Political and Social Impacts of the Media - Report Example

Contents Contents 1 1.0 Introduction 2 1.1Thesis statement 2 2.0 Impacts of the Media on Political Institutions 3 2.1 Background 3 2.2Improved leadership and governance 3 2.3 Efficiency in Service Delivery 4 2.4 Increasing the Democratic Space 5 2.5 Peace Sustenance 5 3.0 Social impacts of the media in the UAE 7 3.1 Background 7 3.2 Demographic Changes 7 3.3 Gender roles redefinition 8 3.4 Rich cultural exchange 9 3.5 Transformation of Education 10 3.6 New Careers and Social Status 10 4.0 Critique 11 5.0 Conclusion 13 6.0 References 14 1.0 Introduction Following the relative peace and favorable conditions for business in the Gulf region, media industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. In this discourse, we will review the impacts of media industry on the society with particular interest of the UAE, a country considered a safe haven amid constant turmoil and political uncertainty that characterize the Middle East. The impacts of the mass media in many regions transcend both political and social institutions. 1.1Thesis statement This is an assessment of the impacts of media revolution in the UAE on social and political spheres. 2.0 Impacts of the Media on Political Institutions 2.1 Background The institution of polity of the Gulf has been marked by autocracy and authoritarian regimes. Poor governance and lack of objective leadership in the gulf has been the norms in most countries save for states as UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. In UAE political institution and the government involves Sheikhdom rule. Mass media according to Schudson 2008 serves the purpose of informing the people and holding the government accountable to the public (2008: 13). Media is instrumental in ensuring that democratic governance survives in a society though their interdependence of media and governance is highly unbalanced. Political leadership in the UAE has been in the forefront in restricting the media for making the implicit explicit about administration government. Censorship and intimidation serves as constant threat to freedom of press (Hijleh, 2002). Michael Knights (2001) states that “the Gulf States have always recognized the unrestricted cross-border flow of information as a potential security threat.” Although the media faces constant constrains in its work, it would be premature to conclude that it has not influenced the governance and politics of the UAE. This culture is gradually fading away and the media is transforming the politics and governance of the Emiratis in the following ways:- 2.2Improved leadership and governance The mass media provides the public with a platform through which the UAE populace access and consume information relevant to politics. The political leadership in the UAE did not receive much scrutiny initially as the media was restricted in critiquing the government. It is until recently that the internet revolution saw the media vibrantly addressing the issues that the public felt important. Through myriad blog spots the Emiratis can now hold their leaders accountable by airing their opinions. In reaction to this, the governance of the people has become people oriented and efforts are put in place to address the issue. In august 2007, the government of Abu Dhabi announced a strategy to address the key areas of development and a policy document was produced for the following two years. The aim was to enhance people initiated development in Abu Dhabi. In his statement the ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan who is also the president of UAE elucidated the policy agenda was to ensure that there was a paradigm shift where the populace would get to know of the government‘s performance, its accountability and transparency. The influence of the mass media in this case was eminent in that lack of openness in the government had put the public in the dark on progress of development. The agitation by the media demanding services from the government has led to a more responsive government in the UAE. The prime role of the media has been to produce and disseminate information on the current affairs of the government to the public. Consequently, the government has attempted to avoid negative publicity and in turn become more results oriented to impress the public (Schudson, 2008) 2.3 Efficiency in Service Delivery The revolution of media especially the internet has speeded up the bureaucratic processes where’ red tapism’ has been a norm rather than an exception (Obeidat, 2002).In Dubai most of transactions are done online where all fees owed to the government are channelled via the internet. The government believes in time management as an economic. Hence, the government’s endeavours to make the system more effective received a boost in the introduction of the internet. Service delivery has also been affected positively by the introduction of e-government in the UAE. 2.4 Increasing the Democratic Space The institution of polity has had massive transformation due to the vigorous media. UAE has the rule of monarchy of Sheikhdom where the public has little influence in decision-making. The effect of the media