Cyber technology has been growing worldwide and Russia is not an exception. However, this spread of cyber technology has also created evident digital divides. Norris explains that the digital divide creates “disparities in access found among low-income American households.”[1] Such disparities are not unique to America.
In fact, Russian citizens have been protesting against the high prices of internet accessibility. As shown by the Cnews article, basic, relatively slow internet access of 512 Kbit/sec costs ~$20 USD.[2] Such a price for internet can be considered normal in the United States where the GDP per capita is $47,400.[3] However, according the CIA factbook, in Russia, the GDP per capita is less than a third with $15,900. Thus, the same “reasonable” price creates a great economical barrier for Russians that would like to use the internet. This same barrier is the cause for a large digital divide that results in only one in three Russian families having access to the internet.[4]
Cyber technology in Russia has been affecting the privileged in a very similar way as it has in the Western developed countries. A knockoff of Facebook is widely popular: vkontakte.ru has almost a third of their users visiting daily.[5] With all the ongoing persecutions of journalists that go against the Kremlin, an outlet for free discussions prevails on the internet and in particular on the social networking site. There is a group with over 7000 members that would like the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ousted.[6] This group is able to create discussions and allow the free discussion of politics. A major event that the group promotes is a petition to oust Putin. Even though it is extremely unlikely that such a petition would succeed, it signifies the evolution of citizen journalism within Russia and empowers the people with a greater freedom of speech.
[1]Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print.
[2]Легезо, Денис. Дорогой интернет: россияне бастуют и пишут жалобу Медведеву. Cnews.ru. Published Sept. 14, 2009. http://www.cnews.ru/news/top/index.shtml?2009/09/14/361763 Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
This is the Russian news site that published an article that talked about the cost of internet use in Russia and how widespread it is.
[3]CIA Factbook: GDP Per Capita. CIA. Published July 1,2010. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html Accessed April 10, 2011.
[4]Asmolov, Gregory. Russia: Authorities to Eliminate “Digital Divide” in 2010. GlobalVoices. Published March 7, 2010. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/03/07/russia-divide/ Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
[5]Elena. Most Popular Social Networking Sites in Russia. RussianizeThis. Published June 14,2010.
http://russianizethis.com/2010/06/most-popular-social-networking-sites-in-russia/ Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
[6]Болдырев, Александр. Путин должен уйти! Сбор подписей. Vkontakte.ru. Published April 10, 2011. http://vkontakte.ru/club16166867 Accessed April 10, 2011. Internet.
This is the Russian knockoff of Facebook. The specific link directs the reader to the anti-Putin group which allows free discussion threads, news, and pictures involving the Prime Minister.
Showing posts with label Globalization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Globalization. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Narratable vs Unnarratable with Internet & Industry Hegemonies
The narratives that are picked and spread through social networks and the media industry are a small selection taken from the near infinite number of narratives that are created and told every day. The selection process divides narratives into a spectrum between narratable and unnaratable. In Dictionary of Narratology Gerald Prince defines narratable as something that is worth telling [1] so unnarratable using the prefix un- can be described as something not worth telling. All news sources, including the media as well as facebook statuses tell a story, and the probability and degree to which it is retold, whether it just be via local news stations or between a college network verse across the globe, is determined by how narratable it is.
In an effort to find a way to predict how narratable a narrative is scholars have used statistics to create detailed systems of analysis. One such method created by Galtung, Ruge, and Holmboe in The Structure of Foreign News [2] and then further evaluated by Harcup and O’Neill in What is News? Galtung and Ruge revisited [3] develop a numerical system where each narrative is measured based on specific characteristics such as relevance, unambiguity, unpredictability, positivity, scarcity, reference to elite people and many more. There are in total over 12 of these characteristics with some having more weight than others. These factors although discovered and analyzed through statistics are facets of human nature.
