Global Media
Cultures
Globalization is a set of multiple, uneven
and sometimes overlapping historical processes,
including economics, politics, and culture, that have
combined with the evolution of media technology to
create the conditions under which the globe itself
can now be understood as “an imagined
community”.
What is Media?
The term media comes from the word medium which is
defined as channel, means, or method. Media is a
generic term for all human-invented technology that
extends the range, speed, or channels of communication.
According to Marcel Danesi, media can also be tied to
what we call mass media, or the media that reach large
audiences.
The different forms of media are:
1. Print Media – media consisting of paper and ink, reproduced in a
printing process that is traditionally mechanical. Examples of print media
are: newspaper, books, magazines, comics, brochures.
2. Broadcast Media – media such as radio and television that reach target
audiences using airwaves as the transmission medium. Examples of
broadcast media are: television, radio, satellites, mobile phones,
movies/films.
3. Digital Media – also known as new media, consisting of contents that
are organized and distributed on digital platforms. Examples of digital
media are internet, social media, computers
According to UNESCO, media and other information providers play a
central role in information and communication processes. They are one
way of communicating information, although their role is much
broader than that. Media play several roles. They:
act as channels of information and knowledge through which
citizens communicate with each other and make informed
decisions;
facilitate informed debates between diverse social actors;
provide us with much of what we learn about the world beyond our
immediate experience;
are means by which a society learns about itself and builds a sense
of community
function as a watchdog of government in all its forms,
promoting transparency in public life and public scrutiny of
those with power through exposing corruption,
maladministration and corporate wrong-doing;
are essential facilitators of democratic processes and one of
the guarantors of free and fair elections;
are a vehicle for cultural expression and cultural cohesion
within and between nations; and
function as an advocate and social actor in its own right
while respecting pluralistic values.
MEDIA AND GLOBALIZATION
Marshall McLuhan, a media and communication theorist, coined the term
“global village” in 1964 to describe the phenomenon of the world’s culture
shrinking and expanding at the same time due to pervasive technological
advances that allow for instantaneous sharing of culture (as cited in Dixon,
2009).
McLuhan's belief was that the world was entering a fourth ''age'' he called the
electronic age, where people everywhere would be able to find and experience
the same information through technological tools. His studies on trends in
technology, and how human communication was affected, helped him develop
his hypotheses about the future, and how innovations such as the coming
internet, (he didn't yet know its name, of course), would impact individuals and
culture as a whole.
Example:
The Internet, not only facilitates communication
across the globe, but also supports the formation of
new social communities in which members can
interact with each other. And satellite TV and radio
allow immigrants to be in close contact with their
homeland’s language and culture while they gradually
accommodate to a new cultural environment.
In the twentieth century, global media
simply means technology/digital media,
the internet is known as our global village
where information and communications
can reach thousands homes in spite of
geographical and cultural distances.
Critiques on Global Media Culture
Global media systems have been considered a
form of cultural imperialism. Cultural
imperialism takes place when a country
dominates others through its media exports,
including advertising messages, films, and
television and radio programming (Kaul, 2011).
In international communication theory and
research, cultural imperialism theory argued
that audiences across the globe are heavily
affected by media messages emanating from the
Western industrialized countries.
Thank You!
