Audiovisual platforms, transnational television, and discursive practices of identification

Abstract

The article proposes a discussion on the role of global audiovisual platforms, particularly focusing on Netflix, the most successful transnational project, and the discourses they mobilize in the redefinition and assertion of identity and identification as cultural practices. The central question we aim to address is: if, throughout the twentieth century, television was a key medium in reaffirming cultural practices, how does this dynamic manifest in the context of platforms and the new scenarios shaped by technological advancement? Our theoretical approach draws on the concept of transnational television (Straubhaar et al., 2021), the discussion of the post-broadcast era (Wark, 2022), and the understanding of identification as a discursive practice (Hall, 2000). Our hypothesis is that diversity functions as a unifying discourse mobilized by  platforms, raising questions about the purposes this discourse serves.