The Collective Individual

The notion of culture has always involved a sense of belonging and involvement - a collective movement of people and/or ideas. It has defined people by their differing ethnicities, religions, foods and traditions. However, has the spread of Globalisation inhibited the cultural flows? Has it diluted the unique cultures of the world through infiltration of outside values, products or beliefs?

As observed in previous posts, Globalisation has broken down the borders of nation-states, weakening the power of governments in the process. We now exist in a society that isn't defined by one specific culture, more a mix or 'melting pot' of ethnicities (Bruekner & Smirnov, 2007) that contribute elements of their specific culture.

While we define those who belong to a certain culture as belonging to a collective or group, we are now seeing a difference in those individuals and the way they belong to their specific cultures. As dictated by Globalisation, it has given rise to what I call the 'Collective Individual', a person who may belong to a certain cultural collective, but retaining individual traits that may not have been previously present in generations gone by. These individual traits may have been absorbed by the ethnic 'melting pot' that is prevalent in that individuals society, a unique mix that separates them from others members of their cultural collective. An interesting concept.

Reference List

Brueckner, J, & Smirnov, O 2007, 'WORKINGS OF THE MELTING POT: SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THE EVOLUTION OF POPULATION ATTRIBUTES', Journal Of Regional Science, 47, 2, pp. 209-228, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 September 2012

Plugging into the Twittersphere

The public sphere, the domain for conversation and public information, has long been the imagined space for the 'people'. It has come under many guises too; be it in newspapers or public spaces, on radio or across the internet. An evolving space that is always changing.

In the contemporary media climate, the internet has become the primary space for this public discourse and rhetoric, especially given the advent of 'blogging' and Social Networking. Twitter is one such example of how the public sphere is shifting online, as it caters for conversation and is highly accessible. It has developed 'into a powerful form of communication' (Johnson, 2009), allowing users to subscribe to the information they want to see. This differs from the more traditional outlets of the 'public sphere', as those in the 'twittersphere' can tailor the information they receive based on their social, political and cultural beliefs. They can tailor their own public sphere. 

The recent social revolution in Egypt and the Iranian Presidential elections of 2010 are elements of this movement of information on Twitter, especially the speed in which the information is transferred. 


While undoubtedly Twitter will not replace or absorb into the public sphere as we know it (Hauth, 2010) due to the limitations it places on its conversations (140 characters or less), it is an example of the modern nature of the public sphere and the way we receive information. 

Reference List:

Hauth, A 2010, 'Twitter as a Public Sphere', New Media and Democracy, Viewed 21 August 2012 <http://www.personal.psu.edu/alh5147/blogs/cas497a/2010/02/twitter-as-a-public-sphere.html> 

Johnson, S 2009, 'How Twitter Will Change The Way We Live (in 140 characters or less). (Cover story)', Time, 173, 23, pp. 32-37, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 August 2012

Jurgen Habermas and the Public Sphere - http://records.viu.ca/~soules/media301/habermas.html 

http://www.wired.com/business/2011/02/egypts-revolutionary-fire/

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1905125,00.html 

Globalisation and 'Culture Shock'

Over the past six weeks, Globalisation has taken many forms - globalisation as a people mover, as a social equaliser and as a process of discrimination. From a cultural standpoint, Globalisation can be seen as a 'penetration... among a variety of different cultures and identities' (Ankara Papers, 2004), a phenomena that is diluting or enhancing cultural behaviours beyond the control of nation-states.

Of particular interest is the notion of 'culture shock', and whether this phenomena is being diluted by the processes of globalisation. Culture shock, defined as 'the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture' (Wikipedia, 2010), has long been a phrase used by many travellers to explain their experience in a foreign environment. However, as the flows of globalisation infiltrate the borders of nation-states, are we still exposed to a dramatically different cultural environment? one that disorientates and shocks?

