Outside, Looking In: American television may distort international students’ vision of America before their arrival

As a result of technological advancements and globalization, young people across the world have encountered American culture through movies and television. While students from countries like the United Kingdom or Australia may watch the shows purely for entertainment, someone from a less-Westernized country may be forming ideas about American and its culture through these programs.

I was introduced to the idea of the “American Dream” while attending college in India. I was surprised to find out how common this notion was among my friends and colleagues, even if they didn’t necessarily aspire to fulfill it. Most of us had learned about it from American pop culture we had come across at one point or another.

While the U.S. may generally be richer than one’s home country, there exists a gruesome inequality and widespread homelessness in America that is seldom mentioned in popular TV shows.  

In the absence of tangible experiences, these shows gave me insights about life in America long before I considered applying for graduate school in the States. Whether it’s a half-hour sitcom or a big-budget HBO mini-series, all of these shows convey some aspects of American culture.

“Gossip Girl” portrayed the lives of affluent high schoolers, “Friends” took on 20-somethings in New York City and “The West Wing” covered what it was like to be involved in American politics.

Putting aside America’s reputation for top-notch colleges and universities, I think these cultural influences may be a factor in the decision of moving to the U.S. for school. Most international students presumably have some idea of what to expect in America, even if only by way of television.

Watching American television may actually be helpful to non-English speakers, because the dialogue is often colloquial and contains slang they may not learn in textbooks or classrooms.  

I, personally, have observed international students who start to develop their American accent or change their eating habits before they come to the U.S. as part of an anticipated cultural adjustment. This is based solely on what they see on their screens.

Many of these shows also have a diverse set of characters as migrants or descendants from different countries — although they are rarely the focus — and depict in a somewhat generic manner how they live and navigate life in America. 

For example, the quirky character Raj in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ shows an Indian immigrant trying to fit into a new culture and lifestyle. Seeing this diversity in television, an international student watching can easily develop a positive view of America and feel a bit more comfortable with the idea of studying here. 

However, the problem with basing one’s decision to move to America for school on a television program is that what they see on their screens doesn’t always match what life in the U.S. is really like. For example, in “Friends” the characters stay in New York City throughout the series and have seemingly endless budgets, despite most of them coming in and out of jobs throughout the series. 

The popular notions that we have from our cultural references are limited to the relatively affluent, cosmopolitan pockets of the U.S. since most of these shows are based in big cities. But this is not the reality for international students; the cozy, agreeable urban life depicted in “Friends” is improbable for any group of people, let alone those new to America. 

If an international student begins to believe the cultural depictions are the reality, they might find the initial adjustment more difficult due to certain expectations built from watching these shows. They can even cause some students to lose their sense of identity within a changed social context, as they may feel uncomfortable with what felt like a very familiar culture on-screen. 

Before coming to the U.S., I convinced myself that I could live on packaged and pre-cooked food given that people on TV seem to eat them quite regularly. Sure enough, once I actually got here I realized this was not sustainable for an actual person and I would have to start cooking regularly. 

Rather than take television at face value, it is important that students try to un-learn some of the notions derived from TV and movies and learn from their own, more substantial personal experiences.