Globalization and the Mass Media - Coursework Example

Globalization And The Mass Media” Critically discuss the ‘war on terror’ as a media war. Introduction In our world two things are greatly discussed, one is the ‘war on terror’ and the other is the ‘media war’. They both are closely related to one another and have affected the lives of every individual in many ways. War on terror also call the war on terrorism was initiated by the world powers of our age. This war which was aimed at eliminating terrorism and violence from the face of the earth has now turned into a media war. As media is so much used to influence people about this war but the sad part is that it is largely used to deviate the masses from the actual and the authentic point. It is a fact of today’s world that the media and media studies are actually subjugated by the Anglo-American investigation and speculation. Usually the comparative studies system is used in the science of media as it is helpful in identifying the similarities in media setting, why certain incidents happened and what people actually experienced out of them. Media faces a lot of challenges one of them is its commencement and direction on the basis of certain dominating nations. Here the point of significance is that either the media remains neutral about different cultures, religions and societies in different parts of the world or it supports some of the cultural ideas while rejecting others. Media has been facing many challenges as it operates on the global and national level. Many debates have been held to discuss that how to study the media of our age which has acquired so much technology and exposure in the past few decades. There are merely two options for making this analysis, one is that we have to first study the global factors affecting media such as the world politics and the second is that we can make the study on the basis of national media setup which varies from region to region (Jonathan Hardy, 2008, pg1-21). In some societies it is assumed that the media as a whole is actually directed by the prominent nations of the world who have a great influence on not only the global media but also on the national media of different countries. Therefore it has become a major source of communicating authentic and at times the fake ideas about the war on terror which leaves deep impact on the minds of the general public. Hence it can be said that today’s media is directing the thoughts and actions of people in regard of the war on terror. Media has been the most basic and essential participant of this war as it is been used by the enemies and opponents to communicate their strategies, consequences of an attack, etc. Any war either it is against the terrorism or anything else is win through the support of the masses. Media plays a great role in generating support for the most influencing and dominating nations. In other words it can be said that it is profoundly used to change the minds of people about some incident or event. Description It is a general perception that the actual role of media starts when the external environment is full of news, News especially about terror which are of key concern for the people. When a country or the world as a whole is at stake then it is the media people who make the most money and receives the protocol of limelight. Similar situation was arising soon after the attacks of September 9, 2001 which completely changed the face of journalism and gave it an association with the War on Terror. At the initial stage media was completely unable to handle this high profile relation but slowly and gradually it turned out to be a part of this war on terror (Dr Barbie Zelizer, Stuart Allan, 2002, pg. 1-24). Now it would not be wrong to say that the actual war on terror has converted in to a media war as more and more channels are opening throughout the world to communicate ‘truth’ to their audiences. It is an interesting fact that during 1990 to 2001 the world saw a great many changes in terms of politics and wars. The final event of this series was the collapse of World Trade Centre and it is the same era when the media got developed, started using the latest technology and then news were not limited to a single region rather they would travel like the fire of the forest in just few seconds. Considering this sequence of events one can analyze the role and significance of media in wars and politics (Jean Baudrillard, 2002, pg. 1-34). But this has affected the overall communication and news broadcasting system in a very negative way because the media power is now used as a single yet most influential tool to change the mindset of the people particularly in the negative sense. The attack on the World Trade Centre preceded other events including the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, as expected media gave huge coverage to all the events occurring after 9/11 and still continuing on the task. Pictures of the attacks which included the bombing scenes, dead bodies, interviews of the victims were all soon released by the media for the common people in order to remain updated about the world news. Many reporters went themselves to the affected countries to cover the live situation (Nicholas Mirzoeff, 2005, pg. 1-10). As a result of the fastest transference of pictures and videos of war the people looked at the whole scenario as if they were present there and have faced the same circumstances. However the real reason behind the fast distribution of such visuals