Global Social Movements - Assignment Example

Mini Essays and Expand Essay Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Name Date of Submission Mini Essays and Expand Essay Task 8 Media Ecology So far, there has not been agreeable definition as to what constitutes media ecology. Different scholars define media ecology differently, which means that there is no conclusive single definition for the term. However, in order to define the term media ecology, it is important to begin by defining the two terms, media and ecology. Media simply means the techniques or modes with which information is passed from one person to another. These can be through radio, television, internet, or newspapers among others. Ecology, on the other hand, is a branch of study that deals with the study of the relationships between organizations in their natural environment. Media ecology, therefore, is an art or science that deals with the study of information environment. In other words, media ecology seeks to explain how speed, direction, form and quantity of information from one source are controlled by communication techniques and technologies. Additionally, the focus of media ecology is on the understanding of how information affects the perceptions, attitudes and values in the society. In broad context, therefore, media ecology can be construed to mean the study of communication techniques in the cultural context. From these definitions, it becomes clear that media economy is a broad term that transcends different subjects, including sociology and psychology as it looks at information in social and psychological context. This definition is similar to that of Kate Milberry in the sense that both definitions acknowledges that media ecology is term that transcend different fields of study and has to do with the study of the media environment. Task 9 Personally, I believe that global capitalism has done more good than harm to world economies. Global capital is a concept that promotes free market development. In many countries, global capitalism has helped in the alleviation of poverty by encouraging free movement of goods and service to the poor. Similarly, global capitalism has promoted innovation and economic growth in most countries across the globe. For instance, the growth in the economies of Asian countries, such as India, China, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia are largely attributed to global capitalism that has promoted the culture of innovation and creativity in these nations. Despite the many benefits that have come as a result of global capitalist, as Thomas Piketty noted, there are quite a number of anti-global capitalism forces that have emerged in the recent past, such as the Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy movement has opposed global capitalism on several grounds. Firstly, the movement has termed global capitalism anti-development claiming that it has caused problems to most economies that have been struggling to achieve growth in income since the 1970s when global capitalism starting taking centre stage. According to Occupy movement, most economies, particularly in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa have shrunk since America and other developed economies opened up. Additionally, anti-global capitalism argue that global capitalism is to blame for the financial crisis and the unethical business practices witnessed with many multinational corporations today. Nevertheless, as much as the anti-global capitalism raises genuine issues, personally I believe that global capitalism has done more good than bad and should be allowed to thrive. As a matter of fact, the bad things brought about by global capitalism can be addressed by governments and corporate policies. There are many way, however, that digital media can be used as a social and political tool. With the advent of the Internet, people from all over the world can connect and socialize with friends and relatives with a lot of ease. Social media, in particular, provides people with a platform where they can share ideas, network, e-mail and share photos. Accordingly, this helps bring people closer together despite the distance. Politically, digital media is currently been used by people and political movements as a coordinating tool. For instance, social media is currently being used by political movements to rally support from the public towards a political course. For instance, during the recent Arab Spring, social media played a critical role in rallying people to come out and protest and topple the governments that they did not want in power. Therefore, as much as global capitalism has many benefits that are worth appreciating, it survival is being put under threat because of the impacts of digital media networks. The first major challenge that global capitalism is facing is that the anti-global capitalism, such as the Occupy movement are taking advantage of the power of digital media networks, such as social media to spread propaganda and to convince the public to protest against the continued adoption of global capitalism. For instance, Occupy movement has often used social media mainly to highlight what it considers the flaws of global capitalism without highlighting its benefits. As such, a large proportion of the world population have been made to believe that global capitalism is destructive to the social, political, economic and social well-being of the society. Accordingly, thus has seriously put global capitalism under threat of being abandoned, particularly by industrial countries that might be convinced through digital media networks to revert to closed economies. Task 10 Global surveillance has been around since the 1940s. Global surveillance refers to the monitoring of the entire world population. Information exchange is a very critical function of the global media. Generally, people expect the global media to act as a platform where people exchange information. However, this is sometimes not the case as the information can be hidden from the public. Conversely hiding information from the public can has serious ramifications. Firstly, when information is hidden from the public, this tends to create anxiety. In this regard, most people tend to think that something wrong is going on when information is hidden. Accordingly, this might cause dissent and protest from the public that might push for the release of the information being hidden. Accordingly, this might generate political tension in a country and internationally. Surveillance, however, has become a global phenomenon because of a number of things. Firstly, surveillance has become a global phenomenon because of the increased incidences of terrorism. In the United States, for example, the government under the Department of Homeland Security introduced intensified the use of surveillance as a counterterrorism strategy. