Effects of the Internet on Non-western Cultures - Essay Example

Effects of Internet on non-western cultures When looking at the effects of internet to the world in general, it is observed that it has had both positive and negative effects on different societies in and an equal measure. The provision of information and easy access to services has made life easier for most people. The internet has been used as a tool for learning and doing business all over the world and this has further contributed in making the world a global village. People are more easily connecting from the longest distances on a very short time thus enhancing business and international relations. However, amid all the positive attributes that are associated with the internet and technological advancement in general, there have been a number of negative effects especially on non western cultures. Some of these have been devastating and threatening even the political stability of some nations. Others have been more inclined to the social attitudes of these nations. There is therefore need to look into this subject from different perspectives as well as looking into what available literature discusses in this matter. The internet poses two characteristics that make it popularly powerful and influential. First, the Internet is the single biggest resource centre in the entire world containing information on anything and everything. Secondly, it enhances the interactivity mechanism that enables instant communication among individuals (Choi & Ferle 2004) The revolutionary mechanism brought by the internet on non-western cultures can first be looked at through its effects on the social, economic and political presentations that it has brought to these countries. The internet has so much contributed to the deterioration of the indigenous cultures of some of these nations replacing it with adoptions from the western cultures. As a source of information, the internet has contributed massively to the exportation of the way of life of the people of in western nations to countries outside this block. There is, for instance the tendency by young people to emulate the way of dressing that is adorned by musicians and superstars in countries like America. This has led to mannerisms that are purely adoptions and that never existed in these cultures a number of years ago. Characteristically, most nations in the Middle East and Far East as well as Africa have for long had a distinguished mode of dressing that bear both a cultural and religious message. Although the internet is not the single contributor to the deterioration of such contributions, it has had a fair share of blame on it. There have long been arguments that observation of such kind of dressing especially that which associated with the Muslim faith is more of religious slavery. Radical and rational revolution lists have taken this message and used to try and change the traditional belief of their societies. The internet contributes to this change in that these revolutionalists use it to demonstrate practices by people from other nations. Further, the internet has become a platform in which criticism against such practices has been highly outlined. This criticism has most often worked to demean the practices by some of these traditions while people in these societies have also changed their attitudes towards these traditions. In the long run, there these practices continue to diminish (Ferle, Edwards, & Yutaka 2002). Perhaps the most recent occurrence that has had the greatest effect and can be largely being attributed to the use of the internet is the political revolution that has been witnessed in various countries. From Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and now Syria, the internet has played a big role in a number of ways. First, the internet is one tool that has been used to organize and orchestrate demonstrations in these nations. Secondly, throughout these occurrences, the world is kept updated on an almost minute to minute happening in these nations. Similarly, people use the internet to respond to these happenings by commenting and posting their views. Conspicuously, all these occurrences have been on non western nations. The debate on whether these revolutions are effective or even right is still ranging. However, there can be can be a solid argument that although, most technological advances shoot from the western nations, they seem to spread their tentacles and negative effects faster and wider in non western nations than in their nations of origin. For a long time, the western democracies have been accused of propagating what they view as right in terms of leadership and economic practices (Michaels 1994). The western nations used their well trained ambassadors in advancing their interests to non western nations. In the advent of the internet, there has been new developments in the ways these values are packaged and marketed. In modern times the western democracies select a set of stories that speak out on their values and democratic way of leadership and upload them on various websites for the world to see. It has been argued that the western governments do thin through their own bodies or a selected government funded organizations. This information then impacts on people from non western nations especially in places where there is likely to be less critical thinking where readers who may feel enticed by these values seek to advance them either through individual efforts or through organizations. The effect of this is that the nations to which these values have been imported fail to come up with an original version of their own values but instead practice on adopted values. There is a danger in this kind of practices since the pillars on which these values are building have different foundations. The western culture varies conspicuously with the African culture for instance and therefore there is likely to be disparities while imposing some attitudes on the African people. For instance, in the most African nations gay practices are highly detested while the American culture has even constitutionalised the practice. The role of the internet in advancing this culture cannot be downplayed given that it has been used as a forum for discussions on this subject. Apparently, the western nations are good at selecting some typical stories that reflect their democracy and this can be seen in the discussion on homosexuality where the western nations that support it argue that it is all in the name of human rights. This has become a common practice where such stories are put in visual and/or audio format and give them to people with great appeal and attractiveness. Most of those who have visited these websites come off praising the beauty of western democracy and go ahead to propagate their adoption. Nations have encountered security threats that have been propagated though the internet. The use