Discussion
Is the world media becoming more similar or dissimilar?
Media can be defined as the effective collection of various communication tools or outlets that are utilized for storing as well as delivering significant data or information (Hirst, Thompson and Bromley 2015). This media is solely associated with the communication media as well as the special communication for mass media business like press, photography, print media, cinema, publishing, broadcasting, point of sale or POS, advertising and many more. The media is one of the most important means as well as channels for the general communication within society like radio, newspapers, television and many others. The mass media is the proper and diversified collection of various media technologies, which are reaching out to the larger audiences through means of mass communication. All of these technologies by which the communication is taking place with the involvement of several outlets (Beck 2018). Broadcast media eventually transmit the information electronically with the help of media like radio, film, television and recorded music. The digital media consists of both the mass communications of mobile and Internet.
The following essay outlines a brief discussion on the topic of world media becoming more similar or dissimilar. There are various similarities or dissimilarities within the world media. This essay will be focusing on the concept of globalization as well as glocalization. Both of these globalization and glocalization are extremely important and significant for the world of media. Several vital as well as relevant information will be provided here. Moreover, real life examples and case studies will be provided in this essay.
Various types of cultures are being observed in today’s world. All of these countries know about their respective cultures (Baylis, Smith and Owens 2017). Nowadays, the cultures of these countries are getting a much more parallel than the past. There are several advantages as well as disadvantages due to this type of culture diversification. The first and the foremost advantage in this sector is that it helps in sharing of ideas easily and promptly. Moreover, a good and strong relationship is maintained between two countries. Due to this benefit, the countries get the opportunities in enhancing their intellect, knowledge and ideas. Thus, the relation government plan is utilized for developing their country’s GDP ratio (Crane and Matten 2016). The lifestyle of the citizens of the country gets better with these advantages. The defence power and the infrastructure of the country get developed with the presence of media.
Similarities and Dissimilarities of World Media
In today’s world, there are several similarities as well as dissimilarities. All of these similarities and dissimilarities of media are responsible for the understanding the real position of the media world in the current days. The cultural diversification is the most significant example in this scenario (Kraidy 2017). The globalization and glocalization are strongly impacted with the rapid development of new media. The trends of globalization and glocalization have been increased to an extremely higher scale.
Americanization can be defined as the proper influence of the culture of the United States, politics as well as economies within the countries that are outside the United States like the media of the United States, food, language, fashion and technology. When there was a major collapse within the Soviet Union in 1980s, this Americanization has acquired the world and it utilized by the various critics within target countries that were even against this type of influence (Burbules and Torres 2013). In the US or United States, this tem of Americanization subsequently refers to the procedure of acculturation by annexed populations and immigrants to the values or customs of America. Hollywood or the television industry and the American film and movies from the year of 1920 has been dominated all of the media markets of the world. This is also known as the chief medium through which all the people in the world can know or utilize the Americanization. Hence, this Americanization has a strong impact on the entire world media. It is quite similar to the Westernization.
The Westernization matches somewhat with the Americanization or rather Americanization are type of Westernization (Steger 2017). Although, Westernization has the longer history than the concept of Americanization; it also includes some of the most popular and powerful countries in Europe. The roots of this concept of Westernization are from the Ancient Greece. Afterwards, the specific Roman Empire took this process of Westernization since it was strongly influenced by Greece and hence created a new culture based values and principles of this society of Ancient Greek. Some of the people solely assumes that the concept of Westernization is much equivalent to modernization. In this entire process, this world is being changed to a more advanced and Westernized society. Westernization has always been an increasing influence in the world over the last few years (Dunning 2014). The overall process of Westernization is often two-sided in that Western influences and interests themselves are joined with parts of the affected society, at minimum, to change towards a more Westernized society, in the hope of attaining a Western life or some aspects of it, while Western societies are themselves affected by this process and interaction with non Western groups.
Globalization in World Media
The cultural imperialism is the proper type of various powerful nations in lesser potential societies within the processes of Westernization and Americanization. This concept of cultural imperialism is solely realized by the transnational flow as well as proper consumption of the media products like television dramas, popular music, movies, sports and celebrities. This cultural imperialism eventually consists of the various cultural aspects or features of imperialism (Pieterse 2015). It thus refers to the perfect maintenance and creation of the unequal relationships within civilizations and hence favouring a strong and powerful civilization. There are some of the major concepts, which have one of the important things common between them. All of them emphasize on the fact of unilateral influence over the powerful and modern nations and not on the lesser powerful and lesser modernized nations. Moreover, it is assumed that there is homogenization in the political system and culture of the world.
