Define the meaning of the term 'Globalisation' in terms of media impact. How has media and it's uses changed the world?

Define the meaning of the term ‘Globalisation’ in terms of media impact. How has media and it’s uses changed the world?

The question of globalisation and the mass media’s involvement in the process is an abstract argument. Is the media dominating the world with an hegemonic ideal and consumer culture? Or are we respatialising the globe with increased technology, so crossing national boundaries and drawing us into the global village?

Globalisation in terms of media, is the process in which products and information will be available on a global level. The availability of media communication will evolve across the world to create a ‘global village’(4)

The ‘global village’ was a concept first coined by Marshall Mcluhan in (1969) .The idea was that it is similar to a local village, so there is a interaction and a flow of information(5). The information and interaction will be available on a global scale, the concept was that the globe will be localized using the advancements in technology. Mcluhans realisation are becoming true. Examples of these technologies are home computers, cable television, satellite and the internet. A case in point is the uses of these media advancements is the satellite and consequently satellite television. Amongst other things this has enabled communication on a global level. Satellite television has the capability to compress time and space, this means that the mass media can reach audiences of different political and ideological frameworks on a global basis. A example is CNN, which broadcast 24 hour news to 110 million house holds worldwide (8). Also due to the increased access in telecommunications we take part in global ‘media events’ in real time. Millions of people world wide watched the gulf war tribulations live, they were participating in these event as part of the ‘global village’(7).

The world wide web has brought the global to the local. Chat rooms enable people to communicate on a global scale. News and sport can be obtained instantaneously. Internet banking eradicates time and space. The internet can give positive opportunities, ‘giving voice’ so democratizing the world, providing there is free access. The polarity of information available from sex to religion gives an interactive community ideal(6).

Technology has become a global medium, illustrated by the internet, we can participate in this and so become a global society through our media use. These uses of the internet strengthen Marshall Mcluhan’s argument that we are increasingly living in a global village and consequently moving towards a information society(5).

However, the density reach of the internet is a case in point, research in the early nineties showed that the third world don’t have access to internet connection.The worlds high income countries had an average of 203 internet hosts per 10,000 people while the low income 0.12. This shows at global level there is a definitive void between information rich and information poor, in terms of internet coverage(1) .

Another significant communication medium is the television. This is a powerful media and its expansion is prevalent. In 1965 there were 192 million media receivers of TV, by 1992 ...

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Another significant communication medium is the television. This is a powerful media and its expansion is prevalent. In 1965 there were 192 million media receivers of TV, by 1992 it had risen to 873 million users globally.(7) Television is a potent force in the globalising process its visual essence means it passes language barriers. Also due to a large amount of illiteracy in the third world it can be a extensive communication medium (6). In this positive form it can shape ideology, beliefs, inform and educate. A recognised use for the television is information. The globalization of news media means we can be informed of global media events, for example, the Ethiopian famine in 1984, this led to the world being aware of this global issue via the first world telethon (Live Aid). Television news coverage is based in the U.S.A and Europe as these are the main sources for world news. There seems to be a decline of news coverage by the west to the developing countries. Between 1988- 1990, 5.6% of the international news covered by the 3 major American broadcast corporation concerned African events. Also at present CNN is the only American television company to have a bureau in the African countries between the Sahara and S.Africa. This shows a severe flow in the idea of news media being globalised (8).

Television has had some positives consequences. The breakthrough in technology of the television, and related media, enables countries to produce and export programming globally. However, produced on a local level.(1) This encompasses the rich and poor as media consumers and producers. Brazilian network T.V. Globo exports tele novellas to 128 countries, earning export dollars for the country. In 1985 India made nine hundred films with an extensive export market. These films are rich in cultural diversity and also kept their native authenticity.(7) This helps the culture to grow and diversify globally.

The technological advancements do in theory enable developing countries to access the information society. However, there are still vast inequalities in media coverage. A study ,evaluating television media receivers, ranged form a high of 800 per 1000 inhabitants in North America to a low of 38 per 1000 inhabitants in Africa. ‘Global does not mean Universal’ (7).