has tried to reverse this culture by advocating for democratic rights of the citizenry. As a result, the president launched a new composition of the federal national council (FNC) in 2006 where half its members would be elected directly by the Electoral College from every emirate. Each Emirate has an Electoral College responsible for electing members of the FNC. The aim was to enhance indirect public participation in the country’s highest law making organ. This is a move in direction of democracy (the UAE e-government portal). Although this was a very mild step, the indication that the country is headed towards increasing its democratic space is positive. The media has made it possible for UAE to review its policies against other states around the world. The federation strives to ensure that its policies especially on human rights are in line with those of the other developed countries. The operations of international human rights watchdogs have been allowed to operate in the emirates. 2.5 Peace Sustenance The media has ensured that the UAE continue to enjoy peace and good relations with the rest of world. The media disseminates information that does not compromise the integrity of the nation. Although this has been the initiative of the government to review the content of the media, UAE suffers no threats of uncertainty under the media. The media have orchestrated most of the violence in the world. In the UAE, regulations of publishing information that advance interests of a particular movement (al-Qaida, al Shabab, Hezbollah), religion or political alignment has been critical in enhancing calm. 3.0 Social impacts of the media in the UAE 3.1 Background Presence of vibrant media in the UAE has come in line with significant changes in the Emiratis way of life despite the federation’s depiction as a strict society. Since the arrival of the media in a manner never witnessed before, social readjustments have been made to accommodate new patterns of interaction, demographic changes and new cultures. Mass media have been significantly involved in advancing different cultures that are in Dubai and presents UAE as a cultural hub in the Gulf. The social change that the Emiratis are experiencing in UAE has been driven entirely by the mass media. In different social institutions, the influence of the media is overwhelming and significant changes recorded in institutions such as education, family and marriage. 3.2 Demographic Changes The mass media is responsible for advertising the UAE as an economically friendly and culturally relative destination. The establishment of Dubai media city followed government efforts to woo investors all over the world to invest in the emirates through the mass media. The mass media involvement in advertising, branding and selling the UAE as the best country for business in the Middle East has had momentous outcome. Foreign investors have invaded the UAE to exploit the available opportunities for commerce. The demography of the emirates has had remarkable changes as consequence of the above. The population stands at approximately six million people. Of these, only 17% are natives while the rest constitute the immigrants and expatriates from all over the world. According to the world fact book, the UAE has the greatest net migration rate in the world. The influx of foreigners in the UAE has caused populations changes that have affected the social composition of the country’s society. Therefore, it is evident that were it not for the media’s role in marketing the UAE the expatriates would not be present in the emirates. 3.3 Gender roles redefinition Being an Islamic state the roles of the women were not vocal in contributing towards national development as male dominance and patriarchy presented considerable hindrances to empowerment women. Women in the UAE, prior to the revolution of media have played the marginal roles that marked insubordination and gender imbalance. Mass media has provided a platform on which both genders competitively work leading to re-assignment and redefinition of gender roles in the society (Hunaidi, 2002). Women are now receiving empowerment through informal education that the media provides besides the formal education present in the society. Arab Human Development Report (AHDR; UNDP, 2002) divulges that the Middle East has the fastest improvement in educating women than any other region in the world with the education expanding to more than three times since late nineteenth century. Formally, educated women are now gaining a competitive edge over their counterparts in the labor market thus asserting their significance in the society. Marginal roles formerly played by women are now becoming extinct as they surge and challenge the male dominance in the society. 