Estonia, dubbed E-Stonia for its rapid hi-tech advancement and Internet savvy since its 1991 independence, is a good example of technology’s influence on culture. In 2001, approximately thirty percent of the population used the Internet, comparing favorably to Italy’s twenty-eight percent and Austria’s thirty-two percent[9]. This is from a country where, just a decade earlier, Baltic journalist Michael Tarm writes, “young people groped desperately- perhaps by reading a rare Western magazine smuggled across the border- to connect with the outside world, to tap into fashion or music trends.”[10] Using the Net for both leisurely and practical purposes, Estonians have taken advantage of what the world can offer them, ranking No. 2 in the world in Internet banking with 700,000 users[11] out of a population with a meager 1.4 million people. Estonian communications executive Toomas Somera stated, “If a Frenchman loves to sip wine with his friends… then an Estonian likes to sit behind his computer on a dark evening, surfing the Net and at the same time talking on his mobile phone.”[12]

 

McBaltic: Commercial Lyons in the Baltic

 

The aforementioned numbers are crucial to a study of Baltic pop culture because technology set the stage for other foreign pop culture icons in the Baltic. With the onslaught of technology have come Western investors, eager to tap into the awakening Baltic hi-tech markets. Nordic investors currently own all of Estonia’s banks, gas companies and much of the media.[13] With foreign investment comes foreign culture, as well. Certainly, technology and communications have broadened Baltic pop culture and exposed the region to Western commercialism, cinema and music.

Commercialism makes up a large part of a region’s pop culture, in part due to the trends that go along with it. Companies competing for a slice of the Baltic pie include McDonald’s, Pepsi and Nokia. Coca-Cola’s enormous multiplex theaters in Tallinn, Estonia and Vilnius, Lithuania are testament to its increasing profits and demand in the Baltic market.[14] Latvia’s largest newspaper, Diena, operates a website that is splattered with advertisements for McDonalds, Toyota and other big name brands on any given day.[15] American television programs have made their way to the Baltic market and are in high demand. Dr. Liucija Baskauskas, American anthropologist and Baltic journalist, recalled how American soap operas were some of the most popular television programs at her Lithuanian television station during the 1990’s.[16] Estonia’s Eesti Ekspress weekly news website contains translated Garfield and Hagar cartoons.[17] The large corporations that seem to pervade the U.S. and the West have similarly taken hold of the Baltic, but to what extent?

Balts, though utilizing the commercial icons of the West, have not neglected their own unique pop culture symbols. Original Baltic commercial icons still pack a punch in pop culture trends. The yeast soft drink kvas, brewed for centuries throughout the Baltic and Russia, has been making a comeback since Coca-Cola’s mass-production of its own kvas- like concoction in the early 1990s. Contrary to Coca-Cola’s style of the beverage, local brewers have begun to make kvas again with the time-honored techniques and no preservatives. Perhaps not surprisingly, local Latvian brewers have grabbed thirty-percent of the market away from Coca-Cola.[18]

Similarly, Baltic national beers have competed strongly against imported beers. In 1995, nine out of ten Estonians preferred Estonian beer to imported beer.[19] However, this suggests a cultural preference rather than an actual taste preference. The Nordic beverage holder Pripps Ringnes, which owns and operates numerous plants throughout Scandinavia and Europe, owns Saku Brewery.[20] While Saku once brewed beer in the old tradition without preservatives, they now are forced to preserve their beers for longer shelf life. Interestingly, Saku Brewery is in charge of sales and distribution of all Pepsi products in the Baltic.[21] Kalnapilis Brewery of Lithuania and Aldaris Brewery of Latvia are the leading beer producers in their respective countries, appealing to a national market as Saku does. However, like Saku they are also owned by Pripps Ringnes. Balts, therefore, have preserved some traditional commercial treasures but often times with the assistance of Western capital.

