The Impact of Globally Accepted Social Media on both Personal and Cultural Values - Essay Example

Globalization Name Institution Course Tutor Date The Impact of Globally Accepted Social Media on both Personal and Cultural Values: is it a threat to the preservation of minor languages and cultures? Globalization is growth experienced worldwide. Relevant literature formulated by early scholars has already achieved its objectivity in deducing how social media has played part in globalization. Most of the trends in the world that are widely accepted have incorporated some elements of social media in them. For instance, marketing is one of the factors that have been proved by scholars to be fostering globalization. Marketing of global brands delivers effects that are widely accepted. It is one of the elements that uses social media platform to achieve it stated objectives. From a theoretical context, this paper seeks to explain how in particular global elements of social media are exerting their effects on both personal and cultural values of its users. The effects of social media in general can change personal perspective on certain important issues such as lifestyle. In relation to cultural values, social media tools are able to showcase a number of values from different cultures that are becoming globally accepted (Lebedko, 2014, p. 30). Social media is working parallel to the internet in globalization of many issues. Social media has been identified for its uniqueness in speed of spreading information around the world. It is faster compared to other forms of media that can achieve the same objective but within a specified time frame. It has been accepted that social media has the power of changing the way people perceive things (Siochrú, 2004, p. 2). Most research carried out in this particular area generalizes the impacts or achievements of social media in revolutionizing the society. Since most elements globalized are embedded in the platform of social media, it significant to express how personal values and widely, cultural values are affected with the trends appearing in social media (Siochrú, p. 2). Communication is the main objective of using social media. A recent study indicates that the way of communication between two peers has undergone radical change. Taking a step back just one decade ago, communication between two peers was simple and straight forward. Flow of information as postulated by Steger (2005, p. 13) makes use of mental and physical dimensions. Communication forms are shifting from a more physical perspective to the scenario where technology is replacing all these familiar values (Siochrú, 2004, p. 2). Most cultures as people grow up; they are taught the essence and significance of communication. Most of the early forms of communication involve physical participation as justification towards clear understanding (Garnham, 1993, p. 251). Cultural values are only maintained through physical participation of members. Different cultures have different forms of communication that are usually different from other groups. Effects of colonization resulted into forced learning of languages such as English and French which have been great in aiding communication beyond cultural diversities (Movius, 2002, p. 8). The effects of globalization through social media are threatening to even face out the Standard English that is known. Social media tools have been identified for their use of shortened language that can only be understood by a few group individuals, mostly peers. The current era we are living in is called the digital era. Children born in this particular era know different methods of communication that are dissimilar from the ones two decades back. There is no emphasis on physical communication. People nowadays prefer using devices that support social media to communicate even if they are within the same room. The mode of communication on social platforms is in writing. The messages conveyed are usually in short form and abbreviated thereby providing limited understanding within the peers themselves. It is therefore justifiable to carry out a study to determine whether the core values of communication as supported by our cultural diversities are in endangered by the recent global trend that is witnessed through the application of social media tools. The benefits generated from the application of social media include increased contact among different cultures. People from different parts of the world who don’t know each other physically are able to share information through social sites. With possibilities of sharing using social media, it has become easier for people to share values from different cultures and learn to appreciate them (Movius, 2002, p. 8). The benefits accrued from social media are numerous especially in the commercial world. But it is also good to shed light on the other side of the coin. Scholars such as Cowen ( 2002, p. 48) argue out that as much as many globalization benefits are realized from social media platforms, the same platforms acts as a major threat to our culture and ethics. Appadurai (1990, p. 295) describes the whole globalization process using five segments which include; “‘ethnoscape’, ‘technoscape’, ‘finanscape’, ‘mediascape’ and ‘ideoscape’”. Cowen uses exactly the word ethos in which describes a matrix that is culturally shared for interpretation as compared to the narrow conformation of the opinion (2002, p. 48). Social media through the phenomenon of globalization promotes cultural diversity which probably is a good thing. The negative side that is still undetermined is the loss of cultural diversity through the same platform. Social media technology is formulated based on a modernized western platform. As a result, non-western cultures that invest most of their culture on social media risk wiping it out because of their minority status. Social media currently uses an advanced technology so that most of the devices produced have interfaces that support it. Students from non-western cultures are able to travel abroad and get in contact with these devices. When they get used them, they become addicted to them preferring to opt for the western version as they forget about their core values. Based on this, some scholars indicate that non-western cultures start losing their uniqueness which on most instances and circumstances, hinders artistic creativity (Cowen, 2002, p. 47). In relation to preservation of personal values as advocated for by our cultures, social media and the technology used to relay it have proved not to be the best as their effects are threatening minor cultures. The transformations from this technology divert its users away from the normal position or standing of the society. Communication style and cultural values are lost in process. The cyberspace, a tool used to propagate social media has the ability to create a virtual world where the user detaches him/her from the rest of the world. The virtual scenery created has the ability to affect the personality and the general appearance of an individual (Chen, 2012, p. 3). Chen also describes globalization as dialectically active mechanisms that is often caused by the push and pull forces resulting from cultural diversity and identity or on most occasions between globalization and localization (2012, p. 3). As media especially through the social platform becomes rampantly used throughout the entire globe, more changes are being realized in the young generation that deviate from the cultural norms. Researchers specialized in the field of media semiotics have attested this behavior to be true. Scholars have completely underestimated the effects social media globalization can have on personality values and the general cultural values that bind non-western communities together. Shuter (2012, p. 219), expresses that the new media that is spread throughout the globe has the ability to transform communication between 2 or more cultures. From an analytical perspective, it is a good idea that the platform raises global awareness of relevant issues that can bind humanity together. As Chen (2012, p. 3) indicated in his analysis, social media platform exists as a challenge to the very traditional structures of communication (Pfister, & Soliz, 2011, p. 251). Intercultural communication as presented on social media platform has the ability to integrate new factors which include; pragmatic, affective, axiological and new behavioral prototypes between two conversing people that are culturally diverse (Lebedko, 2014, p. 32). It is therefore important to take into account all these factors when determining the effects of the social media platform on both personal and cultural values. While traditional structures account for conformity, diversity that shifts ways from the established structures is manifested through the new media platform that is internationalized for the new generation (Lebedko, 2014, p. 32). Taking into account that little research has been done in relation to the question in contention; it is significant to carry out this particular research and present relevant results in relation to globalization. References Appadurai, A 1990, “Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy”, Theory, Culture & Society, SAGE Publications, pp. 295–310. Chen, G 2012, “Impact of new media on intercultural communication”, China Media Research, vol. 8, no. 2. Cowen, T 2002, Creative destruction: How globalization is changing the world’s cultures. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford. Garnham, N 1993, “The mass media, cultural identity, and the public sphere in the modern world”, Public Culture, vol. 5, pp. 251-252. Lebedko, MG 2014, “Globalization, Networking and Intercultural Communication” Intercultural Communication Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 28-41. Movius, L 2002 “Cultural globalisation and challenges to traditional communication theories” interaction, vol. 1 pp. 6-18. Pfister, DS & Soliz, J 2011, “(Re)Conceptualizing intercultural communication in a networked society”, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, vol. 4 no. 4, pp. 246–251. doi: 10.1080/17513057.2011.598043 Shuter, R 2012, “Intercultural new media studies: The next frontier in intercultural communication”, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 219-237. Siochrú, 2004, “Social consequences of the globalization of the media and communication sector: some strategic considerations”, vol. 36, pp. 1-17. Steger, M 2005, “Ideologies of Globalization”, Journal of Political Ideologies, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 11-30. Read More