Globalization and Media

Globalization and Media

Globalization is one of the key aspects that led to the rapid rise in modernity. It existed before even the era of modernization emerged. The emergence of globalization has brought both beneficial and harmful effects on society. Media, on the other hand, has played a very significant role in ensuring that globalization reaches all corners of the world.

Media and technology go hand in hand, and globalization has been relying heavily on the media since the media is the fundamental tool for communication. People from different parts of the world can relate and do business through the various media platforms we have. The media has also tremendously grown due to the improvements in technology across the globe (Terhi Rantanen. 2019). Media took part in the innovation of the term global village since it is very apparent that someone from the US can communicate much more freely and faster with another individual from maybe china.

Globalization as a Modern Project

The project argues that globalization is the leading cause of the recent rapid development of modern society. It argues that globalization and media work hand in hand. Globalization led to the evolution of media, while the media itself contributes a lot in making sure that globalization reaches all comers of the globe. Under this project, it is clear that the early nature of globalization is very different from the modern one due to the several developments that have been put into place. Globalization led to the rapid rise in industrialization, modern society, and the accumulation of properties in the current world. Through globalization, it is evident that different nations can share their ideas and do business in harmony. However, some countries have been against the concept of globalization hence termed as anti-globalists.

Globalization as a Post-Modern Project

Terhi Rantanen. (2019) Argues that, during this period, it was obvious that the media sector had prospered. The coordination of the media and globalization made the world look like a small village. It was very much easy for people to freely interact with one another from different parts of the world. Hence the term global village. Technology had grown so fast due to the invention of telegram and other media to inform or enlighten the public. Under this era, there was the emergence of several theorists who tried to describe the relationship between globalization and media.

Theories of Globalization

Social Theory/Robertson, five stages.

According to Robertson, the development of globalization underwent five main stages, i.e., the terminal phase. It is the initial phase that clearly describes the origin of the globalization. It states that all began with the Roman Catholic Church, which influenced the typical reasoning and concepts of ideas by the people who, in turn, ended up believing in the catholic ways. The next phase was the developing phase. Under this phase, there was the manipulation of the society to form one ideal idea, which they did believe. Under this, it led to the rising of nations and treaties, which would merge into various international conventions.    The people of a given state were formed a stable crystallization and unity that they believed in. The third phase was the takeoff phase under which there was a rapid increase in the level of communication among different states and nations. Global competitions cane in like the introduction of the Noble peace [price winners. Under this phase, only European countries were involved since they were much developed than the rest of the states. The fourth phase struggled for hegemony, where the world experienced different wars among different nations in the fight for land and superiority (Hopper, Paul 2007). Although such cases were negatively affecting the world in general, it was obvious that globalization was taking over since different nations interacted during those times. The final phase is the uncertainty phase. Under this phase, there was a sharp increase in communication in the world due to technology. Technology led to an improvement in the mode of communication. It eventually led to the segregation of persons depending on their ethnicity, race, and gender. People were rendered superior depending on their ethnical background.

McLuhan’ theory on Globalization and Media

The theory suggests that media is the leading means that has enabled the existence of globalization across the world. The mode of communication determined the nature in which a given culture or practice was spread from one area to another. The pace and depth globalization, therefore, is inconceivable that they could have been in use over the past decade without the complicated telecommunication network systems. Additionally, content industries including music and video among others directly through the aspects of advertisements which is indirect as compared to the individual or consumerist ways of living are elemental in the normal ways for consumerism, being important in preconditioning as well as accompanying the opening up of new markets for significant different types of products. They further break down the cultural as well as other differences between various nations.

Ritzer, George, and Nathan Jurgenson  (2010) suggest that revolutionary ideas, as pointed out by Marshall McLuhan, can be described as being among the initial people to please other people’s especially on matters concerning aspect of globalization. During the year 1967, Marshall suggested that “Time has stopped “space” has escaped. He suggested that we might be living as a global village.” The term global village has been used to describe a phenomenon where the world is gradually becoming more interconnected in the sense that information can reach all corners of the world in real-time. This has been enabled through the propagation of media technologies across the globe. Today, we are able in different ways to view events live as they happen. Media generally are the primary mode of communication between various parties; rather, instruments that are used to record and pass processed information. This term can be further used to refer to the varied components of the mass media communication industry, including news media, photography, cinema, broadcasting, print media, publishing, and advertising. The internet has revolutionized communication through all these forms of media. In one way or the other, the internet has enabled the transfer of information between places to another within a minimum period.

