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Many societies have
experienced a flood of information from diverse channels
originating far beyond local communities and even national
borders, transmitted through the rapid expansion of access to
mass communications. This is a core component of the
broader phenomenon of globalization. The late twentieth century
witnessed a decisive shift in the scale, density, and velocity
of cultural interactions which cut across the territorial
boundaries of the nation-state. These profound changes are
widely observed. But the consequences -- especially the impact
on geographically-isolated cultures which were previously
stranded at the periphery of modern communication networks --
are far from clear. What happens to communities living in
distant rural villages in Bhutan, as well as far-flung districts
and remote provinces in Burkina Faso, Burma, and Afghanistan,
once the world connects directly to these places and people living in these places learn more about the
modern world?
The most common assumption is that the
expansion of the global media will gradually encourage
cultural convergence around the world. The heart of this book develops a new
theoretical framework and examines systematic evidence to
analyze whether the global media has the
capacity to reduce national diversity, for good or ill. We
theorize that the expansion of communication flows from the
global North to South will probably have the greatest impact
on national cultures in cosmopolitan societies characterized
by integration into world markets, providing
few external barriers to cultural imports; freedom of the press,
facilitating internal information flows; and also widespread public access to mass communications.
Provincial societies which lack these conditions are less likely to be affected by the growing pace
and density of global communications. Moreover at individual
level there are important limits on media access and also social psychological learning
barriers to the acquisition of enduring values and
attitudes. For all these reasons, the threat of cosmopolitan
communications on cultural diversity is commonly exaggerated.
This book outlines these ideas, and then lays out
the data and survey evidence, drawing upon the World Values
Survey, covering 90 societies worldwide from 1981-2006. Paired
case studies also allow more in-depth analysis. The
broad comparative framework and the innovative research design
allow the core propositions to be tested empirically. The
conclusion considers the implications for cultural policies. The book
will contribute towards the research literature on political
communications, comparative politics, comparative sociology,
globalization, development, comparative public opinion,
political behavior, journalism and media studies. |
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Contents
Introduction
1.
Is cultural diversity under
threat?
2.
Investigating cultural convergence
Part I: Firewalls
3.
Markets
4.
Poverty
5.
Classifying societies
Part II: Consequences
6.
Citizens:
National and cosmopolitan identities
7.
Consumers: Economic values
8.
Morality: Traditional values, gender equality and sexuality
9.
Activists: Support for democracy, self-expression, and human
rights
Conclusions
10. Cultural convergence over time?
11. Conclusions:
The implications for cultural policies
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