The difference between what is narratable and what is unnarratable is often quite interesting. For instance an anonymous discussion site called reddit(www.reddit.com) ranks links and articles submitted by users based on voting. Those links as well comments that the public like and vote up reach the top of the first page while those that are down voted or not voted on at all are buried in a sea of links or comments where they will rarely if ever be read. Thus those narratives which are narratable reach the front page while those which do not never get close. This creates an interesting example of hegemony described by scholar Herman in The Cambridge Companion to Narrative [4]. There it is described as “The dominance of a particular view or group over other views or groups, often through a process of manufactured consent, whereby those in a subordinate role are induced to participate in their own domination” [4]. On reddit unlike media services who dominate the public with their chosen narratives, the mob rules, which could be considered the lesser of two evils. Although, this hegemony has its problems, as often true but dissenting opinions are rarely viewed or discussed, it tends to benefit the public more than industrial news sources because the public controls it using its voting system creating a site more perfectly catered to the public. On sites like reddit articles discussing the fallacy of the political or corporate elite, which may not be shown in industrial media sources if an elite who controls the media source doesn’t want it to ruin their own or an allies reputation, are often placed on the front page because of their high relevance to the public. As seen by this thread here which links and discusses an article about the gulf oil spill but from a controversial website Al-Jazeera, that most likely wouldn’t be shown in a positive light on American television as it is here [5]. However, the most commonly found articles on reddit are of the humorous kind. This is interesting as most popular news stations on TV do not place nearly as much emphasis on the humorous, showing how in these hegemonies what is narrated may not be what is most highly narratable, but instead what the company thinks is most narratable or what is most aligned with there the ideas they wish to discuss. Additionally it may simply be the case that industrial media sources, with their limited staff, simply may not be able to compete with the billions of authors on the internet thus causing their lack of humorous and other highly narratable narratives compared to internet sites such as reddit.
Narratives are categorized in a range of narratable where those most narratable are most circulated. Narratable stories have characteristics that are desired by the listeners and are based on that communities’ nature and for global narratives the nature of mankind. However, in hegemonies not controlled by the public using voting or similar systems, what is shown may not be what is most narratable but what the dominating characters want to be discussed, which is often determined and limited by monetary gain. This monetary gain can be controlled by the viewers who control advertisement revenue, or by corporate or political sponsors, the latter which may cause highly narratable news not to be shown.
[1] Prince, Gerald: Narratable. In: Dictionary of Narratology, p. 56f
[2] Gultung, Johan/Ruge, Mari Holmboe: The structure of Foreign News. The presentation of the
[3] Harcup, Ton/O’Neill, Deirdre: What Is News? Galtune and Ruge revisited. Journalism Studies 2001, vol.2, no. 2, pp. 261-280.
[4] Herman, David (ed.): The
[5] Mepper. "This Is Everything That Is Wrong with Corporate America: The Owner of the BP Oil Rig That Caused the Biggest Oil Spill Ever, Transocean Ltd, Has Just Awarded Its Top Executives with Bonuses for "the Best Year in Safety Performance in Company's History : WTF." :Reddit: the Voice of the Internet -- News before It Happens.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Media Industry: The Bad Side
The media industry at first glance seems as though it is attempting to inform us, but in reality it is just a business like everything else, and like a business it often lies and manipulates. One of the worst examples is Fox News. Here you have a news channel preaching they are fair and balanced while it is commonly known that they have a clearly republican agenda [5]. This is easily seen as any Google search of "Fox News bias" will get you many articles detailing their slant. However, the evils of the media extend further than just biased news stations and are often much more subtle.
One area that effects anyone who enjoys media entertainment is the fact that the media industry seems to be in support of repetition over innovation[1]. As Adorno has stated: "In a film, the outcome can invariably be predicted at the start- who will be rewarded, punished, forgotten- and in light music the prepared ear can always guess the continuation after the first bars of a hit song..."[4]. This makes sense, why risk a big budget in production on something new that may not be popular, but it doesn't make it any better. It is unfortunately and accurately likened to mass production in other industries by Adorno [2]. However, media is not like manufacturing industries where consistency is a staple and even quite necessary in order to have replaceable parts. There are no parts to replace in entertainment, and so when we are barraged with the same show, the same plots, over and it seems deserving that the media gets less profit. However, this can worsen the situation when a company sees less profits it goes, just like an animal, into a panic mode and often just utilizes old methods that worked before, creating a positive feedback loop into repetition and sameness.
