Lecture VThe Role of Communications for Globalization and Cosmopolitansim

Johan Lindell, Ph. D StudentJohan.lindell@kau.se

Media and Communication StudiesKarlstad University

Info Take-home exam:

Posted tomorrow night on KurstorgetDeadline is 12.00 AM, Wednesday, 17th of FeburaryHand-in – do not mail.

Wednesday:Starts 10.15Jochen Hoffman will visitDivision into 8 groups for presentationsImportant information on the individual essays

”Kommunikation och Globala Medier” – students. Jakob Svensson will visit 11.45 on Wednesday to inform you on your essays and the course evaluation

Monday 15/2 Open Lecture. Guest lecturer from communication agency. All MKV students invited.

Lecture outline

1.) Technological determinism

2.) Globalization and Communication

3.) The Expressions of Globalization

1.) Technological Determinism

Technological Determinism:

A philosophical standpoint emphasizing the impact of technology upon societies

Technology determine societies (social structures and cultural values)

E.g. global communication infrastructure -> notions of humanity united

Raises questions on what role technology plays in shaping society and

culture

How does a technology impact upon society?

What drives history – human agency vs. technology

Common myths/discourses on technological impact on societies:

The technological deterministic discourse1.

The printing press

(Gutenberg, 15th

century) ->

- Emergence of the

’imagined community

- Formation of nation-

states

- Democratization of

religion ->

reformation

- Emphasis on

vernacular

The technological deterministic discourse 2.

Computer mediated communcation (cmc) ->

- Re-invention of direct democracy (’e-participation’)

- Revolutions in education

- Completely new ways of thinking

- Knowledge-society

- No social classes

Control. History.

What makes history progress?

Man or Machine?

Human agency vs. technology

’Middle-ways’

Smith, M. R & Marx, L (1994), MacKenzie, D & Wajcman, J (1999): - Common discourses : ”the automobile created suburbia”, ”the printing press led to the reformation”. - Before and after – perspective is fallacious. - ’Hard’- vs. ’soft’ determinism

Innis, H (1950, 1951):- Communication media (technology) as resources to help/promote human agency that in turn ’bounces back’ as societal effect.

Castells, M (1996)- ”technology does not determine society. Nor does society script the course of technological change. Technology is society”- Role of the state

Mosco, V (2006).- New technologies enter society, myths of great change/improvement are created around these new technologies. The same political economy dynamics remain.

2. Globalization and Communication

Defining GlobalizationThe uprooting of human activities – political,

cultural, economic, social

or:interconnectedness -> interdependencies of many different parts in the world.

From a communication studies perspective: Why globalization? – because it is possible to communicate on a global scale

”Only in the past couple of centuries, as every human community has gradually been drawn into a single web of trade and a global network of information, have we come to a point where each of us can realistically imagine contacting any other of our six billion conspecifics and sending that person something worth having: a radio, an antibiotic, a good idea.”

(Appiah, 2006: x)

Tracing the History of the Globalization of Communication

Thompson, J. (1995). Media and Modernity – ch. 5 ’The Globalization of Communication’

Main points:

- Today communication is increasingly global

- This promotes a ’reordering’ of time and space

- This in turn, promotes global interconnections interdependencies = globalization.

- Globalization is a progress, not an end state. Started mainly with three processes during the 19th century:

Tracing the History of the Globalization of Communication

1.) 1830’s. The telegraph – electric communication via transatlantic underwater cables. No more messengers.1843 – Washington and Baltimore connected1865 – Britain and India connected1870s – Europe linked to large parts of the world1924 – King George V sends a message to himself that circulated the globe in 80 seconds

2.) 19th century. Emergence of global news networks. Significant in three ways1.) News over large territories2.) Global in scope3.) Reached big audiences

3.) Electro-magnetic waves. The emergence of organziations with the mission to dissiminate radio frequencies.

Different globalization[s] – The dimensions of globaliation

Cultural: ’Global images’, global audiences, value-spreading, ’neo-imperialism’/’media imperialism’. World culture.

Social: Global social relations, mobility, tourism, sense global of community.