In India for instance, the 'massive entry of electronic media and communication technology have introduced many changes in the traditional modes of cultural expression' (Ghosh, 2011). Similarly, Kasongo (2010) explores changes in African family structures and the modes of production as a result of globalisation. These cultural changes are all complimented by the rise of western products that have become commonplace in every society: the can of coke sold at the local village or the toshiba computer used to connect to the internet at the internet cafe. As a result, these are different environments to what they were 20 years ago, environments influenced in some way by globalisation.

While travellers may still experience different cultural environments as they enter foreign lands, is it enough to 'shock and disorientate'?

Culture 'shock'? More like 'Culture mild arousal'...



Reference List: 

Ghosh, B 2011, 'Cultural Changes and Challenges in the Era of Globalization',Journal Of Developing Societies (Sage Publications Inc.), 27, 2, pp. 153-175, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 August 2012

Kasongo, A 2010, 'Impact of Globalization on Traditional African Religion and Cultural Conflict', Journal Of Alternative Perspectives In The Social Sciences, 2, 1, pp. 309-322, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 August 2012

"Globalization, Modernization and Cultural Effects." Ankara Papers 15, no. 1 (December 2004): 8-20. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed August 10, 2012)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock - Definitions

The Social Olympics

The current Olympic Games has seen an unprecedented engagement on social media, becoming a central component in the reception of information about the games. While organisers anticipated a surge in social media content, the volume and functionality 'as a news source for broadcasters and the printed press' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19191785) has been incredible.



Technically, this is not the first Olympics were social media has been present, with the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 having a presence on Facebook and other social media sources. However, social media platform Twitter, where most of the social content for the London games has been sourced (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19191785), had just 6 million users at the time of Beijing (http://theconversationalcorporation.com/tag/twitter/).

Twitter and Facebook, among others, have presented users with an instantaneous connection with these Olympics that has never been seen before. It has allowed users to more readily engage with each sport, athlete and country in a way that feels more intimate.

Has this surge in social activity been a positive or negative aspect of these olympics? All I know is that it has become more accessible like never before.

References

http://theconversationalcorporation.com/tag/twitter/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19191785

The Changing Face of Media Ownership?

The 'dominant media' (Steven, 2003) have long controlled the output and distribution of the majority of the world's media content. These transnational media conglomerates, such as NewsCorp and Disney, have built empires that transcend the borders of nation-states. However, as the world shifts towards the digital age, does the rapid expansion in social media dictate a new platform for media ownership? Could the social media empires in Facebook and Twitter replace the traditional media conglomerates in the not so distant future?

Facebook, with over 900 million users, is slowly consolidating an online media empire through its acquisitions of rival social media outlets. Recently, Facebook acquired photo-sharing website Instagram for $1 Billion, indicating a willingness to absorb competing social media platforms. Similarly, Twitter purchased social aggregator Summify, complimenting its news based information feeds and removing a competing microblogging service. While this acquisition was not as significant as the Instagram purchase, it highlighted how these social media platforms are willing to consolidate their 'empires'.

Realistically, in terms of being all-conquering media conglomerates, Social Networks have a long way to go to achieve the power and size of their traditional rivals. However, as print media declines and if the 'social media evolution' (Cascio, 2009) continues, then these digital conglomerates could well achieve the power and influence of their traditional rivals.
Out with the old in with the new? Zuckerberg the new Murdoch? We'll have to wait and see...

References

Cascio, E 2009, 'The Evolution of Social Networking: Are You Ready?', Internet Telephony, Computers & Applied Sciences Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 5 August 2012

Steven, P 2003, ‘Political economy: the howling, brawling, global market place’, The no-nonsense guide to the global media, New Internationalist, Oxford, pp. 37–59

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9195460/Facebook-buys-Instagram-a-desperate-attempt-to-stay-cool.html

http://mashable.com/2012/04/23/facebook-now-has-901-million-users/

http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/twitter-acquires-summif/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/opinion/13martin.html?_r=1