Research Paper on Technology: Impact on Globalization & Society

Introduction

Technology advancement in the modern world has an impact on almost all sectors. As a historical development, new technology continues to exhibit rapid growth, and alongside the development of globalization greatly influences the aggregation of several services. Platforms referred to as digital media intermediaries such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, as well as news outlets, have gained enduring attention and debate in media studies and communication regarding media globalization as they influence people's daily lives (Cunningham & Craig, 2016). Systems such as national broadcasting and film as a form of global media exhibit IP-controlled content, while platforms like YouTube characterize facilitation as opposed to content control (Cunningham & Craig, 2016). News outlets such as Al Jazeera and BBC news have made access to information easier with some news outlets such as BBC news integrated into social media platforms such as Facebook, where the news is readily available. There is near frictionless ease with which the news outlets and social platforms like WhatsApp have circumnavigated the planet and made information available and quickly circulated. Information is a powerful tool and has a significant influence. The following paper discusses how news outlets and platforms harness the power of networked media for cultural and political influence, as well as how they harness the power of globalization.

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Platforms are crucial in the digital economy and culture, which includes participatory culture and intellectual property (Jin, 2013). Platforms have facilitated a means by which nations can defend their ways of life and share their images with the entire world (Jin, 2013). Media intermediaries have in the 21st century significantly influenced the daily lives of people around the globe. Platforms include social network sites such as Facebook, smartphones, operating systems, and search engines such as Google (Jin, 2013). Social media such as Twitter allows one to subscribe to other updates, including conventional media sources like Aljazeera (Storck, 2011). Jin (2013) asserted that platform is a concept that has emerged to define online services of content intermediaries in their broader public discourse of users, commentaries, and press and in their self-characterization. Platforms are often associated with their computational meaning, an infrastructure supporting the design and use of specified applications and operating systems (Jin, 2013). However, three interconnected explanations of the platform exist. First, it is both a hardware and a software framework allowing other programs to operate and run (Jin, 2013). Second, platforms provide a communication, interaction, and selling channel, implying that they enhance the ability for people to express themselves in cyberspace commons (Jin, 2013). Third, platforms are significantly defined by the process of commodity exchange and market forces, and their value is embedded in its design (Jin, 2013).

The Role of Platforms and News Outlets in Political and Cultural Influence

For a long time, technological innovation has been utilized as a tool for change. Technology is society, and society is incomplete without technological tools. Platforms and networking have, for a long time, been used in political mobilization in changing regimes and for pro-democracy movements (Storck, 2011). Scholars, political pundits, and journalists define and embrace platforms and news outlets as an undeniable force for good and hold that; democracy can be found a tweet away (Storck, 2011). These platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, are further facilitated by technological innovation, which is the internet. It has been argued that providing internet to society liberates them (Storck, 2011). The internet is an effective weapon for the disenfranchised and the weak against unjust and authoritarian leaders who have been referred to as "quintessential 21st-century conflict". This means that there are two sides in the society where we have the government power and thugs firing bullets to its people, and we have, on the other hand, the young protesters in the country firing tweets (Storck, 2011). This represents the role of platforms in political influence.

Twitter is one of the platforms which have gained popularity over the past, and its continued use has brought people from all walks together. It has reduced the distance between people and formed a platform in which people communicated, educate each other, and share information. As such, it has become increasingly easier to gain access to information and to know about contemporary issues in the world. One can almost instantly get to know about events in the world when they have access to these platforms. Indeed, phrases such as "Twitter revolutions" have emerged and have been embraced by international media. These phrases give an impression of a young and tech-savvy generation monopolizing the digital gap in overthrowing an archaic authoritarian ruler (Storck, 2011). These platforms have also been used in responding to unjust happenings in society, such as corruption, oppression, natural disasters like earthquakes and child trafficking. As such, it can be argued that the role of the platforms and news outlets foster revolution. Storck (2011) highlighted that "We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world." This shows the role of platforms and news outlets in influencing the political and cultural world. The following paper next demonstrates how platforms and news outlets harness the power of globalization and networked media for political and cultural influence by using examples.

The Case of Egyptian Uprising

Although revolution had been happening long before the technological innovation such as Facebook, platforms have had a profound facilitating role in the usage of social media in civic and social online mobilization (Storck, 2011). The facilitating role is evident in the real-time information that is gathered by facilitating weak ties, physically distant, and global social diverse relationships (Storck, 2011). Social media, therefore, has a decisive role in political mobilization.

