Mass Media: Shaping Human Behaviour & Reasoning - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to McQuail and Windahl (2015), media refers to all the different ways of spreading social, cultural, political, and economic information through a communication platform such as electronic means. Telecommunication networks and the internet through films, radio, and television are among the most current methods of spreading information. These tools are crucial in the shaping of human behaviour and reasoning. Mass media with the intent of reaching greater audience have been instrumental in the acceleration of globalization. Steger (2017), on the other hand, denotes globalization as the process of spreading philosophies, technology, or business idea throughout the world. It facilitates the integration of various global societies, cultures, and economies into all respects. The current shift in global economic thinking with the interconnected marketplace, free time zones, and national boundaries is as a result of globalization.

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It is believed that with the increase in the essentiality of cultural, technological, and economic integration among nations, media has a significant impact on human lives. It is because of globalization that people have widespread access to media. Globalization significantly influences media, which further impacts human lives. This paper will answer the questions as to how is media and globalization connected? Is media a form of power? Does media empower or disempowers? Does globalization empower or disempowers? And how is culture linked to globalization and media?

The Connection Between Media and Globalization

Theorists who had evaluated the interconnection between media and globalization trace it back to the 18th and 19th centuries when the West experienced a swift expansion in means of international communication. Earlier on, mainstream media and communication in most places were country-based, and their scope never went beyond national boundaries. The eras of the 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of telegraph, the expansion of postal services, the invention of telephone and radio, and the creation of modern mass circulation of press CITATION Kov15 \l 1033 (Kovarik, 2015). The discovery and possibility of transmitting information through electromagnetic waves were revolutionary. This technique made communication to be more efficient, much faster in broader coverage. It is through electronic transmission of information in broadcasting and the quest to conquer worldwide audience that a connection between media and globalization emerges.

The media sector in its current trajectory has the spot as an enabler of globalization. The electronic media and telecommunication networks are currently appraised for their active role in facilitating the process of globalization through the dissemination of information via local and international broadcasting. Although varying, the rate of media expansion has been phenomenal and transition to private ownership has improved apace. The relevance of globalization is now visible through the current media and communication technology available across the world. Though separated by time and space, the use of different techniques such as newspapers, TVs, and the internet has helped in spreading information and assisted in connecting people. According to Kovarik (2015), technological advancements have expanded media boundaries while at the same time bringing tremendous changes in almost all sectors of life. The notion of global village, as propagated in the 60s has brought many changes in the media. The idea of people working close is a reality as evident in how easy it is possible to share information today. Through the media, people across the globe can share their thoughts and benefit from each other.

The current flow of information has significantly been promoted by the interconnection between media and globalization. Flew and Waisbord (2015) assert that media has a role in the development of global experience and this urgent order is reached by updating people about occurrences they can easily share. The idea of globalizing shows through the media impacted how people operate and influenced their way of thinking about their culture and identities. Through media revolution, the world has been reduced to a global village, and most businesses in the industry are working towards changing their operations to exploit the opportunity. It is worth noting that media operations have been enhanced by globalization as a result of the different technologies spread across the world and used in communication. For instance, cable Tv has gained popularity across the globe and this is because of globalization that has enabled the sharing of such technology.

The contemporary revolutionary forms of technology have provided media the chance to evolve from the previous stagnation to an era of logic. The world is continually changing, and all the experiences offered by the press is because of globalization. Besides, media operations provide a platform where the society and other businesses can open up their minds and become aware of currents happenings in places away from their locality. For instance, companies can inform clients of service and products through such forms of technological advancements. The provision of globalization of companies is not only a result of advertisement in media but also through communication offered by the platform.

Media as A Form of Power and How It Can Empower or Disempower

There exists a direct connection between media and democracy, a correlation that has provided the freedom of the press. The provision of this liberty has left the press so independent to the point that it is now a great source of power. Various elements of media enable it to influence the minds of the people, shaping their judgment and opinions on local and global events. Examining the various forms of power held by media highlights how it affects public interest and how it has grown beyond limitation in democratic societies to the point it can empower or disempower.