Political: Supra-national organizations: UN, WTO etc. Supra-national governance: ’world-police’, Obama phenomenon, regionalization: EU. Cosmopolitansim

Economic: Common discourse. Trade links, instant money transaction - global business. Global exploitation of labour.

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Common thread: they all depend on global communication infrastructure.

Conceptualizing globalization

Appadurai, A. (1996). ’Scapes’ that capture the globalization of all human activity: ethnoscapes, financescapes, mediascapes, technospaces etc.

Castells, M. (1996). In globalization – new logic of space: from ’space of place’ to ’space of flows’

’Flows’ (= purposeful, repetivite, programmable sequences of exchange and interaction between physically disjointed positions)Flows are ”expressions of processes dominating our economic, political and symbolic life.” (p. 442).

How do we notice globalization in everyday life?

Break.

3.) Expressions of Globalization

How is the organization of our world different now (in the midst of the process of globalization) compared to ’before’?

’Expression 1’: The Rise of Global Cities

Mainly located and considered within the economy-dimension of globalization

According to Castells’ ’trilogy’, in globalization cities have become increasinlgy important nodes for all human activity.

Globalization demands infrastructural nodes

If cities have turned into cultural, social, economic, and political centers….is the rural rendered dysfunctional?

’Expression 2’ - Cosmopolitanism

Cosmopolitanism is:

Political cosmopolitanism: Supra-national governance, the lessening power of the nation and the increasing power of supra-national power. E.g. The United Nations. The world as one nation, world citizenship. (e.g Kant, 1795, Habermas, 1996)

Socio-cultural cosmopolitanism: A global awareness. Openess towards diveristy and multi-culturalism. Life-style. Travelling. ”A willingness to engage with the Other” (Hannerz, 1990; Rantanen, 2005)

’Mediated Cosmopolitanism’

On the one hand:

We can access virtual spaces (internet forums) and engage with ’Others’ on anonymous basis – collective efforts and common goals on a global scale.

’Pop-cosmopolitanism’ (Jenkins, 2005) – ’Softer’ cosmopolitanism e.g. fan-communities. Watching anime (alternative cultural experience) -> learn about Japanese culture

’Mediated Cosmopolitanism’

…on the other hand:

What do we actually do online? Trolling, flaming -> irrationality and inhospitality on online public spaces.

Same 10 websites over and over again. Not ”engaging with the Other”.

(Tomlinson, 2001): Technologies of the hearth: new technologies are merely new ways in which we communicate with the same people

(Bauman, 2001): Compassion is still local, not global – we can see but cannot/will not act

What do you think?

Does media promote cosmopolitanism?

- Do we engage with ’the Other’ through media?

- Do we better understand other cultures through media?

Thank you!

References and Reading tipsAppiah, A. (2005). Cosmopolitansim – Ethics in a World of Strangers. Penguin

BooksAppadurai, A. (1995). Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization.

University of Minnesota PressBauman, Zygmunt. (2001). ‘Whatever Happened to Compassion?’ in

Bentley, Tom & Stedman Jones, Daniel (ed) The Moral Universe. Demos

Castells, M. (1996). The Rise of the Network Society. Wiley-BlackwellCastells, M. (2001). The Internet Galaxy – Reflections on the Internet, Business,

and Society. University of Oxford PressHabermas, J. (1996). The Postnational Constellation. Polity PressInnis, H. (1950). Empire and Communications. University of Toronto PressInnis, H. (1951). The Bias of Communication. University of Toronto PressKant, I. (1795). Perpetual PeaceMacKenzie, D & Wajcman, J (ed). (1999). The Social Shaping of Technology. Open

University PressMosco, V. (2006). The Digital Sublime – Myth, Power and Cyberspace. MIT PressRantanen, T. (2005). The Media and Globalization. SAGE PublicationsSassen, S. (2001). The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. Princeton University

PressSmith, M. R & Marx, L. (1994). Does Technology Drive History?: The Dilemma of

Technological Determinism. MIT PressThompson, J. (1995). Media and Modernity – A Social Theory of the Media.

Stanford University PressTomlinson, John. (2001). Instant access: Some cultural implications of

‘globalising’ technologies. University of Copenhagen