Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan

Literature Review on

Global Media Culture

In partial fulfillment of the

Requirement for the
SOCECON 10: The Contemporary World

By
Crysvenne P. Bislig
and
England D. Esclamado

To
Mr. Manly Taal
Instructor SOCECON 10 EDA

September 21, 2019

I. Introduction
a. Definition of Terms

Globalization - Globalization is the spread of products, technology,

information, and jobs across national borders and cultures.

Culture – refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience,

beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions
of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and
material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in
the course of generations through individual and group striving.

Media – refers to various means of communication.

Mass Media – refers to the main means of mass communication, such as

television, radio, and newspapers, considered collectively.

Printed Media – The industry associated with the printing and distribution
of news through newspapers and magazines.

Broadcast Media – the most expedient means to transmit information

immediately to the widest possible audience.

New Age Media - New media are forms of media that are native to
computers, computational and relying on computers for
redistribution.

Transnational - used to describe events, technology, processes,

connections, etc. which transcend nation-state borders but do not
necessarily encompass the entire globe.

b. Main Hypothesis
 Global Media Culture has an impact in terms of globalization and
the creation of global village across the world.
 Global Media Culture has a significant difference in developing
communication towards economic development.
  It is one of the factors affecting the culture of each nation
particularly in the influences of media to their daily lives and
lessens the cultural barriers across the world.

c. Main Framework
The media have an impact on cultural globalization that goes in two ways:
First, the media provide an extensive transnational transmission of cultural products
and, second, they contribute to the formation of communicative networks and social
structures. The creation of global village through the global media culture enhances
the idea of globalization. Hence, the concept of globalization has been hasten by the
global media system, creating a series of influences in terms of economic, cultural
aspects, and the trading of information that is not bounded by space, distances, and
cultural barriers. In our context of understanding though this study, it gives us a
concept of globalization enabling us to realize the importance of knowing the benefits
of global media culture and its scope of influences throughout the world. The framing
of global media culture is as follows: the advantages of global media culture as part of
globalization in terms of economic approach, Development of Media throughout its
innovation and the trading of information

d. Contemporary Examples

The globalization of culture is one where the entire world has been influenced
by the Western, mainly American culture. The popularity of Big Macs, Baywatch, and
MTV are the examples of Marshall McLuhan's prophecy of the Global Village. The
globalization of culture is often contributed to the international mass media. Media
technologies such as television and the Internet have created a steady flow of
transnational images that connect audiences worldwide. Without global media, how
can other countries like India, Turkey, and Argentina experience the Western lifestyle
of Nike shoes, Coca-Cola, and rock music? Incorporation of such culture is one way
of experiencing western lifestyle by other countries and leads to the mixing of culture
and its influences.
 II. Literature Review

Globalization is a phenomenon involving the integration of economies,

cultures, governmental policies, and political movements around the world. The
concept of globalization, as applied to the media, has resulted in McLuhan’s
prediction of a connected global village. However, today’s global village is not one in
which all members are homogenously connected but rather it is a complicated and
interdependent environment that has enormous political, social, and economic
ramifications worldwide (Moran 2006). The concept of globalization has been
integrated all over the world. One of the factors of globalization is the Global Media
Culture. The improvements and innovation on sharing information via media has been
the tool for globalization and breaking barriers across the world. Media created a path
for globalization to become a phenomenon and as a result, it has created a global
village wherein distance, location, culture and other barriers are no longer hindrance
or affecting the world through the widespread of information.

Media has been used as a tool of globalization in terms of economic approach.

It is more likely to promote better commercial and industrial performances especially
when producing good-quality reportage and having a broader reach. The media has
effects on society and potential economic partners depend to a large extent on whom
they reach (Ambrosio, S. 2017). Ambrosio pointed out that media can help nations on
the introduction and the spreading of information of their goods and services which
others may avail depending on the coverage of their media. Broadcast media, the use
of new age media and the internet particularly the social networking sites creates a
venue for advertising of goods and services that is introduced throughout the world
simultaneously, boosting their chances of trading and investments. Radio,
newspapers, television, Internet, social media, etc., all of these is forms of mass
media. Each of these outlets has the capability of bringing information to thousands of
people with one device. While in some communities it is easy to take advantage of
these communication outlets such as television and Internet access, not everyone has
access to such outlets. Radio is one of the most common forms of mass media in
developing countries because it’s affordable and uses less electricity than many other
forms of mass media, but only approximately 75 percent of people in developing
countries have access to a radio, and roughly 77 percent of people in rural areas have
access to electricity (Fowler, V. 2018). Mass media has a very wide scope based on
the statistic given by Fowler from her blogsite and it tells us the scope of mass media
by broadcasting alone. In most developing countries, radio has been an efficient
source of information because of its accessibility and affordability. The usage of such
media implies that it helps spread the information to developing countries that have
implemented forms of mass media in their communities; there have been numerous
positive outcomes as a result.