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government has intensified the use of biometric surveillance to help in intercepting and obstructing any acts of terrorism. The use of surveillance as a counterterrorism technique is seen not only in the U.S., but the world over, particularly in those countries that have been victims of terrorism or under the threat of terrorism. Additionally, surveillance has become a global phenomenon since most countries currently use surveillance as a governance technique. Part II Global Movements Introduction Globalization is one of the most significant events that have happened in the recent past. Although globalization is a broad concept with different meanings, it can be defined simply as the integration of the world economies, trade and capital aided by technology. With the advancements in technology, the world is currently viewed as a global village without boundaries. However, one of the greatest impacts of globalization is that it has contributed to the emergence of many social movements across the globe. The social movements mainly arise to fight the social, political and economic ills happening in the society so as to make the society a better place to live and do business (Mason 2013). This paper will examine the reasons for the rise of global movements and their benefits to the society. Social movements have become a global phenomenon. The world has witnessed a huge rise in the number of social movements across the globe. Social movements are a group of people that have come together to achieve a common goal. The main aim of social movements is to bring about social change in the society. Today, almost all countries in the world have a social movement that advocate change either in the political, social and economy. Because social movements advocate change, they develop mainly in societies that are characterized by human rights abuses and lack of democracy. All global movements have common characteristics with regards to how they advocate their issues. Firstly, social movements usually advocate social change through non-violent protests (Mason 2013). Because most governments tend to be adamant and resistant in implementing a change, social movements usually resort to the use of non-violent street protests to make their point known to the parties concerned. Although some protests usually turn violent that result in a confrontation with the security officers, most movements approach their issue peacefully. Additionally, global movements usually rally the public behind them to enable their voice be heard. This includes using strategies, such as social media to rally likeminded citizens from all over the world to support their course (Continuum 2004, p. 36). However, in the event that protest fails to yield fruits, social movements sometimes resort to court action to help solve the issues they have that they feel need change. Importance of Social Movements There is no doubt that social movements have been on the rise across the globe because of the important role they play in the society. Moghadam (2012, p. 11) noted that most of the social changes that have occurred in the past in most countries are attributed to the efforts of the social movements in bringing social order. The first major reason for the increase in the social movements is the rise of lack of democracy. Democracy has been a big issue in most countries across the globe. This is particularly so in the developing countries, where the people in power still use their leadership position to oppress the citizens. In this light, social movements have played a key role in bringing about changes in governance in undemocratic countries (Smith 2010, p. 3). The importance of social movements in bringing about political change was seen recently during the Arab Spring when social movements in Arab countries that have been suffering at the hands of autocratic leaders organized huge protests that topple some of the leaders, thereby resulting in the subsequent installation of leaders that respect human rights and abide by the rule of law. During the Arab Springs, global protest movements rallied people from all over the world to support their efforts in bringing about change in leadership in Arab countries (Mason 2013). This was seen in countries, such as Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, where the social movements organizations global protest that saw the ouster of the leaders, thereby resulting in a change in political leadership. Secondly, global movements have also played a key role in forcing governments to respect the fundamental rights of citizens. In many countries, including the democratic world, people face different forms human rights abuses. However, the development of global social movements has been critical in bringing about changes in different countries. In the United States, the women rights movement played a key role in advocating for the women rights to procure abortion. Before the 1920s, it was illegal for American women to procure abortion even if the life of the mother was under threat (Continuum 2004, p. 42). The American women considered this a human right violation as it resulted in death of many women unnecessarily. Therefore, to have a change to such a draconian law, the women rights movement organized several protests across the United States and even petitioned the court that eventually resulted in the court declaring abortion legal. Global movements have also played