Media serves the purpose of providing unbiased information to citizens. Through the provision of such information, media has gained the faith and credibility of people who no longer trust institutions such as the government and the church. It has filled the gap left vacant by organizations and become a source of actual knowledge to the public. This is as evident from Whiteley, et al. (2016) who when citing a 2008 report presents an overwhelming result that showed a ratio of 2:1 on how British people trusted the BBC over their government. While Britons had no faith in their government, they are the same officials whom they elected.

Media can influence the perception of viewers by exposing the actions of government officials in a negative light or even exacerbating political controversy. Politicians, despite their status recognize the power of the media and how it can affect public opinion by creating a fictitious lens on how they are viewed, for better or worse. Often, journalists are offered individual treatment by political candidates to help shape political agendas. A prime example is that of Tony Blair who treated journalists to champagne and Limousines to receive positive reviews during his tenure. Despite his authority, Blair recognized the real power of the media. This is the power to make or break that is respected by government and politicians.

The other notable depiction of the power of media is in its ability to shape public ideologies, knowledge, and attitudes. As McAdams and Zapata-Gietl (2015) offer, knowledge plays a crucial role in the establishment of values, beliefs, and, most importantly the shaping of identity. Media is capable of manipulating identity in a way that a political action could be justifiable when it meets the interest and agendas of the people CITATION Har17 \l 1033 (Hartley, 2017). This is possible through philosophical use of language to depict the audience as the victim while labeling other parties as aggressors. This approach has been a tool in the justification of the Vietnam war and is still used to promote American invasion of Middle East nations. Through negative terminologies and connotations such as communists, jihad, and evil empire, it is easy to foster manipulative identity that can influence the mind of an average citizen. This is an affirmation of the power of media in contemporary democracies.

Another crucial concept on the power of the media is as that of Chadwick (2017) who when citing Kevin Phillips's term mediacracy identifies a system where governments stop thinking and begin listening to media in regards to essential governance issues. According to Chadwick (2017), this demonstrates the press as a voice of the people, thereby powerful enough to manipulate a regime. No longer is the government having the authority to act per their thinking in regards to current issues or solutions; instead the media has the power to dictate the public concerns and determine their answers. A prime example of mediacracy and how it can influence government choice was during the Vietnam war when media reported negatively on the issue prompting the United States withdrawal.

Globalization and How it Disempowers

In these times of modernization, globalization is compressing the world with changes in organization of economic, social, and political interactions creating an interregional and transcontinental flow and network. It is believed that globalization has made government superfluous while others see that it has not affected its role in any way. The most likely decision is between the two and that is has impacted the role of the state to some degree. The primary purpose of the government, created from the Westphalian model portrays it as the greatest in power with total sovereignty and an internal and external of role of governing the subjects and an actor in international politics CITATION Bey16 \l 1033 (Beyer, 2016). However, as a result of globalization, there is a decline in the power of states to directly influence their political, economic, social, and technological aspects thus disempowering the state.

The impact of this disempowerment is best felt in how politics is essentially driven by the market. This does not imply that governments cannot manage their nations, but to survive in leadership, they need to maintain state politics in a way that it fits in the transnational market forces. Since its inception, the interstate system has developed an increasingly international normative order that set global political standards and regulates interactions between countries. This phenomenon that Telo (2016) labels as global governance has led to the emergence of interregional and intercontinental organizations such as the United Nations. The impact of these organizations is the development of an institution that dictates what happens in the governance of member states. This is a trend of global governance where nations are edged to conform to the rules spelled by these organizations. The impact of disempowering as a result of such system is already being felt in human rights where nations no longer have the powers to treat aliens and its nationals as it pleases. It must conform to global standards, which are perceived as more customary that the laws of their land.

The Link Between Culture, Media and Globalization

Media and its contemporary ease of access are perceived to have facilitated the massive flow of information worldwide and the creation of a global village. In other words, media is presumed to be the dominant player in the process of globalization CITATION Cra16 \l 1033 (Crane, et al., 2016). In professional discourse the unmistakable sign of the fulfillment of the global village is touted by the popularity of western culture. Globalization, on the other hand, is...