Global Media, Global Culture Essay

‘The boundaries that separate one nation from another are no more real than the equator. They are merely convenient demarcations of ethnic, linguistic and cultural entities. They do not define business requirements or consumer trends.'(IBM). Boundaries delimit countries. Or, at least, this is their function. Boundaries separate traditions, languages, governments, currencies, people, economies and cultures. But, is this true? Nationalisms are rising in a world that tends to the globalization. Is it so that we are all equal for the multinational companies? There are a lot of definitions of globalization. Most of the definitions (to not say all of them) are related with the capitalism system. According with Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez globalization has three steps in the history until arrives to the actual situation: â€Å"We can understand globalisation in two senses. In a wider sense, it means the expansive tendency that took place in the capitalist system. This concept talks about the power that drove capitalism to go across the boundaries to look for raw material and new markets. In a strict sense it means a concrete phase that begins with three concrete historical facts: the success of the neo-liberal powers such as USA or United Kingdom (Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher), the foreign debt in the Third World (1982) and the fall of Berlin’s wall in 1989†. Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez (1999), p. 12 All of us (I’m referring to the develop countries) are connected between computers and internet, press, radio, television and cinema. We can learn new traditions or new ways of life with each media. Everybody knows who is Nicole Kidman or Gucci. We can drink a Coke with a Big Mac in somewhere. There are not boundaries for information or products. We can see the same advertisement in US or in India. But are not they different? Don’t they have different culture, tradition or language? New ways of advertisement can overcome the boundaries. Only have to show images and sell the products without words. The media configures our lives, our way behaviours, our minds. They make us. They are cultural factories. They make the perfect target to the products, the perfect consumers’ trends. The national identity is threatened. â€Å"Young people drink the same soft drinks, smoke the same cigarettes, wear identical branded clothing and shoes, play the same computer games, watch the same Hollywood films and listen to the same Western pop music.† Ellwood, W. (2001): pp.53. Governments make pacts about laws and economy. The European countries are being united in the European Union (EU). Although the citizen of each country have different tradition, they culture is very similar and is almost like the American one. These countries share currencies, economics’ politics and, in soon time, laws. â€Å"The challenge of producing and marketing in many countries, with many currencies, has fed the creation of modern international money market and currency trading.† Davis, J (1999): pp.38 Countries member of the European Union share a European Parliament, Justice Court of the European Communities, European Central Banc, Committee of the Regions and so on. The products of each country can transfer boundaries without taxes. These products are sold without differences in each country. It doesn’t matter if are German or Italian. The products are sold like if they were from the same town. They share a new globalizated culture. Somehow this globalizated culture has adopted elements characteristics from each country. In this way the globalizated culture can survive. â€Å"Business are in the business of government and governments are in the business of business.† Sivanandan, A. (1999): pp.9. Sivanandan makes a perfect summary of as the governments are in disposition of the great companies. And these companies want to make only one market around the world. In this way, they only have to make only one marketing campaign. Helped by mass media and governments, multinationals can obtain their objectives. Governments take profits of the business and help to the great companies to develop their plans. Countries depend on the others in the production of their products. They have decentralized the production of the products in different countries looking for a cheap manual labour. â€Å"This stretching of the boundaries of the economically possible by new technologies happens at al points of the circuit of capital – in production, and in the circulation of commodities and money. As companies, driven to expand profits, take advantage of the new boundaries, the components of â€Å"globalisation† take shape.† Davis, J (1999), pp.38 But in this world where culture and business are globalizated, nationalism take more popularity around the countries. Nobody wants to lose his identity. They mixed the globalizated culture (American culture) and the traditional culture. French person will keep it traditions and way of life but will wear the same cloth, will drink the same drink, will eat the same food and will see the same films than a Cyprus or Turkey person. In conclusion, globalization is a process that shows two faces: the first one shows the differences between countries and the diversity around the world, creating a nationalism and pride to belong to a country. And on the other hand shows how the countries depends on the others and there are similitude between countries, cultures and markets. In this way, I agree with the topic of the assignment: boundaries only delimit ethnics, languages and cultural entities. Marketing, mass media, governments and multinationals have made disappear the boundaries and the great differences between the cultures creating an only and great world-wide market. Reference list: – Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez, V. M. (1999) Globalizacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, nuevas tecnologà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as y comunicacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n. Madrid: Ediciones de la Torre, pp. 12 – Davis, J (1999) â€Å"Race & Class: The threat of Globalism† (Vol.40, no.2/3, 1998-1999), London: Institute of Race Relation, pp.38 – Sivanandan, A. (1999) )†Racism, culture, markets†, London: Institute of Race Relation, pp.9 – Ellwood, W. (2001). The no-nonsense guide to globalization. London;Oxford, pp.53 Bibliography: – Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez, V. M. (1999) Globalizacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, nuevas tecnologà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as y comunicacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n. Madrid: Ediciones de la Torre – (1999) â€Å"Race & Class: The threat of Globalism† (Vol.40, no.2/3, 1998-1999), London: Institute of Race Relation – Sivanandan, A. (1999) )†Racism, culture, markets†, London: Institute of Race Relation – Ellwood, W. (2001). The no-nonsense guide to globalization. London;Oxford – Gabriel, J. (1994) Racism, Culture, Markets. New York: Routledge