A worse part though is that the media is something that is part of us at all times, even when we are not watching. "Even during their leisure time, consumers must orient themselves according to the unity of production" [3]. The media controls the information you get, the ideals explored in entertainment, and the morals that one's children learn, "The whole world is passed through the filter of the culture industry" [4].
[1]: Horkheimer, Max, Theodor W. Adorno, and Noerr Gunzelin. Schmid. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments.
[2]: Horkheimer, Max, Theodor W. Adorno, and Noerr Gunzelin. Schmid. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments.
[3]: Horkheimer, Max, Theodor W. Adorno, and Noerr Gunzelin. Schmid. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments.
[4]: Horkheimer, Max, Theodor W. Adorno, and Noerr Gunzelin. Schmid. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments.
[5]: Ackerman, Seth. "The Most Biased Name in News." Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR). July-Aug. 2001. Web.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Globalization (RePost)
Globalization is taking separate parts and making them a whole. Globalization refers to taking distinct and dethatched places or people, and bringing them into a larger body. Globalization is sharing, and is not limited to one subject or area. Becoming more globalized is learning, and teaching at the same time.
Globalization has recently increased to a new level. For globalization to happen, there must be incentive. What is the purpose of becoming more globalized? Why should a country, or its citizens care about what is going on in the rest of world? Because of technology, and capitalism, as well as other factors, globalization has become more prominent.
Technology makes globalization accessible. It makes it possible for people to communicate across the globe, quickly, and efficiently. Globalization is communication; it is impossible for there to be “interconnectivity[1]”, which is part of Professor Fischer’s definition of globalization, without it.
Capitalism has brought businesses to new countries because of the incentive of money. Once they have exhausted the market in their own country, businesses are starting to realize there is money to be made in other parts of the world. According to Theodore Levitt, this is also a byproduct of technology. Technology has made “the emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products on a previously unimagined scale” because “almost everyone everywhere wants all the things they have heard about, seen, or experiences via the new technologies.” [2]
Globalization is a sharing of culture. Through technology we can learn about other countries, while teaching them about ourselves. They can peer into our ways of life through our products and businesses, technological presence, just like we can peer into theirs.
[1] Fischer, Annemarie. KeyNote: Globalization. Global Media Narratives in the Digital Age, Spring 2011 CourseBlog, Annemarie Fischer. 3 February 2011. Web
| Levitt, Theodore. "Markets." Readings in Internation Business:A Decision Approach. Ed. Robert Z. Aliber, Reid W. Click. . Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 1999. Web. |
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Globalization or imperialism?
Globalization can be understood as an interconnectivity and interdependency between nations throughout the world in not only in political and economic realms but all facets of life [1]. However, often globalization is controlled by mass communication which may cause an imbalance in the information shared, sometimes to levels that can only be regarded as imperialism [2]. Controlling the images and information distributed across the world can impact almost every facet of a countries life as Hardt has been written: "Today images determine this discourse of society with their presence (or availibility) across a range of media. They help construct reality and impose views or perspectives that conform to idealogical determined expectations.... In this case, images are the new vocabulary of a postmodern capitalist society, in which the individual is dazzled by the spectacle - and misled."
The media's control on information would be less of an issue if it was more balanced exchange between nations, but often times it is found that western ideas usurp and dominate over eastern ones, often because it is the western nations with greater power in the media. As Hardt mentions "Who speaks, where and when, and under what social or political constraints, have become importion questions, since an individual shouting into the wind or the specter of town-hall meetings are no match for sophisticated technologies of mass communications" [3]. Nations with limited technology are similar to the individual shouting in the wind, they cannot even be heard, and have no chance to argue against the beliefs they are bombarded with by mass communication from more technologically advanced nations.
