Discuss the challenges faced by the mass media in an era of globalisation
Globalisation has opened up boarders and results in the world becoming more interlinked. It is a process and not a fixed state. As such, the mass media is constantly faced with the many challenges that globalization brings about. Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. Mass media are media such as the television, radio, newspapers, films, internet etc. Different forms of media faces different types of challenges. Globalisation brings about increase in technology, diversification of culture and rise of citizen journalism which all poses challenges to the mass media.
As technology evolves, so does the widespread use of devices. Devices such as camera phones could be used to take pictures anytime anywhere and blogs as a platform for citizens to post their whims and fancies results in the rise of citizen journalism. Citizen journalism, also known as public or participatory journalism, is the act of citizens playing active roles in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information. The rise of citizen journalism poses a threat to existing media such as news reporting as there are now more sources of information that citizens can select from to get information. It is good for citizens in a sense that news reporting now have to be more credible and transparent in order not to lose their audiences to the new media. An example of a non-transparent media leading to its downfall is the case of the US. Its media coverage of the activities of U.S. forces during the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq has shown the world just how corrupted the government is. It had shown mostly the good side of the war to Americans leading them to believe it was a war which had to be fought. As a result of all the deceit, the US media are losing their credibility. A recent Harris Interactive poll finds that over half of Americans — 54 percent — say they tend not to trust the press, “with only 30 percent tending to trust the press.” More Americans (41 percent) trust “Internet news and information sites” than they do the mainstream media. Hence, the mass media faces the challenge of credibility in the era of globalization where citizen journalism is widespread.
As the world globalizes, there is greater international cultural exchange. As a result, there is spreading of multiculturalism and better individual access to cultural diversity. It poses a challenge to the mass media as it faces the dilemma of losing international support over local culture. For example, in Bollywood, thin is the new in. Actresses such as Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora are losing their weight to size zero frames to meet the new demands of the film industry. Infused by western images of stick-thin models and actresses, these Bollywood stars are increasingly aiming to shed weight to survive in this harsh film industry. Gone were the days when a bit of excess flesh in Bollywood meant you were sexy, not fat. However, due to the erosion of culture and infusion of western cultures, people just don’t want to see “fat” actresses on screen anymore. In this case, the media face the challenge of promoting the new thin and gaining international limelight, or sticking to their old cultural values and image and stand to lose their popularity in the film industry.
Also, mass media such as the television face the challenge of efficiency brought about by the new media. Televisions are bombarded with hordes of advertisements that sometimes make it irritating for consumers to watch a show in peace. With the increased accessibility to the internet worldwide, people have choices to choose from. To either watch a show with intermittent commercial breaks in between, or to download it on the net and watch it in peace. If given a choice, I would definitely choose the latter. Also, a recent poll in New York showed that four in five marketers surveyed believe that television advertising is less effective than it was just two years ago. With all these push and pull factors of annoyance of commercials and effectiveness of the new media, the mass media might face the declining viewership brought about by the new media.
Lastly, the mass media face the challenge in being able to balance the need to inform with the need to censor. This need increases in importance in the post 911 era as information is crucial to pre-empt potential attacks yet too much information might spark discontent in the wrong direction. Terrorists may use media to propagate and the media needs to be aware of this and pre-empt it.
In conclusion, it is inevitable that the mass media would be faced with challenges brought about by globalization. However, it is important that the mass media rise up in need to meet these challenges posed. Assuming that the media is composed of predominantly intelligent personnel, it is logical to assume that they are informed and aware of the above but have chosen to either ignore or de-emphasize it. Their challenges is to consciously make the effort to take on a more informative, balanced and transparent role when reporting these aspects of globalization.
