Globalisation Sociology paper 3

globalisation

inter connectedness and movement across time and place

multi-dimensional process

political- political allies connected across the world and politics of one country effects the others eg brexit

cultural- many countries have spread eg americanisation

economic- the monetary decisions of one country effects more than just themselves eg global banks

problems with defining globalisation

1. the definition assumes that globalisation is a positive process e.g globalisation results in marginalisation and exclusion

2. the definition assumes that globalisation occurs everywhere at an even pace e.g north korea isnt on the internet

3. the definition assumes that globalisation results in global homogenisation e.g france 40% of songs on radio have to be french to battle americanisation

4. the definition assumes globalisation is only a cultural, political or economic process e.g brexit was political and cultural

5. the definition assumes that globalisation results in social change towards postmodern ideas e.g people defend themselves (cultural resistance)

digital communication

any type if electronic signal, any form of hardware or software used for social interaction

digital revolution

1980s: personal computers, digital cameras

1990s: world wide web

2000s: mobile phones, 1 billion people on the internet

2010s: smartphones, 2 billion people on the internet, social media

social media

computer mediated tools that allow people companies and other organisations to connect and interact with each other

facebook, twitter, tiktok, instagram

instagram- 1 billion users

tiktok- 2 billion users

technological convergence

merging of different media forms

smartphones= camera + gps + game console + telephone

corporate convergence

process where there are fewer individuals or organisations controlling the shares of media industry

meta owns facebook, whatsapp and instagram

Cornford and Robins

ideological control

the people who control the digital media are capitalist who only want profit but also want to control the masses, they can influence the content the people see

case: cambridge analytica 2018

they analysed peoples facebook data and were able to influence and predict behaviour, they could sell more cosmetic products to extroverts and introverts if they sent them messages targeted to their personality

Fuchs (surveillance)

digital communication is a way to subtly observe the people in the interest if the wealthy

case: Snowden report

snowden leaked the existence of surveillance programs being run by the us and uk government, PRISM was a computer program that the us government used for mass data collection of the general public, it had direct access to peoples google wnd microsoft accounts

Fuchs (exploitation of labourers)

exploitation of various forms of labour is the heart of digital capitalism. to make iphones, tablets and other hardware for the digital world workers are needed and exploited

case: Foxconn factory

factory in Taiwan that provided hardware for companies such as apple and dell in 2010 14 workers committed suicide due to the poor working conditions, forced to work over time with low pay

Fuchs (transparency)

it forced openness and can shine a spotlight on the powerful encouraging transparency, accountability and therefore responsibility

case: WikiLeaks

a website that publishes secret information, news leaks and classified media from anonymous sources

citizen journalism

ordinary members of society are contributing to sharing news and information

case: Gaza

Motaz Azaiza, palestinian travel photographer who shares the stories of people living in gaza

networked global society

people form a part of a group that is connected by communication using new forms if digital media allows people to form new social connections and build social capital e.g LinkedIn

social capital

Bourdeiu

benefits gained through having connections with certain groups or individuals

Marxist evaluations

1. postmodern critique, marxists overlook the choice and freedom given by digital communication

2. feminist critique, too concentrated on class doesnt look at gender

3. ignores ethnic inequality, cyber racism

commodification

the selling and buying of women

2022 global report on trafficking report showed that 800,000 people trafficked a toss international borders annually with 80% being women, internet and websites such as craigslist and backpage made this easier

Dworkin

objectification

women becoming increasingly regarded as things without feelings or rights, a result of access to pornography that dehumanises women and is violent to them

social control

ways in which the digital world is used to constrain or shame women

case: incels (involuntarily celibate)

internet subculture that seeks to socially control women, often characterised by hatred, misogyny, racism and an entitlement to sex

Jake Davidson- shot and killed 5 people including himself and his mother, deep in incel culture had posted videos about missing out on teenage romance

Nakamura

support for marginalised groups

digital communication allows for women from ethnic minorities to gain a voice, they are able to share their experiences with others and get support e.g Muslim Womens Network

Dahlia Project

support for muted groups

campaigning against FGM, brings awareness to a taboo subject that is often not talked about in the UK