Often when a country sends aid to another more developing country their beliefs are sent as well. This is mentioned in the work of Curran and Park: "Far from promoting self-sufficiency, the "modernization" of developing countries merely fosters dependency within a exploitative system of global economic relations. It promotes American capitalist values and interests, and erodes local culture in a process of global homogenization" [4]. Industrialization can be argued to be a worse system of living than more tribal systems. Pollution, stress, heavy workload, increased divide between the upper and lower classes, and more are all commonly known problems which are associated with industrialization. Many have argued that tribal life is less stressful and has less time laboring [5].
Globalization does however benefit many industrialized nations economically, and it seems obvious that it is here to stay as long as rapid communication through the internet, and relatively quick transit via flight is available, but society needs a dose of humility and sensitivity in order to prevent the subversion of alternative lifestyles.
[1]: Thussu, Daya Kishan: International Communication. Continuity and Change. London: Arnold, 2000, p. 76.
[2]: Hardt, Hanno. Myths for the Masses: an Essay on Mass Communication. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print. pg 10
[3]: Hardt, Hanno. Myths for the Masses: an Essay on Mass Communication. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print. pg 5
[4]: Curran, James and Myung-Jin Park. "De-Westernizing Media Studies". London: Routledge, 2000. pg. 5.
[5]: Minge-Klevana, Wanda. "Does Labor Time Decrease With Industrialization? A Survey of Time-Allocation Studies." Current Anthropology 21.3 (1980): 279. Print.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
KeyNote: Globalization
Globalization is an interdependency and an interconnectivity[1] that permeates all spheres of life. Globalization does not only expand economic structures and political realms. Communication structures as well as mediated topics become inter-reliant as well, leading to the merging as well as the co-existing of narratives.[2]
Considering the theory of globalization, Curran/Park state in De-Westernizing Media Studies a clash of globalization(s), concerning the connotation(s)[3] of globalization:
Cultural theorists write with infectious enthusiasm about globalization as a process that is increasing international dialogue, empowering minorities, and building progressive society. Political economists, on the other hand, write about globalization as a capitalist victory that is dispossessing democracies, imposing policy homogenization, and weakening progressive movement rooted in working class and popular political organization.[4]
I limit the definition of globalization in that I do not regard globalization as synonymous to Westernization or Americanization or (US-American Cultural) Imperialism.[5]
Globalization is not always an exchange, but always an interdependency. Technological limits within communication impede communication. The citizens, however, cannot escape the global interdependency of issues in their lives.
The internet is a novel medium that creates not only novel modes of reception, but also, unlike other media (r)evolutions, vaster possibilities of (re)production that revolutionize the common communication model and change the paradigm.[6] Communication in cyberspace involves a virtual and circular transmission of narratives on global issues between a merging sender or receiver, and the dynamics of a narrative. Cyberspace challenges the basic communication model, established by Shannon/Weaver.[7] Traditional senders of mass media merge with the former receiver, i.e. the audience becomes active in producing news. The cyber transmission involves a circulation of unfinished palimpsests on global issues, traditional senders of mass media merge with the receiver, and the cyberspace medium is entirely virtual. A mutually understandable code, notably the English language as the lingua franca in cyberspace[8], forms the basis of communication.
Hamid Mowlana defines the global communication flow as “the transfer of messages in the form of information and data through individuals, groups, governments, and technologies, as well as the study of the institutions responsible” and entails an “examination of the mutually shared meanings which make communication possible”.[9]
Information is the most distributed product within this global flow, with information being defined, according to Mowlana, “as a patterned distribution or a patterned relationship between events, objects, and signs” which “involves activators”.[10]
While a shared code is the crucial part of communication, it is precisely joint global narratives on stories that ground the global code that incite distribution and discourse. However, the global phenomenon is that there is a different de-coding of those narratives. Interpretable refers to the phenomenon that a successful narrative may be a tabula rasa eager to be read, but differently read. Economic power structures, while enabling access to information and discourse, are not the sole causal element for explaining productive vs. un-productive narratives.