The Arab region is among the developing nation that has witnessed a high rate of technology adoption in recent times. Most evident is the adoption of modern communication in this region. Radio, television, printing press, telegraph, and newspaper have all developed in the Arab region. The Arab region has for long subjected media ownership to government control, strict supervision, and censorship and, therefore, had a monopoly on the truth as well as on propagating means (Anderson, 2011). However, the launch of Al Jazeera in 1996 was a historical moment in Arab media and was a forum of discussion for fundamentalists, corruption, religion, human rights, and other contemporary issues in the society (Storck, 2011). Governments still attempt to control the spread of media sources and information and attempts to increase the suppression of online freedom and social networking (Storck, 2011).

The worker-led protest has been experienced in Egypt for an extended period and is attributed as an indication of the discontent of the citizen with Mubarak's regime (Ottaway & Hamzawy, 2011). Egypt, like many developing countries, has for long constituted of youths as the larger portion of their population who are unemployed. Storck (2011) reported that university graduates are the most affected by unemployment levels, and the number has been rising at an alarming rate. This portion of graduates is mostly dependent on the government for employment (Assaad & Roudi-Fahimi, 2007). The Egypt government was considered to be out of touch with the needs of its citizens and, together with an aging autocratic leader, castigated the disenfranchised youths to mobilize (Storck, 2011). In 2004, the formation of the Egypt Movement for Change marked the start of mobilization by activists opposed to Mubarak's regime. The movement was limited in mobilizing a large number of protesters in demanding political reform.

However, things took a different turn in 2008 when a social networking website was set up and succeeded in mobilizing participation for workers to strike (Storck, 2011). This number grew to 70000 members who represented Egypt's 10% Facebook users in 2008 (Storck, 2011). The strike was against the price rise for essential commodities, reducing wages and inflation, although the government still pursued its neoliberal privatization (Storck, 2011). A new movement was born, which has since been vital in the 2011 protests. June 2010 marked another scenario of the role of the platforms in political and cultural influence through Egypt's political activism. Facebook was used in commemorating the death of Khaled Said, a young blogger who had been killed by police officers for posting an incriminating video (Storck, 2011). The blogger's death received an unexpected reaction, and a Facebook page was set up by the then Googles Middle East Marketing director, Wael Ghonim. The page was titled, "We Are All Khaled Said" and gained more than 500000 members in a short period and turned to be an online discussion platform as well as a platform to share grievances about Mubarak's regime (Bhuiyan,2011). The Egyptian activists sparked into action with inspiration from Tunisia, where four weeks after Wael Ghonim's arrest, Tunisia's protests had led to the downfall of Ben Ali (Storck, 2011). Tunisians were a source of inspiration and provided practical advice for Egyptians (Storck, 2011). Social media was used to a large extent to organize and facilitate Egypt's political protests in 2011 and eventually led to President Mubarak stepping down in February 2011. Protest organizers are reported to heavily relied on social media outlets in organizing protests. Mubarak would later appear on television, announcing that he had dispersed his cabinet and would be remaining in power. The president then stepped down and passed control to the army (Storck, 2011).

From the analysis of the above case for Egypt, it is evident that the news outlet and social media facilitates the movement of information and contemporary issues across borders. The case for Tunisia was an inspiration for the Egyptians. This demonstrates that societies, despite boundaries, are interconnected and influence the political outcome of another country to a large extent. Again, in the case of Egypt and other issues around the globe, the world is informed and is always watching. Social media, as well as news outlets, influence how they respond to these events. News outlets like Al Jazeera, to no small extent, also influence the political and cultural realm in that the news they air is widely available to the large population and influences the decisions made across borders (Castells,2008). The news outlets would also be argued to influence the political world in that organizations such as the United Nations would step in to reach a consensus on pressing issues and would perhaps withdraw support to member states where issues such as demonstration and human rights abuse are taking place(Storck, 2011).In the case of Egypt, it can be concluded that social media platforms were used for three primary purposes: as an organizational tool, an alternative press and news outlet, and as a medium for generating awareness in the region and beyond international boundaries (Storck, 2011).

The Hong Kong Event

Hong Kong has experienced rampant protests in the recent past. The anti-government protests have been growing increasingly violent in the past days h...