           

Hollywood vs. National Film

 

Film provides a fascinating look into pop culture. An examination of Baltic cinema emphasizes the schism between Hollywood and national cinema. Balts, like Americans, are bombarded with Hollywood images. On the cover of Cosmopolitan- Lithuania (the American women’s magazine slightly altered for its Lithuanian readers) stands Hollywood actress Rene Zellweger.[22] Arnold Schwartzenegger has graced the homepage of Latvia’s Diena newspaper website during recent weeks.[23] Baltic online chat rooms are filled with the latest gossip of Hollywood stars. Hollywood’s popularity in the Baltic becomes more apparent when reviewing film admissions. A staggering nine out of ten of the 2002 top-selling films in Estonia were American.[24] In 2001, another nine out of ten were American, with the only exception being a British film starring an American actress.[25]

            Despite the enormous place that American film has in pop culture, a growing number of Balts seem to prefer those films made within their homelands. In 2002, the lone Estonian film (Names In Marble) on the top-ten list of admissions took the number one spot, edging out the number two Lord of the Rings by 46,000 tickets.[26] Lithuania passed a cinema law in the Ministry of Culture to create and define a national cinema, supported by government funding similar to laws governing Nordic cinema. In 1999, Lithuania ratified the European Convention on the Co-Production of Films, allowing Lithuania’s filmmakers to work alongside Europe’s best and brightest.[27] Though Hollywood is probably here to stay, the rise of independent film and national cinema has encouraged Balts to enjoy the cinematic works of their own region and that of Europe. 

           

Western Influence in Baltic Music

 

Like film, music plays a central role in a society’s pop culture. Musical likes and dislikes of a culture can define the society. The Baltic is no different.  A quick glance at the music charts shows the influx of American and European music. The Latvian Music Chart Top 40 for the week of May 12, 2003, revealed a dash of American music stars, including Madonna, Lenny Kravitz and Marilyn Manson.[28] Similarly, Estonia’s OK Muusika’s Top 30 radio chart for the same week revealed Shania Twain, Pink and Jay-Z among a listing of mostly American bands and artists.[29] In Vilnius, Lithuania, a statue of the legendary Frank Zappa (a man with no ties to the Baltic) is evidence of the popularity of Western music.[30] And in 1992, when Lithuania’s men’s basketball team took the bronze medal in the summer Olympics, they appeared on the podium bedecked in tie-dyed shirts donated by The Grateful Dead.[31] Certainly, music from the West has played a key role in the Baltic nations.

            Though Baltic folk song festivals often embody the culture, Baltic artists have emerged into the pop and rock genres to create a new national dynamic in the pop culture. These artists are fast becoming the preference, suggesting yet another avenue where locals can compete with the foreign big boys. This seems to be most prevalent in Latvia, where a recent top 30 music chart showed an almost-entirely Latvian listing.[32] Perhaps Latvia’s most popular band, Brainstorm, sports European style with mellow alternative sounds. Eurovision, Europe’s largest annual song contest with contestants from across the continent, has been won by Estonia and Latvia in the past two years, respectively. Estonia won the 2001 Eurovision contest with a duet by Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, an African-American, showing Europe a true taste of globalization.[33] Latvian Marija Naumova was the winner of the 2002 Eurovision song contest. Not only are Baltic musicians rising in the pop culture landscape, but the music industry is as well. Microphone Records of Latvia, home to Brainstorm, has signed multiple Latvian artists under the guise of an independent Baltic recording label. However, like many other areas of commercialism in the Baltic, do not be fooled by a name. Microphone Records is now under licensing, promoting and marketing agreements with the mega-labels Virgin (of the U.K.) and EMI Records (of the U.S.).[34] Despite this, the rise of Baltic recording artists has broadened the pop culture landscape in the Baltic. 

           

Juggling a Masterpiece?

 

In conclusion, it cannot be said that the Balts simply threw out the old for the new. While technology, Western commercialism, cinema and music have brought the onslaught of American and European trends, the Baltic nations have held dearly those treasures that are unique to them. In more recent years, the pop culture pendulum seems to be stabilizing a bit to represent a multifaceted and multinational perspective. As was stated earlier, this paper seems incomplete for its lack of analysis of Eastern pop culture influences. However, a study of Russian and Eastern influences is another paper in and of itself, though one that should not be neglected. Examining strictly Western influences, I have discovered that Balts have worked to achieve a balance of powers. This intricate balancing act requires people who are concerned with the greater world and their place within it. I believe this pop culture equilibrium represents the Baltic favorably, as it suggests their willingness to adapt to the interdependent world we all live in. The examples of Baltic commercial brewers, Baltic national cinema and the Baltic music industry imply that Balts would like to incorporate more of their own masterpieces into their pop culture puzzle.