The globalization can be defined as the trend to increase the overall interactions between various companies or people on the worldwide scale for the excess advances within the communication as well as transportation technology, usually at the beginning of the telegraph and steamship within the tenure of early to middle of 1980s. With the increase of interactions within the individuals and nation states came with the growth of the international ideas, trades as well as culture (Drori, Höllerer and Walgenbach 2013). Globalization can be defined as the specific procedure of integration, which comprises of the aspects of social and culture. However, the diplomacy and the conflicts are the largest parts within the globalization history. America’s global media and culture hegemony remains strong. But it is increasingly being contested by ‘the rise of the rest’, ‘especially with emerging media flows from large countries with old histories and new global aspirations’.
Subsequently, this globalization is responsible for involving various goods or services as well as the various economic capital resources, data and technology. The improvements within the technological world have always been the major and vital factors for the entire globalization within the world (Gond and Boxenbaum 2013). Since, it solely focuses on the interdependence and various interactions within the individuals and nation states in respect to the information technology, cultures, international trade and ideas. Hence, it is termed as the multi dimensional sector and not the one way influence. The technological alterations of various information and communication technologies as the precondition are termed as the media globalizations. They have thus created a specific situation, where huge amount of information could be easily transferred within the world in few seconds. This media globalization can be characterized or featured by two distinct and typical features (Drori, Höllerer and Walgenbach 2014). They are the emergence as well as continuous dominance of the complete industry of global media by an extremely smaller number of conglomerates of transnational media. The second feature of this media globalization is that the globalization of the media content has thus resulted in the great amounts of standardization and homogenization within certain media products that are being produced and distributed by all the industries of global media.
Glocalization can be defined as the simultaneous occurrence of both the globalization as well as localization. The universalization and the particularization of the tendencies within contemporary social, political or economic systems are termed as the glocalization (Robertson 2014). This term of glocalization eventually represents the specific challenge to the simplified concepts of the processes of globalization as the linear expansions for scales of territories. The indication of glocalization is for the increasing importance of global and continental levels is taking place for the increment salience of the regional or local levels.
The individuals or organizations that are maintaining the several inter personal social networks, which combine the excess longer distance and local interactions. Glocalization works better for the organizations that have decentralized authority. The expenses to the organizations eventually increments since they could not standardize the projects and products, separate cultures having various needs for highlighting the challenges (Bauman 2013). The example of the global business, which has various challenges for the product localization within any organization. The attempt of the Starbucks for localization within various cultures for the accommodation of the local elements is termed as glocalization. Although, globalization is causing homogenization, several differences and the desires for differences that are remaining extremely stronger within the local cultures is known as glocalization. This concept of glocalization occurs when the two concepts of globalization as well as localization would collide (Edgington and Hayter 2013). Glocalization can easily help the consumers understanding the products or media within a localized sense for creating the senses of cultural proximities and localities while experiencing the various global trends.
Soft power is the ability for attracting people in each side without the changes. There are three important sources in country’s soft power. They are the culture, political values and foreign policies.
There are some of the major examples of globalization and glocalization in world media. New media is also the main force accelerating the trend of globalization in human society. The globalization trend has led to the transformation of almost all aspects of human society (Roudometof 2016). The best example of globalization is that Hollywood has incorporated big celebrities in Asian countries to increase box office in Asia. The best example of glocalization is that KFC has tied partnership with an Indian company in India.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that mass media is the technology, which has the intention of reaching out to the mass audience. It is the most simplest and primary means for communication that is being utilized for reaching to the vast majority of the general public. Some of the most basic and common platforms for the mass media comprises of magazines, radio, newspapers, films, Internet and many more. These general public eventually relies on mass media for providing relevant information and data about the political issues, entertainment, news or social issues within the pop culture. There are various types of mass media within the world of media. Each of them could be easily identified and thus should be utilized properly and significantly. For the longer period of time, the general public gets news from the current events or latest news feed. With the invention of radio and other communication media, there is always a high chance that the primitive media could be better for the world. With the influence of mass media, various countries have incremented their standard of media subsequently. The cinema industry of all of these countries has gained utmost popularity with the incorporation of media within it. The above essay has properly outlined the concept of similarities as well as dissimilarities of world media. The two concepts of globalization as well as glocalization are properly explained in this essay with relevant details.
References
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