a critical role in bringing about social changes by promoting social integration among people in the society. Many countries around the world have been affected by racism and ethnic violence. However, as can be seen in many countries, global social movements have played a key role in promoting social integration by educating people on the importance of social cohesion among different people in the society (Smith, Chatfield and Pagnucco 1997, p. 34). For instance, in the present day globalized world, most countries have people of different racial and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, to ensure cohesion, social movements have been pushing for the enactment of laws that promote cohesion among citizens. In the United States, for instance, the Civil Rights Movement played a critical role in tackling the problem of racism that was rampant in the U.S. in the 1990s. The Civil Rights Movement under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. and colleagues organized protests across the country on several occasions. Their tireless efforts paid off in 1964, when the government bowed to pressured and enacted the Civil Rights Act that effectively ended discrimination and segregation that was being promoted by the Jim Crow law (Smith 2010, p. 33). The issue of homosexuality has been a thorny issue across the globe. In most countries, gays and lesbians are still discriminated against and prohibited by law. However, the global social movements have played a critical role in advocating for the rights of homosexuals across the world by making people understand that homosexuality is a normal form of sexual orientation. In Australia, for instance, the New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (NSW GLRL) have played a key role in advocating for the recognition of homosexuals in the country. Through their intense advocacy in collaboration with other social movements, the homosexual rights movements have managed to convince the Australian law-makers on the importance of recognizing the rights of gays and lesbians and are considering legalizing homosexuality in the country (Smith 2010, p. 48). In other countries such as the U.S. and Mexico, same-sex marriage has been legalized in recognition of the rights of homosexuals in these countries. However, this did not come easy as gay rights movements had to protest and petition the governments of these countries several times before they gays could be granted their right. Additionally, global movements are forced to bring about economic changes. In this respect, they advocate for the adoption of economic structures that they believe promote growth and development. The Occupy Wall Street is a classical example of a social movement that has been advocating for the end to global capitalism as an economic concept. Global capitalism is an economic concept that promotes the development of free markets. Although global capitalism has benefited many countries, anti-capitalism movements, such as the Occupy Wall Street have been pushing for the abolition of global capitalism arguing that capitalism is destructive to the economies in most countries. For instance, the Occupy movement has maintained that global capitalism is to blame for the global financial crisis and the economic recession affecting countries, such as Greece and the U.K. (Bantjes 2007, p. 71). Similarly, the Occupy movement claim that global capitalism have rendered many countries poorer than they were, when the markets were closed, citing Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin American economies as an example. As such, the Occupy movement believes that world economies will be better off operating in a closed market rather than in an open economy promoted by global capitalism. Climate change is also a global problem that affects all countries in the world. However, because of the laxity and the lack of willingness of the world leaders to address the global warming problem, this has resulted in the emergence of global movement against climate changes. The movement arose out of the need to address the problem of climate change to ensure a better future for the current and future generation (Mayo M 2005, p. 16). Accordingly, the global movement against climate change has been strongly pushing the leaders of all nations to adopt practices that promote environmental protection so as to limit the amount of pollution to the environment. At least their efforts have paid off as it has forced the leaders of different nations to introduce policies that are geared towards addressing the problem of global warming. Conclusion The world has experienced a significant rise in global movements over the past few decades. Movements today are a global phenomenon and are seen in all countries across the globe. Although some countries have attempted to ban the formation of movements, evidences across the globe have shown that movements play a critical role in bringing about social change. It has been noted that, without social movements, probably some of the social developments that have occurred in the past could not have occurred. Social movements use various tactics; including protests and rallying the public to clamour for a change that the movements feel are worth implementing for the betterment of the society. References Bantjes, R 2007, Social movements in a global context: Canadian perspectives. Canadian Scholars’ Press, Toronto, Canada. Continuum 2004, Global social movements. A&C Black, London. Mason, P 2013, From Arab Spring to global revolution. The Guardian 5 February, viewed 25 September 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/05/arab-spring-global-revolution Mayo, M 2005, Global citizens: Social movements and the challenge of globalization. Zed Books, Sidney, Australia. Moghadam, V. M 2012, Globalization and social movements: Islamism, feminism, and the global justice movement. Rowman & Littlefield, London. Smith, J 2010, Social movements for global democracy. JHU Press, Boston, MA. Smith, J., Chatfield, C., & Pagnucco, R 1997, Transnational social movements and global politics: Solidarity beyond the state. Syracuse University Press, New York, NY. Read More