and the active participation of media in these wars was actually to realized people that the invaders have gained victory against the opponents (Hamid Molwana, George Gerbner, Herbert I. Schiller, 1992, pg. 34). Media channels are largely affected by the socio economic conditions of the country but in the recent years it has been observed that people are becoming more and more media directed. The importance of media and its role in bringing awareness can never be doubted as today it has become the key factor of defining an individual or a complete society. People are not only gaining information through different channels but they are also believing and acting according to the information provided to them. Media has played a vital role in changing the perceptions and thinking of individuals. The world politics and the feminist approaches are changes according to the guidelines provided by the media. The cultures and traditions associated to a particular region are now developing in to one single culture and way of expression (John D. H. Downing, Ali Mohammadi, Annabelle Sreberny, 1995, pg. 39). Globalization has limited the effect of culture and religion on people as almost everyone is now having the same appearance, life style, communication style, way of expression, perception about life, etc. all this happened because of media and its uncontrollable impacts upon the live of a common man. The oriental beliefs and practices were superseded by globalization and now the post modern era is taking control of it (Bryan S. Turner, 1994, pg. 3-19). The basic example of this is the Islam and its practices. Years ago Muslims were very fond of their religion but slowly as globalization step in the former spirit showcased by Muslims got faded. The post 9/11 events brought Islam into the limelight with the help of media. As a result people who did not knew about this religion developed curiosity regarding it and started reading and benefitting from the Islamic literature. Globalization and the mass media played a significant role in this condition. As much as the media tried to criticize Islam and Muslims the more people drew attention towards it which ultimately brought down the intensity of the lost Islamic culture and practices. The voices of a Muslims which were previously could not be heard outside their homes are now listened by millions of people all around the globe (Akbar S. Ahmed, 1994, pg1-16). In the last few decades the whole world particularly the west is talking about Islam and its practices. The media is giving huge coverage to the incidents related to Islam and at times it is also rendered to be the bottom line cause of all the wrong happenings in the world. The Muslims are presented as the terrorist of the current age and their religion is seen with skeptics (Edward W Said, 2008, pg. 3-35). Discussion The media is a great power which must be used with the equivalent precautions, however, the western media is observed to misuse it with great intensity. They seem to fulfill their harsh and greedy desires through its use. The possible reason of such a behavior could be the active participation of west in the war on terror as they want to showcase their victory to the world to make them realize about their powers and strengths which cannot be done more effectively and efficiently without the use of media (Daya Kishan Thussu, Des Freedman, 2003, pg. 1-14). Media is playing the most powerful game in the war on terror by the use of globalization and latest technologies.However it has also resulted in increasing the conflicts and disputes because the media authorities do not filter all the breaking news according to the requirements of honesty and authenticity and when such news is broadcasted then it give rise to misunderstandings and riots on the national and international level which further makes an addition to the war on terror. Since the beginning of the war on terror, the media personnel’s task and responsibilities are increasing with an elevation in the risk factor of their jobs. The cultural, political and social perspectives are greatly influencing the media war. The War on terror and media has a very close affiliation so much that they both cannot be analyzed in isolated. Both have a direct impact over one another and on the third party i.e. public. A common man is getting as much affected by the media war as much he got harmedby the war on terror. REFERENCES Akbar S. Ahmed, 1994. Islam, Globalization, and Post modernity: pg.1-16.Routledge. Bryan S. Turner, 1994. Orientalism, Postmodernism & Globalism: pg. 3-19. Routledge, London. Daya Kishan Thussu, Des Freedman, 2003. War and the Media: Reporting Conflict 24/7: pg. 1-14. SAGE Publications. Dr Barbie Zelizer, Stuart Allan, 2002. Journalism After September 11: When trauma shapes the News: pg. 1-24. Routledge. Edward W Said, 2008. Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World: pg. 3-35.Random House. Hamid Molwana, George Gerbner, Herbert I. Schiller, 1992. Triumph of the image:  The medias war in the Persian Gulf: a global perspective: pg. 34. Westview Press. Jean Baudrillard, 2003. The Spirit of Terrorism: And Other Essays: pg.1-34.Verso. John D. H. Downing, Ali Mohammadi, Annabelle Sreberny, 1995. Questioning the Media: A Critical Introduction: pg. 39. SAGE Publications. Jonathan Hardy, 2008. Western Media Systems: pg. 1-21. Routledge. Nicholas Mirzoeff, 2005. Watching Babylon: The War in Iraq and Global Visual Culture: pg. 1-10. Routledge, USA. Read More