Thussu discusses the development of international communication in chapter two of his book. Over time, communication was first seen as an aid in industrialization; then as a tool for governmental propaganda; and more recently with advanced technology, as an instrument to aid economic and political power. Today we see communication technology as a part of mass culture, where communication is no longer one-sided, but media gives meaning to society, and society gathers greater information from these media outlets. In Western culture, particularly the United States, capitalism has sprung up around this “free flow of information”, and is also seen as a means to assist in the development of Third World countries.
This certainly circles back to the theory of how communication allows for greater access to information, and in turn, economic growth, as evidenced during the Industrial Revolution. These same concepts are being used in developing nations today. As the author argues, mass media speeds up the process of development as a “vehicle for transferring new ideas” (43). This theory, known as the ‘modernization theory’, was in the 1970s a top-down approach to communication, with information flowing from the government or aid organizations to the people. But as we see today, communications infrastructure is also crucial to development, to allow the public to both access the information and use it for further progress; just giving information to the public is not quite as beneficial.
Today the challenge is how international communication is being influenced by the strongest cultures, ie the “Americanization” rather than “globalization” of new media. The strongest power has the greatest effect on today’s communications. However, from a cultural perspective, it is important to assess the “interactions between cultures” (61), making sure these new technologies are actually being used in a constructive manner, and that it is not just the loudest voice forcing an opinion or change.
No comments:
Post a Comment