Globalization fuels, as an interdependency, global topics and issues. With this emergence and inter-dependency of issues, the maintenance of world-wide communication by ensuring access to the information resource (elevating the digital divide/information gap), and the agenda-setting[11] of inter-reliant issues become vital: Global issues cannot be understood as well as tackled without communication and a global understanding.
I argue that all citizens are global, but some citizens are more global than others.[12] While the means of media production are available, however, resources and technology is accessible for only a part of the global citizenry. A part of the global citizenry becomes active, creates their own forums, and is able to actively communicate global issues, while the Other part is left out on the other side of the information gap. Global open-access forums/virtual communities and international organizations function as stakeholders for establishing the global communication framework. It seeks to be determined if they can ensure the agenda-setting[13] of global issues, and if they are able to elevate the information gap between those who have access to information resources and networks, and those marginalized by and from the information flow.
[1] Thussu, Daya Kishan: International Communication. Continuity and Change. London: Arnold, 2000, p. 76.
[2] Taylor, Philip M.: Global Communications, International Affairs and the Media since 1945. New York: Routledge, 1997, p. 98.
[3] Stieglitz, Joseph E.: Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: Norton, 2002.
[4] Curran, James/Park, Myung-Jin (eds.): De-Westernizing Media Studies. London, New York: Routledge 2000, p. 11.
[5] During my analysis, however, it becomes apparent that some readings are more prone to become the paradigm, and “The Global” is still understood as “The Western”.
[6] Paradigms are defined as “frameworks of thinking” according to Kuhn, Thomas S.: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 3rd edition. Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press 1996.
[7] Shannon, Claude: A Mathematical Theory of Communication. Bell System Technical Journal 27 (July and October) 1948, pp. 379–423, 623–656, http://plan9.bell-labs.com/cm/ms/what/shannonday/shannon1948.pdf.
[9] Dor, Daniel: From Englishization to Imposed Multilingualism:Globalization, the Internet, and the Political Economy of the Linguistic Code. Public Culture 16 (1), pp. 97-118.
[8] Mowlana: Global Information and World Communication, p. 26.
[9] Mowlana, Hamid: Global Information and World Communication. London: Sage 1997, p. 25
[10] A variety of global issues is in focus of the Millennium Development Goals, a United Nations effort to meet goals within a timeframe, see the MDGs at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/, <15.>.
[11] McCombs, Maxwell E./Shaw. Daniel L.: The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 36, 1972, pp. 176-187.
[12] This is an adaptation of Orwell’s quote from Animal Farm, which he preceded with a foreword on “The Freedom of the Press”, criticizing the biased news reporting on Russia. Orwell, George: Animal Farm. London: Penguin 2008. With this adaptation, I would like to emphasize that The Global is not an absolute term.
[13] I define agenda setting as the initiation of discourse on themes.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
What is Globalization?
Globalization has many countering connotations. It pros include knocking down distance barriers, reduced cost in advertising, increased travel revenues, shared medical expertise, enabled distance learning, and increased global transactions. These arguments are countered by the reality that digital globalization, which forms the common conception of the idea, only stretches so far as its technological boundaries (Norris 1). Because of these facts, it is important to expand one’s concept of globalization beyond the northern hemisphere and to not mistake globalization for westernization. If Americans merge the ideas of globalization with Westernization, the developing nations are at risk of progressing under the confines and expectation of those dictating the playing field (Curran 4-5).
True globalization “recognizes the value of cultural niches and local abilities” (Curran 8). As discussed in class, globalization is not just the meshing of cultures, the increasing ability to trade, or the sharing of knowledge. It is an interdependence of one nation upon another (Fischer Class Lecture). Globalization currently exists through the trade of information, resources, and work. It exists inefficiently because until there is an attempt to close the social divide there can not be an even distribution or a total capturing of skills and abilities (Norris 4-5).
Curran, James and Myung-Jin Park. De-Westernizing Media Studies: Beyond
Globalization Theory. London and New York: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Norris, Pippa. Editorial: Information Poverty and the Wired World. Massachusetts.
Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000.
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