of computers for official tasks has become almost mandatory for many governments worldwide. Computer knowledge and use is susceptible to invasion by the so called hackers whose motif is not always well pronounced. In some cases, protection from internet invasions requires that colossal amounts of money be used in developing websites that cannot be easily penetrated. Some nations and notably non western nations may not have the man power and the resources to build up highly advanced computer technology that keeps hackers at bay. This means that important data may be at the risk of access by unauthorized parties who may use it for manipulation and propagation of negative undertakings. The internet thus poses a challenge to these nations since they are caught between the need to be technologically equipped and thin budgets to compliment their need to use this technology. Further, through these internet forums secretive information may be easily leaked and this becomes a threat to the involved parties. The Wiki leaks saga in which information on some nation’s undertakings and more so dealings with the U.S government was opened up to the world (Frota 1996). This underlines how matters of national importance can easily be tampered with through such forums. In a paper titled Do Electronic Mass Media Have Negative Effects On Indigenous People?, it is noted that the western culture imports cultural products to another society with three main aims that may be consciously or unconsciously advocated for .The first objective is first to eliminate the indigenous cultural representation. This is followed by the second aim which is to represent them with the alien cultural practices. Thirdly, the indigenous cultures are transformed in such a way that with time they lose their autonomy. On achieving these objectives, these cultures are assumed to have been assimilated into the more developed and advanced capitalist world. The constant and widespread disregard of the indigenous cultures by the western nations has greatly contributed to the achievement of these objectives. The mass media, the category under which the internet falls, is the widely used tool in the propagation of these objectives. This may as well be viewed as cultural imperialism which may be seen to further contribute to social, economical as well as political imperialism. The suppression of indigenous cultures by the west has resulted in the fall of important and treasured social norms. The family unit in most of the non west cultures is one victim of this imperialism. The African culture for instant highly regards the family unit from the nuclear to the extended family members. It is observable that this trend is rapidly changing and situations have risen in where people are adopting cultures that downplay the importance of a family unit to an extent where marriage is almost nonexistent (Hammond, Turner & Bain 2000). The western culture has in modern times tended to lean towards a practice where couples can choose to organize a short lived union that may not necessarily bring about children as part of it. These practices are being exported and advanced through various technologically advanced medium. Religion has also been adversely affected by these technologically advanced platforms. In most of the indigenous cultures, religion and religious practices were so revered that it was almost taboo to introduce another aspect of religion that is outside the beliefs of these people. In today’s world, science has ensured that religion is not necessarily a matter of gathering and performing what is viewed as religiously acceptable. Today, people listen to preaching online and even become members of international religious organizations far from their own cities and regions. This has in some cases destabilized the beliefs of the people and also divided their opinion unlike in a situation where religious outfits spoke in one voice. In addition, science has continued to cast doubt as to the existence of a Supreme Being as believed in many non western nations. Some have argued that creation, believed by Christians to have been an undertaking of a supreme God. Some scientists have brought about the notion that the making of the universe was a scientific process that has nothing to do with the existence of a deity. In one way of the other, most societies outside the western block have for a long time held religion close to their daily practices but science and technology seems to continuously change the situation. According to technological determinism theory, the introduction of new technologies is the primary force in creating socio-cultural change. This theory further suggests that when one culture takes on a technology diffused from another culture, the second culture will take on the socio-cultural attributes of the diffusing culture (Browne 1996). In that case, once indigenous societies accept technologies from Western societies, their values, beliefs and cultural practices are assimilated into the western culture almost naturally. Technological determinism predicts that as more and more cultures diffuse into the western practices, there is a likelihood of eventually losing their identity and being more established on the platform of the western cultures Conclusion This discussion leaves no doubt as to the effects of the internet in pushing away indigenous practices and introducing the western culture in nonwestern societies. It must be noted though that the internet has had a fair share of contribution that is positive to these nations. The major contribution may be cited a provision of information which has greatly accelerated the rate of growth for these nations. It has also enhanced interactions between these nations and their people thus bringing about healthy exchange on various forums. One important ideology that must be upheld is that there would be need for societies to choose what is good fro their people whether its is brought about by scientific or technological advancement or local interferences. References Browne, D 1996, Electronic Media and Indigenous Peoples: a voice of our own?, Iowa State University Press, Ames. Choi, SM & la Ferle, C 2004, Convergence across American and Korean young adults: Socialisation variables indicate the verdict is still out, International Journal of Advertising Ferle, C., Edwards, SM., & Yutaka, M 2002, Internet diffusion in Japan: Cultural Considerations, Journal of Advertising Research, Frota, M 1996, Taking Aim: the video technology of cultural resistance,in Resolutions: Contemporary Video Practices, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Hammond, K., Turner, P., & Bain, M 2000, Internet users versus non-users: Drivers in Internet Uptake, International Journal of Advertising. Michaels, E 1994, Bad Aboriginal Art: tradition, media, and technological horizons, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1994. ,   Read More