Section 3 - Lesson 2

Lesson 2—Media and Communication Technologies

What is the impact of media and communication technologies on diversity?

Access to new media and communication technologies is very evident in entertainment, quick global contact at your fingertips, and in the pop culture side of the everyday lives of many people. This aspect of globalization influences economic, social, and political dimensions of society. These technologies can unify a community across great distances and geographical obstacles. With these tools, people can instantly be informed by a click of a mouse or a tap of a finger. These tools also create opportunities and challenges to maintaining unique cultures and languages. Some who view globalization as limiting predict that these technologies will develop a homogenized pop culture that will dominate diverse cultures. Those who recognize the potentials of globalization use these technologies to establish a space for the maintenance of their culture, language, and identity in a globalizing world.

Read

Find out what these media and communication technologies are, their impacts on collective identity, and how groups have responded to these technological influences. Read the Chapter Focus on page 46 of Perspectives on Globalization.

Read the introduction to the issue in your textbook, and then respond to the Chapter Focus questions in My Understanding.  (Not for marks).

What impact do multinationals have on cultural and linguistic diversity?

There is great appeal in quick and universal access to communication, information, and entertainment. What impact does this have on cultural and linguistic diversity?

Read Universalization of Pop Culture and Hybridization on pages 49 to 57 in Perspectives on Globalization.

Read about the relationship between ethnic identity and global media on pages 5–15 in "From Ethnic Media to Global Media."

Multimedia

Which multinationals are in the business of creating a global village of communication, entertainment, and information?

Click HERE to find out! What services do they provide? List the areas of influence of these multinationals.