6.3 Media Challenges and Opportunities to Culture and Identity

6.3 Media Challenges and Opportunities to Culture and Identity

Communications technology and the media provide us with both opportunities and challenges to our individual and collective identities. What does that really mean? What impact can be inferred about the impact of the global media in the picture below?

The lady in this picture is selling her beautiful, colorful tapestries at a market in Central America. Her goods represent the uniqueness of her culture. Some of the emblems and designs on the goods she is selling are centuries-old Mayan patterns that represent the beliefs of her ancestors, while others are designed to sell to wealthy foreign visitors (for example, the flowered tablecloths), and still others are geared to the backpacker market (notice the children's clothing with images of people of many races). As you can see by her dress and hairstyle and the nature of her work, the woman's identity remains traditionally Guatemalan. However, as more tourists visit her market stall, and as she becomes more connected with the global village, her identity will gradually integrate various aspects of other cultures. As televisions and cellphones become more available in her part of the world, the global media will influence her and others like her to become more and more assimilated into the dominant global culture.

Communication and transportation technology provides us with many great opportunities to prosper, gain knowledge, and share ideas and products. As tourists travel to Guatemala, the Mayan woman can now sell her goods locally, and maybe even to foreign markets. In doing so, she can earn money for food, housing, health care, and education for her children and increase her understanding about the rest of the world. At the same time, the tourists who visit her shop can become enriched by a greater understanding of her culture and worldview. This interconnection can lead to a stronger sense of community, in which everyone in the global village can find strength in diversity.

This same interconnection through trade, travel, and technology can also present challenges for minority cultures. When minority groups become attracted to the dominant culture, including modern technology, they can leave behind their traditional ways, leading to increasing hybridization of their culture. Essential aspects of their identity can be lost, leading to assimilation.

On the other hand, if the Mayan woman and others like her do not see themselves reflected in the media, they lose a sense of who they are. If they are unable or unwilling to adapt and adjust to a new lifestyle and different values, this can lead to increased marginalization. If they do not have access to technology, they can fall more and more behind in terms of economic prosperity. The global community is weakened when people become more and more alike.

Challenges for the Media

Reality: Many studies show that the world we see on TV or in the movies is not reality. Minorities, women, and young people are not well represented (although their representation is increasing). Families are rarely shown as they really are. Furthermore, much of what is broadcast, especially over cable and satellite, is produced in the United States. It does not show what life is like for most people around the world. If television does not accurately portray the world around us within our own cultural context, imagine its impact on Indigenous people and people of other cultures. 

Universalization of pop culture: As the people of the world are more and more exposed to the narrow reality that is presented in the media, they take on many aspects of the identity of the culture they see. That includes not only clothing, food, music, and the other outward aspects of culture, but also the beliefs and values of the dominant culture. This presents increasing challenges to all cultures worldwide and threatens the rich diversity of our world.

Digital Divide: The easy and immediate ability to communicate with people around the world is not equally shared. While students in Canada may be able to complete a high school diploma and even earn a university degree online, others in the world still do not even have access to a textbook or a pencil. While you can text your medical clinic for your latest lab results, others do not have access to a doctor. The digital divide limits millions of people.