It also serves as communication towards other places not bounded by location

and space. The concept of mass media itself was not codified in writing until the early
20th century; the significance of the timing provides support for arguments that mass
media help to define the modern period. As technology progressed, the expansive
quality of media advancements, such as moveable type, into other forms of larger-
scale communication such as newspaper, the radio which was developed in the
1920’s, disseminating information through transmissions, and the Television which
was commercially available in 1930, spreading information by broadcast (McLuhan,
M. 1994). Printed Media is the oldest media that were develop in order to convey
information through sight in the form of prints, usually in papers, newspaper, scrolls,
pamphlets, books and any other forms of visible, hard copy of information that is
spread. Broadcast media were then discovered using transmission as technology
evolves. Radio is one of the most common examples of broadcast media that is spread
simultaneously. Televisions are also an example of broadcast media that also conveys
information simultaneously that can be seen and heard. The coming of Information
Age and the invention of computers was the start of New Media Age. Those digital
media that are interactive, incorporate two-way communication and involve some
form of computing,” (Logan, R. 2010). New media is “very easily processed, stored,
transformed, retrieved, hyperlinked and easily searched for and accessed. A
distinction between new media and old media is that old media is for the most part
mass media. In addition, each form of new media is highly interactive, while mass
media is not. Users of new media are active producers of content and information,
whether sending an email or using Internet collaboration tools relying on computers
for distribution: websites, human-computer interface, virtual worlds, virtual reality,
multimedia, computer games, computer animation, digital video, special effects in
cinema and interactive computer installations (Manovich, L. 2003).
 The coming of the Internet whether McLuhan as part of some global village,
or if technological advance is simply a vast manipulation, driven by the commercial
as Adorno would attest, this much is clear: the Internet is changing everything from
methods of mass media, to our culture, and to the self. The creation of global village
through the global media culture enhances the idea of globalization. The concept of
globalization has been enhanced by the global media system, creating a series of
influences in terms of economic aspects and the trading of information that is not
bounded by space, distances, and barriers. Many people perceive culture to be the root
of communication challenges because of lack of information. When people from two
different cultures try to exchange information, one might not be able to get the exact
interpretation the other person gave. The way people communicates and how they
participate in communities is all influenced by culture. Globalization has made it
possible to lessen such barriers and challenges. With television and movies, cultural
barriers are becoming less prevalent. Being able to communicate effectively and
frequently with others across the world helps people understand each other’s cultures
better. "Global village," by theorist Marshall McLuhan, affected both by globalization
and global communication, the global village is created when distance and isolation
no longer matter because people are connected by technology. Wide-spread telephone
and internet access have been life-changing for many people across the world,
especially those in developing countries. Globalization and global communication
have made it easier to see people on the other side of the world as a neighbor, instead
of a stranger from a faraway land. (Ahmed, A. 2018).

There are disadvantages of Globalization by means of Global Media Culture.

The loss of cultural identity is one of them. The current era of globalization, with its
unprecedented acceleration and intensification in the global flows of capital, labor,
and information, is having a homogenizing influence on local culture. While this
phenomenon promotes the integration of societies and has provided millions of people
with new opportunities, it may also bring with it a loss of uniqueness of local culture,
which in turn can lead to loss of identity, exclusion and even conflict. This is
especially true for traditional societies and communities, which are exposed to rapid
‘modernization’ based on models imported from outside and not adapted to their
context. Balancing the benefits of integrating into a globalized world against
protecting the uniqueness of local culture requires a careful approach. Placing culture
at the heart of development policies does not mean to confine and fix it in a
conservative way, but on the contrary to invest in the potential of local resources,
knowledge, skills and, materials to foster creativity and sustainable progress.
Recognition and respect for the diversity of cultures also creates the conditions for
mutual understanding, dialogue and peace (UNESCO, 2017). The United Nation
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization give us insights about the existing
reality of the loss of culture because of globalization though global media culture. The
balance between modernization and preservation lies within the respect of its diversity
towards sustainable development. In a global environment the ability to communicate
effectively can be a challenge. Even when both parties speak the same language there
can still be misunderstandings due to ethic and cultural differences. Over the last
decade, there have been countless examples from the business sector that demonstrate
how poor communication can lead to poor organizational performance. Understanding
the impact of globalization on cross-culture communication is imperative for
organizations seeking to create a competitive advantage in the global market. Recent
economic challenges further highlight the need for organizations to develop the
internal communication capacity necessary to control and monitor external threats
(Matthews L.C. and Thakkar B. 2012). Research on cross-cultural communication
often focuses on understanding how individual differences influence our ability to
communicate with others. Since most individuals grow up within a single culture
having to interact with others from a different culture or background can represent a
challenge. Exposure to different cultures affects our ability to communicate with
others in a way that leads to positive outcomes.

III. Conclusion

Global Media Culture has a great influence towards the development of

Globalization particularly in economic development and culture. Because of the
widespread information we get from media, out daily living is actually influenced
now by almost everything there is in the media. The economy has been improving
since the dawn of information via new media and its platforms and upgrades to their
technology making globalization more enhancing. Economic development is an
important aspect of a developing country because that is how a nation strives to
compete and survive with other developing countries. Nevertheless, Global media
gives us updates on information we take via forms of media like the evolution from
printed to new age media. Printed media helped us in the old times as the oldest form
of media, making such improvements in distributing information and inspiring others
to invent more until we have reached a new level of information sharing via the
broadcast media, a wider scope of mass media that shows us information. We can see
and simultaneously broadcast all information, breaking some barriers in cultural
differences. As the technology improves, media also updated its form until the
information age wherein we get the New Age Media, a form of media that spread
across the world and can be access easily by gadgets, electronic devices, and
computer by accessing internet. Communication barriers were also broken because of
globalization through Global Media Culture. Although there are problems that arises
with globalization particularly with the new media culture wherein our local culture
has been forgotten and modernized, losing such traditions and rich culture because of
globalization is a problem that must be addressed seriously. Cultural identity gives us
distinction over other people and our rich culture should have been shared but
globalization tends to lose those distinctions, monopolizing the culture. Cultural
diversity is important and must be balanced with globalization that is why we need to
understand how Global Media Culture works and how we should integrate
globalization in our culture without eliminating our distinction. Global Media Culture
is a tool for preservation of distinct culture and how we can relay this information so
that we can communicate without losing its distinction for a more understanding,
more dynamic, and a better platform for us to modernize our culture, our economy
and our personality as we go and adapt globalization.

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