MidTerm GC

Silk Road

• Definition: An ancient trade route that connected East and West, facilitating the exchange of goods, culture, and ideas.

• Significance: Established the foundation for global trade but did not lead to full globalization.

Spice Road

• Definition: A trade route focused on the exchange of spices between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

• Significance: Along with the Silk Road, it created early connections between regions but didn’t lead to full globalization.

Age of Discovery (15th-18th century)

• Definition: A period of European exploration and empire-building.

• Significance: Led to mercantilist and colonial economies but not a fully globalized world.

Cold War and Global Communication

• Definition: Post-WWII period where global communication was dominated by East-West tensions between the US and the Soviet Union.

• Impact on Communication: Focused on government control, free speech, and the spread of capitalism vs. communism ideologies.

Globalization 1.0

• Time Period: 19th century to 1914

• Leading Exports: Textiles and industrial goods.

• Leading Nations: UK

• Enabling Era: 1st Industrial Revolution

• Enabling Innovations: Factories

Globalization 2.0

• Time Period: 1945-1989

• Leading Exports: Factories and mass-produced goods.

• Leading Nations: US, USSR

• Enabling Era: 2nd Industrial Revolution

• Enabling Innovations: Mass production, communication technology.

Globalization 3.0

• Time Period: 1989-2008

• Leading Exports: Global supply chain goods and services.

• Leading Nations: US

• Enabling Era: 3rd Industrial Revolution

• Enabling Innovations: Computerization and automation.

Globalization 4.0

• Time Period: Present (2008 onwards)

• Leading Exports: Digital goods and services.

• Leading Nations: US, China

• Enabling Era: 4th Industrial Revolution

• Enabling Innovations: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT).

Globalization 4.0 Key Aspects

• Economic Globalization: Integration of global markets.

• Political Globalization: Collaboration between governments.

• Cultural Globalization: Exchange of cultural values and practices.

• Technological Globalization: Spread of digital and communication technologies.

Global Colonialism

• Definition: The process where powerful nations colonized less developed regions, setting up trade and governance structures.

• Phases:

  • Military Colonialism: BC-1000 AD

  • Christian Colonialism: 1000-1600 AD

  • Mercantile Colonialism: 1600-1950 AD

  • Electronic Colonialism: 1950-Present

Electronic Colonialism Theory

• Definition: Focuses on how global media, particularly advertising, influence cultures, values, and behaviors worldwide.

• Impact: Media empires shape global consumer behavior and extend the influence of developed nations into poorer regions through communication technology.

World System Theory

• Definition: A theory that divides nations into three groups:

  • Core: Wealthy, industrialized nations with high-tech, capital-intensive industries.

  • Semi-peripheral: Nations with both core-like and peripheral-like activities.

  • Peripheral: Less developed nations focused on labor-intensive, low-wage production.

• Significance: Highlights economic and social inequalities created by global capitalism.

• Other: Satellite and peripheral countries are always dependent on core countries (France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Spain)

Propaganda during WWI and WWII

• WWI: Focused on public opinion manipulation, coined by Walter Lippman, who believed public opinion was easily influenced by powerful institutions.

• WWII: Communication theories expanded with media development, including the influence of radio and television. Harold Lasswell's model highlighted "who says what to whom through which channel with what effect."

The Concept of Free Flow of Information

• Definition: Promoted by the West during the Cold War, emphasizing the freedom of the press and opposition to censorship in communist regimes.

• Criticism: Marxists argued for greater state regulation, criticizing privately owned media for lack of control and social responsibility.

Structural and Cultural Imperialism

• Structural Imperialism: Theory developed by Johan Galtung, which argues that the world is divided into developed "core" nations and underdeveloped "periphery" nations.

• Cultural Imperialism: Focuses on the influence of Western media and cultural products on developing nations, shaping their values and norms through the media.

What is cultural imperialism in global communication?

refers to the domination of one nation's culture over others, primarily through the global media controlled by powerful Western corporations, leading to homogenization of world culture.

What does McLuhan's 'Global Village' concept imply?

refers to the idea that electronic media brings people together across vast distances, creating a world where information spreads instantly and cultural and geographic boundaries are blurred.

What is the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)?

it was a global conference organized by the United Nations to address issues related to the global digital divide, aiming to improve access to information and communication technologies (ICTs).

What is the digital divide?

the gap between those with access to digital technology and information, primarily in developed countries, and those in developing regions with limited or no access, resulting in communication inequalities.

What is technological determinism?

theory that technological developments drive changes in communication and society, influencing how people interact globally.

How does globalization impact communication?

leads to the rapid exchange of ideas and information across borders, fostering greater interconnectedness but also raising concerns about cultural dominance by Western media.

What was the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO)?

a political movement aiming to reform the global media and communication system to reduce the dominance of Western media and provide a more balanced, diverse flow of information worldwide.

The Value Paradox

found within cultures and between cultures. Every culture has its opposing values

The Global-Local Paradox

the more people know about other countries and cultures, the more they become aware of their  own cultural or national identity

The Technology Paradox

is increasingly global,  but the argument that technological development  makes us global and leads toward similar needs for similar products is not correct

The Media Paradox

refers to the contradiction between having access to a vast amount of information through modern media and the challenge of determining its truth or value. Despite the abundance of data, the overwhelming volume can lead to confusion, misinformation, and difficulty in identifying credible sources.

Gramsci's Hegemony

rooted in the notion that the dominant social group in society has the capacity to exercise intellectual and moral direction over society at large and to build a new system of social alliance to support these aims

Media & Agendas

• First world agenda

  • Privatization and capitalism

• Third-world Agenda

  • Government control

  • Anti-colonization

• New communication Strategy & Information systems agenda