The TV is one of a host of mediums that are exported to the third world from the western society. These multitude of products are produced by a number of global media firms, known as multinational corporations. In the early 1970’s corporations began to integrate their production of goods on a global scale. At present, these global markets are spread along all continents(2). They are led by ‘media moguls’ such as Rupert Murdock, News International ltd and Bill Gates, Microsoft. They span the globe with their communication / information technologies. A example of the magnitude of these companies is Time Warner. Time Warner is the largest conglomerate in the world . It owns a variety of media forms from Warner Bros – films to Warner Bros – music. It has annual readership of 120 million from newspapers to books, and employs a workforce of 340,000 people globally(9). Time Warner’s cooperate base is in the U.S.A but it has offices in Australia, Asia, Europe and Latin America. There assets are in excess of 18 billion dollars and have a annual turnover of 10 billion dollars annually. A interesting fact is that their assets total the combined Gross Domestic Product of six small S.African nations nations. They are truly global corporation. This was demonstrated on Earth day – 1990 when Time Warner showed their symbolic globalisation purpose with the logo , ‘The World Is Our Audience’.(7)

This shows the potential of these mass media companies to control the creation, production and distribution of information and communication on worldwide scale(9)

This could lead to saturation of media output by a small number of western multinational corporations.

Rupert Murdock rejects this he remarked, “Multinational media companies have emerged but there is too many to be categorised as few”.(7 )

However UNESCO compiled data for 78 firms , including press, publishing, television, radio and cinema it showed that 7 corporations had a annual turnover of more than 3 billion dollars. On a geographical scale none of the cooperation were based in the third world, 48 in U.S.A and Japan and the remaining in the Europe. This reiterates the argument of global not necessarily meaning local . The spread of media is unequal. It shows the monopoly of media producers in the west over non existent producers in the developing world (7).

The work conducted by UNESCO notes the dominance of American and western trans- national corporations. A concern is of world cultural domination through the spread of western consumerism. This implies that consumer culture has been mass mediated to other parts of the world. The U.S.A based McDonald’s is an example , they deliver a standardised narrow range of products and replicate branding. The 20,000 outlets globally, identifies with a U.S.A capitalism critique. This idea gives consumers a potent image of morality and other aspects of american life, giving the ‘americanization’ ideology(10). However in communist countries, such as Russia , they embraced McDonalds as it gave a glimpse of a western lifestyle (2). A second argument is, as consumers we have choice whether to succumb to the advertising of corporations, we can exercise our right whether to ‘eat’ in Mcdonalds or not.

The cultural / media imperialism thesis coincides with the ‘americanization’ theory . Their strategies include, strengthening foreign policy, capitalist expansion and media infrastructures. The assumption was that as the flow of industries proceeded to the third world, a under current of western values including consumerism and individualism were being exported so destroying their indigenous practices, rhetoric and tradition. This would redefine beliefs and consequently homogenize culture (11).

‘ The cooperate – message tycoon …what is now happening is the creation and global extension of a new total cooperate informational –culture environment’ Herbert Schiller (1973) (A.Giddens 2001)

The cultural imperialism perspective can be positive and negative , mixed ethnicities in society have given cultural diversity. The paradigm doesn’t take peoples autonomous actions into account, it sees the media giving a hegemonic view that is agreed on by the third world, likened to a ‘international hypodermic syringe’ scenario. The media can be polysemic ,so messages are interpreted differently by the audience(3).

The globalisation of culture has enabled persons to consume music,films and other related media on a local level .The global has opened avenues for consumers from international fast food restaurants to fashionable clothing, these are all available at our discretion on a local level. The advancements in information technology at a cultural and global basis are advantageous also. Entrepreneurs have brought television to local communities, the greatest shift is in Asia. Asia has become part of the ‘global village’. STAR TV by 1995 beamed pictures to 54 million homes(7).STAR TV also realised the importance of ‘think global, act local’.In doing so realised cultural preferences and altered its tastes to suit different regions, for example, The Hindi music channel, Channel V.(2)

‘In every epoch the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class’(Marx and Engels 1970).A Marxist impression gives the argument that the transnationalionazation of industry dominates the market . The combined ownership of media groups gives cooperation’s a global reach , this can be seen as threatening to the democracy, diversity and freedom of expression (9). The media entrepreneurs have influence over business, international agencies and governments. The businesses use synergy to promote products, for example, Time Warner’s films are able to gain global saturation as they have controlling interests in leisure and entertainment(9). The extensive media ownership predicament was questioned by Ben Bagidikain. He concluded that if the U.S.A’s media was owned separately there would be 25,000 holdings instead there are 10. This illustrates the power of the media influence on a micro and macro levels, they can shape peoples aspirations, behaviour and lifestyle so we feel persuaded by the products that are instigated to the consumer(9) .

To conclude, global media has respatialised the globe. The internet enables persons to interact on a global level. Time compressing of satellite television and digital television enables consumers to select and so diversify media output. Also globalisation of media has allowed for individualism and human rights, for example China, so restructuring ideologies and beliefs. Communication technology has enabled developing countries to produce and export media which is a positive factor of globalisation. However, due to the recent global impact of multinational corporations there must be a balance of culture, beliefs and ideologies in the developing world, to maintain native values and not be subjected to imperialism and a ‘western lifestyle’ ideologies.

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