 

 

 

 

Annotated Bibliography of Sources

 

 

Baskauskas, Liucija. Class Lecture. University of Washington, 6 Feb., 2003.

 

            Dr. Baskauskas played a central role in the media in Lithuania during and after the independence movement of 1991. A Lithuanian-American anthropologist in California, she moved to Lithuania to act a s rpo-rector of a university. She founded the only independent television station in Lithuania immediately following its independence, and she lectured briefly on the most popular television programming.

 

Cerf, Vinton. Lecture at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Convention on April

            7, 1999. (Accessed online 22 May, 2003). http://isoc-chicago.org/cerf.html

 

            Vint Cerf, co-creator of the Internet, gave this speech to a convention several years ago. I came across it on the website of the Chicago Chapter of the Internet Society. Mr. Cerf’s speech does not address the Baltic nations, however I felt that a strong quote testifying to the Internet’s importance was crucial to developing my thesis.

 

Diena (Latvian newspaper). <http://www.diena.lv/> (Accessed online Apr. 10-26, 2003).

 

            The Riga-based newspaper Diena is Latvia’s largest news publication. Its online site contains various headings, including news, business, culture, sports, local news, t.v. listings, and more. At this time, there is not one specific article that I will be looking at. Rather, the site enables me to glimpse certain aspects of Latvian culture. The advertisements are equally as important as the actual text, as they prompt me to ask questions regarding consumer trends in Latvia (thus relating to pop culture). The cultural section of the web page reports on events, the Eurovision song contest, and pop music. Because I do not speak or read Latvian I am unable to understand much of the website. Nevertheless, the study of pop culture requires a certain amount of visual evidence that Diena offers me.

 

Eesti Ekspress. Website http://www.ekspress.ee/ (Accessed online 25 May, 2003).

 

            Eesti Ekspress is a weekly online news publication from Estonia. The website offers the latest national and international news, but the apparent focus is on Estonia. The website does contain advertisements, as well. For my research, I have only used the website as confirmation of pop culture trends in the media, and I found especially interesting the translated American comic pages.

 

Kallas, Siim. Foreword to the “High Tech Estonia”  publication on May 5, 2002.

<http://www.hightechestonia.com/1616 > (Accessed online Apr. 23, 2003).

 

(Former) prime minister of Estonia Siim Kallas addresses the readers of the High Tech Estonia website in this foreword. The site houses information on products, services and technologies that have been produced in Estonia. It is sponsored by the Estonian Technology Agency, a governmental agency. Prime minister Kallas’ remarks pertain to Estonia’s growing economy, as well as to the future of Estonia in the European Union. I believe the foreword sheds light onto Estonian pop culture by showing the official remarks of the prime minister regarding industry and Estonia’s link to the West. This will prove beneficial to my paper when I discuss politics and its relevance on Baltic pop culture.

 

Latvian Music Chart (Latvijas Muzikas “Spice”). <http://www.lanet.lv/news/spice/>

            (Accessed online Apr. 13, 2003).

 

            This website contains the music chart ratings for April 14-20, 2003. I intend to use it in my paper as evidence of music trends in Latvia. For instance, save for a couple of artists, most of the artists on the chart are European or American. The number one group, the Latvian band Brainstorm, has become extremely popular in Latvia and I also intend to include them in my research.

  

Lyons, Michael. “The Real Thing?” The City Paper.

<http://www.balticsworldwide.com/coke.htm> (Accessed online Apr. 24, 2003).

 

Journalist Michael Lyons explores the interesting reemergence of an ancient Baltic drink, kvas. The Coca-Cola Corporation has been brewing and bottling a version of kvas for several years in Latvia. However, true Baltic connoisseurs consider the Coke product to be a mockery of the drink. New companies have emerged to challenge Coca-Cola, thus brewing kvas once more with time-honored techniques. I feel the article is pertinent to pop culture in that the world’s largest soft-drink company is having a hard time marketing and selling their product to the Baltic. Perhaps this is simply a red herring, but the Balts may indeed prefer national brands (and images) to foreign ones. This directly pertains to pop culture and I intend to explore it further.