Cochrane

cyber feminism/4th wave feminism

online feminism that tries to achieve gender equality and social justice, technology used to share ideas on how to change this

case: #MeToo

Feminist evaluations

1. ignores ethnic inequality, over focusing on gender doesnt look at ethnic inequality e.g cyber racism

2. generational gap, feminist discussion is often hidden from those who are not online (old people)

3. over focusing on gender, doesnt look at intersectionality (age, race, disability) these people get attacked online and feminists do nothing e.g 1.5 million transphobic posts

4. postmodernist critique, traditional ascribed identities in the online world doesnt matter

fragmentation of identity

ones identity is not fixed but is constantly changing to be context specific, peoples on and offline personalities are different

case: virtual communities

a group of people who share common interests over the internet, these individuals rarely meet face to face e.g MumsNet, online chat rooms, Fortnite

Boestorff

Second life

a game where people create communities, build homes, go to concerts ect

second life acts as an extension of relationships carried out in peoples offline lives

one key finding was that identity is a central phenomenon in peoples experiences in second life, they create their own identity/ character they can be (a 50 year old man could be a 20 year old women online)

Baudrillard hyper reality

inability to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality

e.g fake news

Baudrillard simulacra

an image that reflects things in the real world but have no basis in reality

e.g photoshopped pictures, deep fakes

Case

fragmented identity and conflict

adolescents have 2 adolescences one online and one offline, this can create confusion on which one is real and not real, inner conflict about who they are

digital footprint, things online are hard to remove

post modernism evaluations

1. ignores ethnic inequality, cyber racism

2. lack of empirical evidence, not being able to give enough evidence to back up their claims

3. exaggerating the significance of digital identities to people

4. assumes individuals are gullible, they are easy to mislead and confuse, many people actually know what is fake and not

digital divide

unequal access to digital technology including smartphones, tablets, laptops and the internet

digital generational divide

the gap in use of digital technology between old and young people

alleviating loneliness

the internet helps older people combat social isolation and loneliness

report by the International Longevity Centre Uk showed that people who did not use the internet were more likely to say they often felt isolated from others while those who did use the internet were more liekly to respond thry hardly ever felt isolated from others

increased independence

Age Uk

digital communication can reduce inequalities for older people and improve life chances

when it comes to local commercial services e.g restaurants 61% of those aged 65+ they felt confident

this reduces the dependency older people have on relatives, making them feel in control of their own lives

Chopik

benefitting health

better self rated health, fewer chronic illnesses, higher subjective wellbeing and fewer depressive symptoms

technology improved physical as well as psychological health

persistence of digital generational divide

Age Uk

24% of 75+ have increased their internet usage after the pandemic however this is due to internet users being online more. 42% of 75+ are still not users of the internet

some older people are still unable to access free wifi and computer equipment and many others are physically unable to use a computer or simply not interested in getting online

Boyle

digital immigrants and digital natives

young people grew up on the internet and are therefore natives to the digital world however older people are not used to this technology since they didnt grow up on it

young people are more receptive to learning new skills, more keen to explore and place more importance on their peer groups and social networks

Berry

non material barriers

older people who don’t regularly use digital communication blamed:

lack of skills (not knowing how to use a smartphone)

lack of interest

psychological barriers (lacking confidence or technophobia)

reduction in hierarchy of knowledge

digital technology allows children to access ideas and information quickly

there is nothing preventing children learning about a variety of topics on the internet

UK Safer Internet Centre- children are developing their language skills through the internet

internet as fundamental to the identities of young people

Uk Safer Internet Centre

49% of young people aged 8-17 said what they do online contributes to their identity

54% admit they feel confused or if they have lost a part of themselves when their online accounts were taken away