Despite the many benefits that have come as a result of global capitalist, as Thomas Piketty noted, there are quite a number of anti-global capitalism forces that have emerged in the recent past, such as the Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy movement has opposed global capitalism on several grounds. Firstly, the movement has termed global capitalism anti-development claiming that it has caused problems to most economies that have been struggling to achieve growth in income since the 1970s when global capitalism starting taking centre stage.

According to Occupy movement, most economies, particularly in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa have shrunk since America and other developed economies opened up. Additionally, anti-global capitalism argue that global capitalism is to blame for the financial crisis and the unethical business practices witnessed with many multinational corporations today. Nevertheless, as much as the anti-global capitalism raises genuine issues, personally I believe that global capitalism has done more good than bad and should be allowed to thrive.

As a matter of fact, the bad things brought about by global capitalism can be addressed by governments and corporate policies. There are many way, however, that digital media can be used as a social and political tool. With the advent of the Internet, people from all over the world can connect and socialize with friends and relatives with a lot of ease. Social media, in particular, provides people with a platform where they can share ideas, network, e-mail and share photos. Accordingly, this helps bring people closer together despite the distance.

Politically, digital media is currently been used by people and political movements as a coordinating tool. For instance, social media is currently being used by political movements to rally support from the public towards a political course. For instance, during the recent Arab Spring, social media played a critical role in rallying people to come out and protest and topple the governments that they did not want in power. Therefore, as much as global capitalism has many benefits that are worth appreciating, it survival is being put under threat because of the impacts of digital media networks.

The first major challenge that global capitalism is facing is that the anti-global capitalism, such as the Occupy movement are taking advantage of the power of digital media networks, such as social media to spread propaganda and to convince the public to protest against the continued adoption of global capitalism. For instance, Occupy movement has often used social media mainly to highlight what it considers the flaws of global capitalism without highlighting its benefits. As such, a large proportion of the world population have been made to believe that global capitalism is destructive to the social, political, economic and social well-being of the society.

Accordingly, thus has seriously put global capitalism under threat of being abandoned, particularly by industrial countries that might be convinced through digital media networks to revert to closed economies. Task 10 Global surveillance has been around since the 1940s. Global surveillance refers to the monitoring of the entire world population. Information exchange is a very critical function of the global media. Generally, people expect the global media to act as a platform where people exchange information.

However, this is sometimes not the case as the information can be hidden from the public. Conversely hiding information from the public can has serious ramifications. Firstly, when information is hidden from the public, this tends to create anxiety. In this regard, most people tend to think that something wrong is going on when information is hidden. Accordingly, this might cause dissent and protest from the public that might push for the release of the information being hidden. Accordingly, this might generate political tension in a country and internationally.

Surveillance, however, has become a global phenomenon because of a number of things.

Read More