 

Markus Cinema System. Website http://www.markus.ee/content/action.html (Accessed

            Online 24 May, 2003).

 

            Also known as M.C.S., Markus is a company that offers their hi-tech expertise to other companies and organizations. They appear to operate ticketing systems in movie theaters across the Baltic, but particularly in Estonia. For my paper, I only used this website as a source of knowledge for Coca-Cola’s large movie venues in Estonia and Lithuania.

 

Ministry of Culture of Lithuania. “Cinema”. <http://www.muza.lt/kinas/index_en.html>

(Accessed online Apr. 25, 2003).

 

            The Ministry of Culture’s website provides all pertinent information to their role in the government. Theater, museums, ethnic culture, music and film appear on a long list of links. I am particularly interested in the film section of the website. Lithuania is embarking on national film-making (state-subsidized for the enrichment of the nation). The connection to the Nordic countries’ film industry is strong here, thus drawing a link between Scandinavia and the Baltic.

           

Saku Beer. The official website for Saku Olletehas, http://www.saku.ee/ (Accessed online

May 9-12, 2003).

 

This is the official website of Estonia’s best selling, most marketed brand of beer, Saku. The website contains both English and Estonian, however the English version seems to lack some of the Estonian links. The website is a marketing tool, and therefore I do not think it is appropriate to use for factual statistics. However, for my research, I found the site appropriate for showing evidence of globalization and pop culture. The fact that “The” Estonian beer is owned by a Nordic company also lends itself to my research on pop culture and global integration.

 

Tarm, Michael. “A Decade On”. The City Paper.

<http://www.balticsworldwide.com/tens_soviet.collapse.htm> (Accessed online Apr. 24, 2003).

             

            Baltic journalist Michael Tarm explores the drastic changes in the Baltic post-U.S.S.R. Quotes from Anatol Lieven, British Baltic historian, and the Estonian foreign minister draw certain conclusions for Tarm. That the Balts are more closely linked to the Nordic countries today rather than other ex-Soviet nations leads a discussion of the Baltic’s Western endeavors. Similarly, the improvements made throughout the Baltic (from banking to roads to the Internet) shed light on the new role of the Baltic nations in the world, and their soon-to-be role in the European Union.

 

Tarm, Michael. “Estonians Bank on Banking on the Web”. Seattle Times. April 21, 2003.

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/ (Accessed online Apr. 26, 2003).

 

This article discovers Estonia’s transformation from a technologically unsaavy Soviet nation to one of the world’s fastest emerging high tech countries. From the rapid emergence of the Internet, to online banking and cell phone use, Estonian’s desire for high tech trends seems to put them ahead of the curve, even among Western standards. This pertains to pop culture in that Estonian’s have aligned themselves with the West (all Estonian banks are Scandinavian-owned) and are seeking to better their lives through technology. Though this article pertains to banking, primarily, the connection between this source and some of my online news sources is strong…. indeed, Balts are using the Internet more and more, thus changing elements of the pop culture.

  

 Tereskinas, Arturas. “Between Soap and Soup: Iconic Nationality, Mass Media and Pop

            Culture in Contemporary Lithuania”. Artium Unitio 1 (1999). (Accessed online

            20 May, 2003). http://www.artium.lt/archive/tereskin.html

 

            Written by a professor at Harvard University, this lengthy study focuses on Lithuania’s apparent schism between popular media trends and traditional national culture. For my paper, I believe the entire study is applicable, however, I have focused on the interesting appeal of American television in Lithuania.

 

The World Bank. The official website. http://www.worldbank.org/data/ (Accessed online

            15 May, 2003).

 

            The World Bank organization is one of the world’s largest development assistance programs. Their use of trained personnel and capital provide relief and devlopment support to nations around the world, including the Baltic region. Accordingly, their statistics and records seem to be meticulous, and I have chosen to use their statistics on technology in the Baltic to investigate its relevance to pop culture.