47% have gained confidence to be themselves

61% say its important platforms let them experiment with identity

teenagers reporting positive impacts of social media on their identities

Pew Research Center

31% reported that social media positively impacts people their age

45% said it was neither positive or negative

24% said it was negative

they said that social media:

connects them with friends and family

allows for meeting others

keeps people entertained

internet as limiting for young people

UK Safer Internet Centre

47% think its important to fit in

61% think the internet puts pressure on people to come across as perfect

40% change how they are seen online

30% changed because someone was mean to them

O’Keefe and Clarke-Pearson

cyberbullying

can create profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation and suicide

this is the most common risk to all teens online

teenagers reporting negative impacts of social media on their identity

Pew Research Center

24% reported that social media had a mostly negative impact for these reasons:

bullying/ rumour spreading

harms relationships

peer pressure

mental health issues

causes drama

digital social networks

groups of people with social connections who are linked through digital media, the participants already know each other in the real world but are strengthening the relationship online

e.g facebook, linkdin

the global village

physical distance and time differences are less of an issue in communication between people due to new digital technology

e.g 3.6 billion people watched the 2016 olympic games

Granovetter (4 factors)

the strength of 2 individuals can be measured by these 4 things:

1. amount of time spent together

2. emotional intensity of the relationship

3. level of physical intimacy

4. degree of reciprocity

Granovetter (strong & weak ties)

weak ties- aquantances

strong ties- friends and family

weak ties are arguably more important since they can connect people who they would normally not connect with

following someone on instagram or facebook can expand a persons weak ties and therefore increase their opportunities in life

Sherry Turkle

alone together

people can be in the same room but since they are both on their phones they are “alone together” they aren't focused on each other and therefore are alone

teenagers are scared of phone calls due to not being used to talking to people since they text

Brignall

loss of social skills

decrease in face to face contact, this has caused a decrease in real life social skills such as being able to hold a conversation

the youth have developed social skills that are relevant to online interaction and this in the future will be seen as the norm

Chesney & Citron

rise of deep fake technology

it can be used to manipulate politics- deepfakes of politicians doing things that could mislead the people into voting or not voting for them

exacerbating social divisions- a deepfake of a police man using a racial slur could add fuel to the fire of the battle between the police and people of colour

undermine public safety- fake news can cause public panic

this all leads to “truth decay” and where there is increasing disagreement about facts and reality

Alt right

far right ideology who reject mainstream conservatism in favour if white nationalism

“its ok to be white”

“remove kebab”- exposing reverse racism towards white people

“emperor trump”- support for trump

“dindu nuffin”- mock victims of police brutality

BLM

in 2016 african americans were 13% of US population but 40% of police killings were black people

the hashtag grew popularity in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by a policeman

MeToo

movement against sexual harassment and assault

people came out with their experiences using this hashtag exposing the people who assaulted them

Stuart Hall

response to globalisation

1. cultural homogenisation- accept global culture and countries become more similar

2. cultural hybridity- take some parts of global culture but keep parts of their traditional culture to develop a new culture

3. cultural resistance- resist global culture and protect their cultural heritage becoming more traditional and nationalistic

western beauty standards

beauty was different for every culture however due to globalisation there is now a spread of western beauty standards

filters such as bold glamour filter gives people a more western look to fit the beauty standard

consumerism being central

peoples identities are increasingly being shaped by the products they choose to buy with importance being put on what they buy

amazon, ebay

chinas censorship

great firewall of china

the government not only block website content but also monitor the internet access of individuals

blocked all reference to the word democracy and denies access to websites such as wikipedia

north korea

a 2016 leak showed the north korean internet

only 28 websites with a few top officials being allowed a secret intranet that has 5 thousand websites, real full internet is only reserved for a small number of government officials and important people

Giddens

reverse colonisation

the rest of the world are effecting the west more than the west are effecting the rest of the world e.g Pokemon Go, Gangnam style, Kpop

Miller

facebook

in trinidad it is called fasbook or macobook (maco meaning to be nosey) they use it to get to know someone of the opposite gender

they have taken the western idea of facebook and turned it into something that reflects their own culture

FORTNITE

fortnite is different in china with chinese players seeing chinese landscapes and chinese avatars playing

all players are experiencing the same plotline but it is tailored for their culture

netflix

netflix is different in different countries this is due to different copy right laws in different countries

it helps personalise since a person in scotland may see a suggestion that says “trending in scotland today”

there are multiple languages available on netflix which further shows glocalisation