Theories of Globalization in Communications - Essay Example

? Outline and critically evaluate theories of globalization in communications This paper deals with the several aspects of globalization in communications with the advancement of technology. Different theories of globalization in communication and their real life implications have been briefly explained. Critical evaluation of the theories is also elaborately elucidated in order to have a clear view of the topic in question. Introduction A term ‘global village’ was first coined by Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian communist theorist which signifies that communication among the remote locations in the world has been much faster which has been possible with the hardcore advancement in technology making the world into a single communication framework and thus making it smaller. Thrusting in a jet velocity starting from the industrial revolution till today the advancement of technology can be seen in every aspects of life today (Communication Technology & Globalization, n.d.). Contemporary definition of globalization In the contemporary definition of globalization the social, cultural and environmental factors are included. The bottom line of contemporary globalization can be viewed as the “intensification of cross-national interactions that promote the establishment of trans-national structures and the global integration of cultural, economic, political, technological and social process on global, supra-national, national, regional and local levels”(Gaston. etal, 2008, p.15). Contemporary globalization in our daily life The term globalization is a complex and relative term. It varies from people to people. According to some people globalization affects their lives economically. Some say that it would point the influences made by the political and social issues. People differ in their perspective of understanding of globalization as their experiences vary. But in general it can be inferred that globalization can be thought of as a process through which the citizens of the world in rapid pace are getting connected and dependant on each other. The effect of globalization on an individual’s life can be viewed from three different perspectives viz. economic, social, and political. (Stohl, n.d. p.223). Substitution of early means of communication with the modern means and role of technology Advancement of technology has substituted the previous means of communication with modern means of communication like messengers on horseback has been replaced by postal vans and subsequently replaced by electronic mail which has became faster and more convenient than the previous means of communication. Globalization has contributed to the exaggerated rapidity of information exchange across the globe. And this phenomenon has taken into consideration the homogenization and hybridization of all aspects of social, technological, economic, and political dynamics on a global scale (Understandings of Globalization, n.d.). Technological determinism and social constructivism in modern communication and globalization Behind all kinds of social development technological determinism plays a primordial driving force. Technological determinism holds that technology is the key source in the social development. According to Marshall McLuhan, “the channels of communication are the primary cause of cultural change.” According to his view technology plays an indispensible part in the development of a path which is unaffected by social, economic and political factors. In contrary with the theory of technological determinism another paradigm of concept which has been developed is the social constructivism. The advocates of social constructivism argue that human action including culture, economics, and politics is not shaped by technology but rather it is the case that technology is shaped by human action. According to Wiebe Bijker culture is not distorted or decided by technology but it is a fact that culture accelerates the development and advancement of technology (Understandings of Globalization, n.d.). Technology as a means of transmitting cultural values The improvement of technology has diminished the significance of geography to a large extent. Previously, geography was not only a prime variable for communication but was also was for the spread of culture. With the rapid advancement in technology in transmitting communication the relevance of geography has become irrelevant and as a result culture has been subjected to the independence from geography. In due course of time, domination of western culture through communication has played a significant part. As for example Hollywood with the exposition of technology and mass media has led to the global changes in culture. Apart from popularity in America the Hollywood movies are also globally acclaimed. Along with that internet has played a central role in establishing the cultural domination of the western communication over the other parts of the world (Gaston et. al, 2008, p.15). The term ‘prosumer’ means those who produce and consume at the same time. Internet is a classic example in this case where potential users share their substances and contents and spread them in a global platform. Internet possesses the power to transmit an already existing culture to the global audience which was previously unknown to them. It has been seen that a common culture has been developed in the global platform among the internet users. Online gaming is a huge platform where millions of users from different countries play with each other and generates some common traits among them. Everquest is a ‘massively multiplayer online game’ (MMOG) which was launched commercially in 1999 where hundreds and thousands of gamers from all over the globe participated in the game online. As a result tradition of meeting face-to-face in gaming avatars among the online friends and partners have increased massively. These events are sometimes called ‘bashes’ and sometimes as ‘cons’ .A language which is commonly spoken among the online gamers is ‘letspeek.’ (Taylor, 2006, pp.1-2). Theories of Globalization in communication Dependency theories Dependency theories developed in the late 1950s with the contribution of eminent economist like Raul Prebisch and colleagues with the notion that high growth in advanced industrialized countries did not necessarily led to the development and uplift of the economic condition of the poor less developed countries. Rather their studies signified that development in these developed countries decreased the development of the less developed countries and serious economic crisis. The views of these economists were against the neo classical notion where growth benefits all and arrives at a Pareto optimal position where no one is worse off. The dependency theory stated that these poor countries became dependant on these developed on these developed nations for their economic sustainability (Bauzon.1992). According to economist Raul Prebish, less developed poor countries were generally exporters of primary commodities to the developed rich countries. These rich countries in turn manufactured the products out of these commodities imported from these poor countries and sold them back to these countries. Prebish also adds that the value added by manufacturing a usable product is always costlier than the primary products used to create those products. As a result the poorer countries will always fall short of their export earnings in order to pay for their imports (Ferraro, 1996). As mentioned above the dependency theory states that the international system comprises of two sets of states that is the dominant states which are the advanced industrial nations in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the dependant states which are the countries of Latin Americas, Asia and Africa which have low per capita incomes and rely majorly on the export of single commodities for the generation of foreign exchange earnings. Communication is an external force which is an important tool used by the advanced industrialized countries in order to represent their economic interests abroad (Krahl, 1986). Cultural Imperialism and communication Cultural imperialism is an extreme militant expression of ethnocentrism. It can be viewed as the imposition of a nation’s culture, ideology or civilization on an unwilling society which results in destruction of that society’s original culture. And in this language has been found to be a predominant vehicle for the spread of cultural imperialism. On the fiscal sides of a nation the policy of cultural imperialism is bestowed upon other cultures with a view to eliminate or destroy their cultural dimensions with international trade, travel, and communication at its core. (Maude, 2011 ). Cultural imperialism in communication as a result of globalization is a notion generally attached to the United States of America. If an individual travels in almost every part of the globe he or she can see the American television stuffs displayed. In almost every corners of the globe American channels are shown. This procreation of American products across the world is a part of the globalization process and has led to conscious spreading of the American attitudes and values which is generally regarded as cultural imperialism (Galeota, 2002. p.22). Internet acting as a promoter of cultural imperialism After colonization western education was imposed on the African society by the Western world which is an example of cultural hegemony. In recent studies scholars have focused on the study of the effects of internet on the less developed countries imposed upon by the developed countries. The scholars through their rigorous research have come to the conclusion that internet can be a warning to the less developed nations in the sense that the developed corporate-led western powers will make an attempt forcefully to implement western values and their views to these less developed nations and the rest of the world (Garson, 2000, pp.278-280). It has been found that through the Internet the one flow of information from the western world have diverted and constructed the African minds with the western culture thus providing a sense of dominance and victimization. For more than two centuries Africa has been under the Britain or the French rule and their education system has been an imported educational system. Although the system of education has changed manifold the introduction of internet has been seem to bring down the cultural imperialism back into the forefront. When it comes to the question of internet in Africa there has been serious lack connecting with the real concerns of the users and the potential users. In Africa the infrastructure of the internet connectivity and technology is really lacking. As a result of this several western big corporate projects have came forward with the purpose of connecting Africa to the rest of the world. In this question the globalization paradigm brings with it the questions of appropriation and exploitation.( Toure etal.). There have also been severe criticisms and revolts in Mexican public schools to the use of internet infusing a sense of cultural hegemony of the English language (Andersen, 2008 p.157). The use of internet has expanded in an exponential growth rate from 3 percent of the world’s population in 1995 to more than 15 percent of the global population by 2005. In 2000 there were only 25 percent of the internet users. Huge technological changes have brought a huge surge in the transnational traffic in media products. As for example after the introduction of the internet and technological advancement media corporations like Disney, AOL-Time Warner dominate media content and their delivery mechanisms through their ownership and huge network web in a global framework (Thussu, 2007, pp.2-3).This phenomenon can be attributed to the ‘contra flow’ mechanism thus indicating the ‘dominant flows’ of media influence from the developed countries to the less developed countries .Although a major drive for the Indian and Korean films have been receiving global acclamation and recognition (Thussu, 2006). Media System Dependency [MSD] Several scholars have researched and argued that the introduction of a new media in society has made tremendous difference in the lives of the people. The philosophy of the theory originates from the works of Durkheim, Marx which states that the informal relation among the people which is a characteristic feature of the less developed countries degenerates with effect from the result of economic growth and a movement towards a developed urban industrialized society (Baran, 2011). As a result a gap in the information occurs among the people of these countries. Media plays a vital role in this case to bridge this gap of information exchange. The people as a result become dependent on the media for social, safety and entertainment information.