Globalization is a process during which the world gets simultaneously larger and smaller. The world gets larger when one has access to more information about other parts of the world; it gets smaller as the divisions that once separated people disappear, thanks to advances in technology.
The effects of globalization vary depending on one’s perspective. Those with access to money, resources, and information have a different perspective from those who do not. Those who fall into the second category suffer from what Norris refers to as “information poverty.” [1]
While globalization is, as Curran and Park note, “multidirectional”[2], that does not mean it is an equal exchange; it is a process where typically the “privileged” benefit most. This is not to say globalization has no good points; it allows for those who were previously unheard to have voice in the global narrative. Curran and Park reinforce the idea of the role of perspective in interpreting globalization, and the idea of seeing it from somewhere in-between these “two sharply contrasting views.” [3]
[1] Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print.
[2] Curran, James and Myung-Jin Park. "De-Westernizing Media Studies". London: Routledge, 2000. pg. 6.
[3] Curran, James and Myung-Jin Park. "De-Westernizing Media Studies". London: Routledge, 2000. pg. 10.
I like your comment that globalization leads to the world becoming smaller and larger. It helps bring people together while at the same time widening the gap between rich and poor countries.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Liza; that was a really great way to put it! I've never thought about globalization that way before. One comment I'd like to make is that when you say 'it allows for those who were previously unheard to have voice in the global narrative,' do you think this applies to those who are affected by 'Information Poverty?' The differences in ability of those affected by I.P. to keep up with the rest of the world leads me to believe that their narrative is simply a whisper amongst what can be likened to a stock-exchange room that the privileged get to be apart of.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your comments.
ReplyDeleteRemonde, to answer your question as best I can, I do think globalization gives a voice to everyone who has a story to tell. Certainly, those who suffer from information poverty will have more difficulty having their voices heard in the global arena, than those with access to more information and technology.
The world and the media today is a place where the loudest voice tends to get the most attention, even if it is wrong or irrelevant. But globalization, along with advancements in technology, are allowing not only more people to be heard, but giving audiences more choices to whom they want to listen. So while all the voices may not be heard evenly, it is now possible to hear voices previously unheard, with a bit of work done by the audience.