Digital Communications in the Developing World - Coursework Example

Introduction: It is without question that digital media has fundamentally shifted the way in which human beings relate to one another, interact, and understand the world around them. For instance, only 20 years ago, if an individual was interested in understanding what may have been taking place in the world around them, they would necessarily pick up a newspaper or two in to a television news program. However, within the current era, news stories, opinion blogs, and a litany of other relevant and up-to-the-minute information is portrayed via the Internet. As a direct function of this trove of information and digital media, individuals around the globe are interacting with and understanding one another in a completely new paradigm. Although seeking to discuss this paradigm in its entirety would necessarily require a dissertation length response, this particular analysis will seek to engage the reader with some of the prescient issues that exist with regards to this new digital media paradigm (Davis, 2008). The first of these items that will be discussed is with regard to the fact that the current proliferation of digital media oftentimes creates the potential and likelihood for technology dependence/addiction. Whereas it is true that digital media and technology are not one in the same, the level of relation that exists between them and the dependence that digital media has upon technology is sufficient to warrant such a discussion. Secondly, the analysis will focus upon the way in which human thought can be manipulated within the world of digital media/social media in much the same way that it was initially manipulated with regards to early propaganda that existed within newsprint and/or other sources. Through such an analysis, it will be the hope of this author that the reader can gain a more informed and rational understanding with respect to the impact that digital media has upon the daily life that the current era provides. Knowledge and Understanding: The Availability and Flow of Information: Individuals that have lived through the Renaissance that the Internet has been able to provide oftentimes stand in awe of the fact that they were ever able to accomplish their jobs prior to this invention. The power of the Internet and the means through which the vast amounts of information is readily available to all individuals who are connected, has created a situation in which the development and understanding that society has been able to engage with has leapfrogged from one decade to the next. Building upon the synergy that Ray access to such vast troves of information can provide, individuals around the globe are experiencing a situation in which time-consuming research is no longer required in order to pull statistics, data, and inference with regards to a litany of different situations (Smith, 2013). However, many individuals appointed to the negative aspects that this necessarily entails. For instance, some scholars note that the ease of information that exists within the age of digital media creates a situation in which no one is required to be an expert or two be able to independently verify the information that they are referencing. Instead, such people are merely an extension of the computer that is able to automatically retrieve certain pieces of relevant information and regurgitate into their respective bosses/professors (Watson & Pecchioni, 2011). Although this viewpoint is valid, it overlooks the great benefits that the age of digital media has provided. For instance, prior to the age of digital media, utilizing a card catalog as a means of creating a bibliography or providing references and research to a specific paper would have been required. Although this process was not impossible, it necessarily slowed down the overall progress student can make and reduced the amount of time they could be utilized in a more effective manner. Further, with the advent of digital media, potential/ancillary levels of information could also be included within key words and the potential to overlook tangentially related information would necessarily be reduced. Whereas few people argue that digital media has been a detrimental force for human society, the relevant concern that has previously been mentioned, with respect to the fact that individuals are no longer required to independently verify/or research the information that they retrieve, the overwhelming understanding is that even with its great drawbacks, the age of digital media has been profoundly positive influence upon human development. Social Media Addiction: One of the most profound levels of digital media interaction with the day-to-day life of any individual within society has to do with the impact that social media has had. It must be understood by the reader that social media has experienced a great growth and differentiation from its earliest days. This of course stands to reason due to the fact that social media is ultimately an exhibition of technology which in and of itself grows and develops at a rapid rate. Without seeking to pick specifically on any particular platform of social media, one can of course see this growth and development exhibited within the means by which Facebook was originally intended merely as a means of linking individuals together. However, the definition and means by which this was affected has common to be seen as something of a shift (Bull & Kozak, 2014). Comparatively, exhibitions such as twitter and other social networking sites now place the interconnectedness and friendship dynamics of individuals upon a secondary level of importance; choosing instead to focus upon the means by which seemingly endless status updates and tracking of activities/interests can be relayed within the community itself. Although it is not the intention of this author to point to the fact that social networking is in and of itself negative, it must be noted that this particular shift has been described has necessarily increased the overall level of the addictive nature and addictive tendencies that are exhibited within its usage. Perhaps one of the worst aspects regarding social media addiction is with regards to the level in which social media addiction only encourages even further social media addiction. What is meant by such a statement is with regards to the fact that