( Ems,2008). In the fifth edition of the text, ‘The theories of mass communication’ DeFleur and Ball-Rockeach identifies that media system interacts with a series of system like politics, economics, religion, family, education, military, recreation and law. The reason of the dependency of social media is that ‘social world is held together by fragile subjective understandings of reality in order to resolve the chronic contemporary problem of ambiguity, threat and social change.’(Downing, 1996 p.191) Criticisms of MSD It is a matter of surprise that one the harshest critics of MSD is its creator, Sandra Ball-Rokeach. She emphasizes that other than media there are other systems of information which carries away their significance from the media itself however they are often intimately related with the media system. She states that often people have the option to ‘drop out.’ People can reduce the importance of the media by decreasing the importance of personal understanding of the media as a goal (Ems, 2008). Another way of decreasing the dependency on media is through the decrease in the processing of media in a “debunking, literate, or creative manner”. This was found in a pamphlet named ‘Who’s a Guinea Pig’ published by an American Druggist association in 1938. They pamphlet described the consumer movement as ‘Trojan horse’ of modern day advertising which would destroy advertising from within. According to the pamphlet the debunking books shook the faith of the consumers in products, methods and faith in manufacturer’s honor (Newman.2004, p.75). The media dependency can also be reduced through the possibility of ‘coalition formation’ which result media sources which are subcultures (Ems, 2008). Role of television in globalization in communications Makeover TV programs whether sold as format shells or aired in its original form does not necessarily lead to the success in all the TV markets. The fact is that TV formats are often shaped and influenced by different types of cultural values and concerns. (Moran.2010). TV programs have been inward looking in the sense that they have been bounded by national beliefs and values. As for instance Australian home makeover shows tend to assume that universal home ownership and they depict typically the Australian lifestyle and culture in a global platform which may not be totally influencing on the people of other cultures and ethnicity. A TV show called Biggest Loser has been much popular in United States and South America but when aired in Australian television it has been not so popular and it had to be reworked and refigured to fit into the Australian market (Mohammadi, 1997; Moran, 2010). Conclusion The paper discussed the different aspects of globalization in communication. The paper focuses on the crux of contemporary globalization in the communication perspective. Technology plays the primordial role in bridging the gap between the cultures of different countries and in today’s world the world has almost become a single platform for communication. Different cultures have been infused and people globally have been getting acquainted with diverse cultures. Internet, high tech has played an important role in bridging the gap between the cultures of different countries and they share some common features. But in this process, the concept of dependency has been introduced where developed countries has been able to influence their cultures over the less developed countries. This can be viewed from the role of internet in influencing the domination of western cultures in African countries and revolts in Mexican schools. In case of television programs also the dependence of the developed countries especially America has been predominant which is captured by the theory of Media System Dependency. But critics of the theory reveal that it depends upon the people in accepting or rejecting the influence of communication. References Andersen, R. (2008). Battleground: The Media. ABC-CLIO Baran, J.S., & Davis, K.D. (2011). Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Cengage Learning Bauzon, K.E. (1992). Development And Democratization In The Third World: Myths, Hopes And Realities, Taylor & Francis Communication Technology & Globalization (n.d.), available at: http://www.darkademic.co.uk/articles/communications-and-globalisation (accessed on April 25, 2012) Downing J, (1996), Internationalizing Media Theory: Transition, Power, Culture: Reflections on Media in Russia, Poland and Hungary, SAGE Ems, L. (2008). A Brief Critique of the Media System Dependency Theory, available at: http://www.gigaart.net/LindsayEmsDependencyTheoryCritique.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Krahl, A (1986), Development Studies: Critique and Renewal, BRILL Gaston, N. Dreher, A and W.Z.M. Martens, (2008), Measuring Globalization: Gauging Its Consequences, Springer Garson, G.D. (2000). Social Dimensions of Information Technology: Issues for the New Millennium. Idea Group Inc  Galeota, J. (2004), Cultural Imperialism: An American Tradition, available at: http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/articles/essay3mayjune04.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Maude, M. B. (2011), Managing Cross-Cultural Communication: Principles and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan Moran, A. (2010), TV Formats Worldwide: Localizing Global Programs, Intellect Books Newman. K.M. (2004), Radio Active: Advertising and Consumer Activism, 1935-1947. University of California Press Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. and D. Winseck (1997) Media in Global Context. London: Edward Arnold. Stohl, C. (2004), Globalization Theory, available at: http://www.juergensmeyer.com/files/C.Stohl%20Globalization%20Theory.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Toure et. al. Reflections on Cultural Imperialism and Pedagogical Possibilities Emerging from Youth Encounters with Internet in Africa, available at: http://www.rocare.org/ChangingMindsets/pdf/ch02-ICTandChangingMindset.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Taylor, T.L. (2006). Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture; MIT Press Thussu, D.K. (2007). Media on the Move: Global Flow and Contra-flow, Taylor & Francis Thussu, D.K (2006). Contra-Flow in Global Media: An Asian Perspective, available at: http://www.amic.org.sg/Resources/Research_Materials/Broadcasting/Contra%20Flow%20in%20Global%20Media%20An%20Asian%20Perspective.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Understandings of Globalization, (n.d.), available at: http://mrmulligan.wikispaces.com/file/view/livingchapter1%5B1%5D.pdf (accessed on April 25, 2012) Read More