Communication and Globalization

What is communication and globalization?

With the increasing popularity of the internet and intangible media, communication has in fact transformed into a very different type of communication than we are normally accustomed to - mass communication. All communications requires three things: a sender, a receiver, and a message. Before the age of the internet, it was difficult to communicate if you were a sender - there was no easy and cheap method of sharing information with a lot of receivers. TV and internet brought about an idea of "sharing, which defines the sensibility of community and perfects the practice of communication - re-enters the public sphere as manufactured consent and commodity exchange that reflect the interests of those in control of the marketplace idea (Hardt 6) This is important when we talk about the second concept of globalization. People tend to flock to popular culture and media when they are bored and have nothing to do. When you think about it, TV/internet is probably the most bang for your buck per hour.

Take this example: If I decide to go out to a bar to get a drink with a friend, then go out to dinner, you might spend $45 for 3 hours. That's 45/3=$15 an hour. On the other hand, cable service costs about $40 a month. $40/30= $1.30 a day = ~$.05 an hour for the entire month. Because it is so cheap, mass communication media has the biggest effect on people because they spend the most time doing it. While they are using these mass communication sources, they are bombarded with advertisements and flashy products.

Furthermore, I would go in so far as to say that globalization is a direct consequence of mass communication. Hardt talks about the importance of Western societies in mass media by alleging that "mass communication and the world of the media are by tradition tied in Western societies to the rhetoric of democracy."(Hardt 4) It is fair to say that the internet is globalization. It is the cheapest, fastest, and most effective way to communicate ideas, pictures, videos, news, music, documents, and more. In addition, "small businesses in South Africa and Mexico can sell their products directly to customers in New York, irrespective the traditional barriers of distance, the costs of advertising, and the intermediate distribution chains."(Norris 1) The other big problem with globalization is enforcing one culture's ideologies onto another. The harshest critics towards globalization say that it has polluted once primitive and innocent cultures with sex, drugs, and silly pop culture.