3.4 Rich cultural exchange The influence of the media in enhancing cultural exchange in the UAE has been a milestone contributor of defining the emirates as a cultural hub. Firstly, the presence of many media organization s in the country has enabled the use of many languages in the media. It is this reason that the UAE has adopted English as the second language. Second, it is through media that the dressing code has significantly evolved to incorporate the western – style clothing as it has become dominant among the expatriates and in the media itself. Many people who work in various media houses have different countries of origin and have different cultural backgrounds. Dubai is the biggest cosmopolitan city in the Middle East. The Far East and western cultures are finding their way into the emirates through the media. The influence of Hollywood and Bollywood movies is noticeable. Besides, the music originating from the west has had a significant impression in the UAE’s society. Kylie Minogue was paid over $4 million dollars to perform during the opening of luxurious Atlantis resort in Dubai. Although this might be argued that cultural exchange has led to cultural erosion, the Emiratis remain highly conservative. 3.5 Transformation of Education The mass media all over the world is renowned for educating the audience informally through airing informative programs. The process of socialization in every society is also dependent on avenues of mass media at the disposal of the society. Children born in the wake of rampant media revolution have their perception of life moulded in the manner that the media presents the reality. This is through TV, internet, radio among others. Moreover, the older generation of Emiratis become aware of the world happenings and news through the media. The internet has enabled the institutes for higher learning in the UAE to introduce online education courses. Further, the internet has complemented the efforts of research institutes in the country. 3.6 New Careers and Social Status The Emiratis through the revolution of the media have been able to access new career opportunities. The careers in the media industry are held with esteem and they hold high status in the society of the UAE. Labour market is also flooded with foreigners coming to take advantages of working opportunities. 4.0 Critique There are arguments to discredit the mass media’s effect on pace and nature of political change in the Gulf (Hudson, 2001). He further connotes that other factors have contributed to shift in political spheres and ideologies in the UAE besides the media. He cites ‘new Arabism’ as a critical factor where the new generations of political leaders are changing the existing institution of polity. The political leadership has been responsible for changing the media more than the media is capable of changing the polity. The regulation of the information that the public is exposed to in the media, insinuates that the media only replicates only what the government intends to do. Therefore, the government itself rather than the media initiate the change seen in the polity institution. Socially, the media is been to have brought significant changes in the UAE. However, the persistence of native culture has been influenced by other variables. For example, the Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are the religions of the expatriates but not the natives, 5.0 Conclusion Media revolution in the UAE has been the force behind the robust economic growth. It has had unprecedented effects on the political and social life of the Emiratis. Although the revolution is gradual, it is worth noting that censorship of media topics by the government has greatly reduced. In relation to other countries in the Gulf, UAE has milestones in improving the media industry. The mass media in many parts of the world continue to be a steering force behind democracy and economic prosperity. Protection of the media in the freedom of the press should be enhanced at all cost 6.0 References Hijleh, A. (2002) New Media and Change in Jordan, paper presented at the New Media and Change in the ArabWorld conference, Amman, Jordan. http://www.media-arabia.org/userfiles/Jordan%20Country%20%20English.doc (20 August 2002). (Hudson, 2001) Hudson, Michael C. Creative Destruction: Information Technology and the Political Culture Revolution in the ArabWorld. Royal studies: Amman. Hunaidi, (2002) UNDP, United Nations, Economic Development and Integration as a Catalyst for Peace, in testimony before House International Relations Committee, 24 July2002, Federal News Service, Inc., accessed through LexisNexis (23 April 2010). Knights, Michael (2001) “Gulf censors try to keep up,” Jane’s Intelligence Review, 19 October 2001. Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, High Schools UAE United Arab Emirates. http://www.indexuae.com/Top/Education/Schools. Retrieved 2010-04-23 Obeidat, Reem J. (2002) Electronic Government: Aims and Pivots (The Case of the Dubai Experiment), paper presented at the New Media and Change in the Arab World conference, Amman ,Jordan. http://www.media-arabia.org/userfiles/Obeidat-E-Government-E.doc (20 April 2010). Schudson M. (2008). Why democracy need an unlovable Press. Cambridge: polity Press  UAE Federal e-Government Portal". Government.ae .http://www.government.ae/gov/en/gov/federal/politics.jsp. Retrieved 24 April 2010 UNDP. (2002). United Nations Development Programme, Arab Human Development Report 2002: Creating Opportunities for Future Generations, 2 July 2002, http://www.undp.org/rbas/ahdr/Complete English.pdf (24 April 2010). Read More