individuals who are oftentimes partially or nominally addicted to social media will invariably spend a percentage of their time engaging with it. Accordingly, the amount of time spent within social media necessarily takes away from the amount of time that the individuals might have engaged in other activities; such as engaging with individuals within the real world or fostering further communication skills. In this way, each and every hour that is spent in social media addiction necessarily reduces the exposure that the individual might otherwise have with the remainder of the outside world; thereby representing something of a vicious cycle (Mallia & Windels, 2011). The Impact of Misuse and Propaganda: Oftentimes, individuals are this led to believe that due to the fact that social media is “global” and engenders millions of different users it is somehow above manipulation. Yet, it must be understood that the United States has long ago developed mechanisms through which social media opinion can be shifted. Within the United States military psychological warfare operations, there exists entire divisions of civilians and soldiers whose job it is to shift public opinion with regards to one issue or another. In very much the same way seeking to take social media as a barometer of the way in which “the people” feel with regards to a given topic is ultimately at risk of being representative of a particular biased and warped view. Upon the other side of the equation, it must be understood that as soon as the autocratic leaders of nations such as to media, Libya, and Egypt realize that social media was being used as a tool against them, these sources were promptly shut down and indeed the plug to the Internet was removed for the nations in question. As can be seen, this represents a fundamental flaw with regards to the way in which social media is oftentimes put forward as the great mediator of bias and injustice/propaganda within the modern world (Lăzăroiu, 2010). Realizing that it was impossible to battle against an insurgency while removing its form of communication, the Egyptian government sought to fight back utilizing a paid militia of commentators and news pundits that integrated and inundated Facebook and Twitter with pro-government stances (Moser, 2013). In such a way, the reader can come to the profound level of realization that even though globalization and the proliferation of media initially helped the truth to come out with regards to the occurrences that were taking place within these autocratic and repressive regimes, these very same tools were quickly use against the opposition as a means of neutralizing their effect (Bisset, 2013). Accordingly, rather than saying that social media and/or the globalization of media and its impacts are ultimately neutral or bad, the reader should instead come to the interpretation of the fact that these same tools, put forward as a hopes of democratizing the media, can in fact be utilized in quite the opposite direction and have an inverse affect. Conclusion: from the information that is thus far been engaged, it is clear and apparent that digital media has a profound and lasting impact with regards to the way in which human beings interact with one another and understand the world around. Leisure, work, education, and entertainment have, and will likely continue, to be redefined by the impact of digital media and the manner through which this fundamental force for change interacts with nearly all people throughout the globe. Further, the power of globalization, already a force that was experienced economically, has greatly been maximized with respect to the way in which digital media reduces the boundaries between peoples and encourages a closer level of interaction and cooperative thought that might otherwise not be possible. However, before assuming that a new era of trust, cooperation, engagement, and hope exists for humanity, it must be warned that the prior analysis is also stipulated some of the grave concerns that exist with regards to digital media. For instance, digital media has been proven to be highly addictive and oftentimes reduces the overall level of thought that an individual might otherwise engage with a certain issue or question. Furthermore, the use and availability of manipulation within digital media, as has been evidenced with regards to the proliferation of propaganda that exist, is also a core concern that harkens back to a prior era in which digital media did not exist. In short, even though digital media has a great promise with regards to the development of the future, it continues to be threatened by the same issues that are inherent within all humanity. References Bissett, W. B. (2013). Understanding the Impact of the Digital Age on Estate Settlement. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals,67(5), 54-63. Bull, J. G., & Kozak, R. A. (2014). Comparative life cycle assessments: The case of paper and digital media. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 4510-18. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2013.10.001 Davis, K. (2008). Young peoples digital lives: The impact of interpersonal relationships and digital media use on adolescents sense of identity. Computers In Human Behavior, 29(6), 2281-2293. Lăzăroiu, G. (2010). MEDIA CONCENTRATION, DIGITAL COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, AND THE IMPACT OF NEW MEDIA ON THE NEWS ENVIRONMENT. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 5(2), 264-272. Mallia, K. L., & Windels, K. (2011). WILL CHANGING MEDIA CHANGE THE WORLD? AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL ADVERTISING ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVE WOMEN. Journal Of Interactive Advertising, 11(2), 30-44. Moser, D. (2013). Understanding the Impact of the New Aesthetics and New Media Works on Future Curatorial Resource Responsibilities for Research Collections. Art Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America, 32(2), 186-201. Smith, S. (2013). Steve Smiths Eye on Digital Media Context Aint What It Used To Be: Big Datas Big Impact on Big Old Media. Media Industry Newsletter, 66(3), 3. Watson, J. A., & Pecchioni, L. L. (2011). Digital natives and digital media in the college classroom: assignment design and impacts on student learning. Educational Media International, 48(4), 307-320. doi:10.1080/09523987.2011.632278 Read More