The media so far has become an important part of people’s daily life. In one way or the other, the press offers a reflection and comes up with the social and cultural world exist. Technology, for that matter, has been transforming the human lifestyle rapidly in the last decade than ever before. Stillerman, Joel (2015) argues that it is becoming apparent that the more technology-savvy we are growing, the faster the technology improves, and this, in a more significant way, enhances the way we communicate across borders. Gone are the days when one could be waiting for days or even hours for them to get to learn about news regarding a distant place. This means that occurring in one part of the world can be easily heard or seen in another part of the world. It is quite possible today to see in real-time whether grenades and missiles being unleashed in Baghdad. In essence, individuals across the globe can share at the moment.

Globalization and culture homogeneity

One of the scholarly research on globalization and media-based his findings on globalization and global culture. The study argues that through globalization, we can attain one robust culture across the universe. Such incidents can happen through the various forms of interaction that the society engages in. The research argues that the superior cultures are most likely to spread as compared to the less superior one. Globalization leads to cultural homogenization (Hopper, Paul, 2007). Through globalization, especially communication and communication, it is very apparent that the world is becoming very small and connected. This has led to the local culture across the world struggle to compete with the most superior ones. The researchers suggest that the Americanization of the world is slowly taking place since it is one of the most superior cultures. Mcdonaldnaziation and westernization are also some of the emerging cultures.

Globalization and Americanization.

The research argues that the US is the most powerful nation on earth. It, therefore, means that the country has a lot of influence on other nations and, therefore, can easily pass their culture to these nations through the entertainment industries and also through trade. Most of the international programs are emanated Based on the US culture. Most worldwide recognized brands are from the US, such as sonny coca cola and Pepsi. Besides, the US has more considerable influence in the film industry by the way its movies are watched all over the world. These films portray the culture of the US people hence influencing the other culture in the world. CNN is a comprehensive news program that is based in the US. However, some countries do not entirely support the influence of the American culture in them, especially those countries that are not in good terms with the US in general. They regulate the influx of US material in their states.

Cultural homogenization as McDonaldization

The culture of fast foods that were introduced by McDonald’s is spreading more rapidly to the rest of the world. People nowadays prefer consuming readily made foods since it saves time (Stillerman, Joel 2015). Most restaurants across the globe have adopted this culture through globalization. However the idea faces little challenges in the sense that different restaurant gives different discounts to their clients hence affecting the business in general,

Globalization and westernization

Westernization is believed to be one of the early forms of globalization across the world. Through westernization via the colonial ways of doing things, the European states were able to influence other nation modes of practice and cultures (Hopper and Paul 2007). It is believed that most colonized countries started adopting the ways of living in the European countries that colonized them. For instance, through religious, language, and even education. The rapid spread in western cultures was because there was the introduction of technological approaches like ICT, which led to the spread of most western languages like English.

According to (Stillerman Joel 2015) People across the world can send messages and receive messages more appropriately through the mode of the email. It is one of the easiest and fastest means of communication. Other innovations that seemingly could replace the emails include video calls, chat programs, and the internet. Generally, the electronic media varies from telecommunication networks, the internet, radios, and films, are among the most currently active drivers for the globalization of production, trade, and markets.

The media and communication industries are the leading drivers for overall globalization. First, the aspect of globalized production strategies is facilitated by the role of telecommunication. The pace and depth globalization, therefore, is inconceivable that they could have been sustained over the past decade without the sophisticated telecommunication network systems (Hopper, Paul 2007). Additionally, content or the copyright industries including music, video, and television among others directly through the aspects of advertisements and indirectly through the promotion of the individual or consumerist lifestyles are elemental in the cultural preparation for consumerism, being essential in preconditioning and accompanying the opening up of new markets for a significant variety of products. They further break down the cultural as well as other barriers between nations.

The content media directly in their role do enable globalization, and the social consequences therein the communication sector are mediated primarily through the areas they facilitate. For example, the social implications of allowing the emergence of the aspect of globalized financial transactions, as well as the manufacturing industries, are the function of globalization of these sectors. Additionally, the social consequences of opening new markets for lifestyle products, including cosmetics and fast foods, are the result of growth in these sectors.

In conclusion, the emergence of globalization has led to a rise in the economy across the world. Nowadays, people from different parts of the world can interact with one another due to unity and togetherness easily.

Work cited

Rantanen, Terhi. The global and the national: Media and communications in post-communist Russia. Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.

Hopper, Paul. Understanding cultural globalization. Polity, 2007.

Ritzer, George, and Nathan Jurgenson. “Production, consumption, presumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer.'” Journal of consumer culture 10.1 (2010): 13-36.

Stillerman, Joel. The sociology of consumption: A global approach. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.