Globalization & New Media

           In this 21^st century, we wake up and we look around, we will always find a gadget within every turn. I bet there is even high possibility that everyone will at least reach for their mobile phones as a way to start the morning stretch. You who are reading this with the help of Internet to access the virtual world, reading it from a screen, or maybe print it out and read it when it is inked onto a paper, are actually the consumer of technology in which may involves few devices to get here: Internet. Printer. Computer. Handphone.

          That is the easiest example to show how advanced the world we are living in right now. Advanced technology. First, comes the involvement of media in which it is a medium to communicate, to convey information. Then comes the “new media”. What is new media? New media refers to the means of interactive mass communication in which its content are most commonly shared on the Internet, accessible by the use of a digital device.

A basic distinction of OLD MEDIA & NEW MEDIA is as follows:

OLD MEDIA	NEW MEDIA
One-way communication	Two-way communication & interactive
Traditional newspapers, books, television, radio broadcasting.	Online newspapers, blogs, social media, live video conferencing.

           The access to the internet gives us the ability to connect to the global society. We are constantly communicating now than we would in the last decade. Some people never even log out from their social media accounts anymore. People hang around with their phones almost all the time.

1.     1.  WORLD WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

Marshall McLuhan presented a concept of “global village” in the mid-1960s where he predicted that there will be the next medium of “an extension of consciousness”. Physical distance is clearly an obstacle for people to socialize, but not with the existence of Internet. The Internet allows social spheres to be expanded and makes people throughout the whole world become closer following interactions between the social participants. This interactive communication happens to show a distinctive difference from the traditional media in which we no longer knows the sender and the receiver. This is because it is not permanent and therefore, both the statuses of the sender and the receiver will keep on exchanging as long as it is ongoing. I guess there are no more obstacles for me to contact my friends from the Philippines, for an example. Lots of social media websites are made and if I was thinking of them, I could always tweet them on Twitter, write something on their wall on Facebook, DM them in Instagram or Skype or send live chats. I can even view their profile to get updates on how their life has been, just to fulfill the phrase of “keeping in touch”.

2.      2.  AFFECTED JOURNALISM

However, globalization may bring the tides onto journalism. Prior to Internet’s arrival, online journalism, blogs, comments from netizens has changed the profession. This is because there is a huge increase in numbers of news sources coming from individuals that represent the alternatives to journalism. Accurate and truthful reporting and investigative reporting may still be on the table, but the overall impact of new media has made the directions and quality of journalism unclear. Not to mention, different news sources make different conclusions. This then creates confusion and the message will not be delivered perfectly.

But then again, the various news sources provides an in-depth look into the message and additional knowledge as a sum of different news. This is because I believed mainstream media is one-sided. Therefore, the need to look towards different perspectives is very important in digging the whole story or to convince us that it was right all along. This new media also enhance interactive discussion where the questions that bother anyone regarding the topic can be shared and discussed to find a convincing answer.

3.       3. CULTURAL IMPERIALISM

Cultural imperialism has become an issue in communication. According to Mirza Jan (2009), who wrote Globalization of Media: Key Issues and Dimensions, cultural imperialism is defined as a kind of cultural domination by powerful nations over weaker nations. It refers to the unequal flow between civilizations by favoring the more powerful civilization. It could exist in a form of films, music, information, and news. Mirza Jan states that these unbalanced flows bother many nations. At first, it was only seen as a cause of cultural erosion and change. So many products and cultural influences of the United States flow into foreign countries that the traditionalists are afraid that American ideas, images, and values will replace their own. Thus, the term “Americanization of media” and “Westernization” were created. For an example, fast food is viewed as a representation of America’s marketing dominance. Franchises such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), McDonald’s, Star Bucks, Burger King and Pizza Hut have a lot of outlets all over the world. Although it looks like it is just some normal international business, the traditionalists think the opposite. Somehow in the long-term, we might end up having younger generations listing out all the foreign brands and not the local ones in a way of saying that the identity of our nation will be forgotten.

             I guess that is what I had in mind about Globalization and New Media for now, however it wasn’t all there is. There are a lot more examples regarding this topic which I hope people will swallow the 3 points I had written and processed it within your imagination to reach for your own interpretation of how both the globalization and the new media affected your life environment. The global media has affected the whole world or even shaping this century into a new world. Somehow I hope this review widens our understanding of the globalization and new media in the surface.