WEEK 10 READINGS
Globalization and Media: Creating the
Global Village
• Media plays a crucial role in advancing globalization in economics, politics, and culture, even though it is
not always portrayed positively.
• In this reading, it shows how challenging it would be to engage in global trade without the exchange of
information or to establish empires without effective communication.
• Without media, these feats would simply be unattainable.
• Globalization is not a fixed outcome but a continuous process, encompassing economic, political, and
cultural dimensions.
• Globalization is a vague, opaque, and difficult word. It can mean everything and nothing.
• Digital media have revolutionized daily life, democratizing access to information, fostering global
communication, and driving cultural exchange in unimaginable ways.
• The question is “Is it possible to have Globalization without Media?” While it's possible for some level
of globalization to occur without modern mass media, such as through trade networks, migration, or
diplomatic relations, the scope and speed of globalization would be significantly limited without the
widespread dissemination of information and communication facilitated by media platforms. Therefore,
media is considered a fundamental driver and enabler of globalization in the contemporary world.
• In this reading, the definition of Global Imaginary is how we all think about the world being connected and
how we see ourselves as part of a larger global community. It's about the shared ideas and feelings we
have about being part of something bigger than just our local community.
• According to McLuhan, Global Village is like a small town, but on a global scale. It's the idea that the
world feels smaller and more connected because of things like TV, radio, and the internet. We can easily
communicate with people from all over the world, just like we can with neighbors in a small village
• The media is creating an environment conducive to global capitalism and promoting the ideologies
underpinning the world's market economy. Basically, the media plays a big role in connecting businesses
and economies across borders, influencing how products are bought and sold, and shaping how people
perceive and react to economic events happening globally.
• Despite offering opportunities for engagement, new media also face threats of censorship and
control, showing the complex relationship between media and political globalization.
• In Cultural Globalization, the media also plays an important role in how cultures interact and change
globally. Some say cultures are separate and will clash when they meet. Think of conflicts predicted by
Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations." Huntington argued that conflicts between civilizations,
based on differences in religion, culture, and history, would replace traditional conflicts between nation-
states.
• Though the term global village denotes unity and interconnectedness, there also exist shadows or grim
areas of the concept. These may refer to problems such as inequalities, exploitation, cultural
homogenization, loss of local traditions, environmental degradation, and conflicts caused by cultural
conflicts or economic inequalities. In other words, it is about the flip sides or issues of globalization or
interconnectedness along with its advantages.
CONCLUSION
Globalization without media is theoretically possible, but it would be severely limited and significantly hampered
in terms of its reach, efficiency, and impact. Media plays a crucial role in facilitating globalization by connecting
people, cultures, and economies across the world.
Among the important details in an article about the relationship between globalization and media, of course, in
the context of creating the global village, is the concept of cultural homogenization versus cultural diversity.
Globalization through media is, in fact, both a force of cultural homogenization, spreading Western norms and
values, and diversity, through its ability to let different cultural expressions interact. To understand how this works,
we need to look at different types of media. There's old-school stuff like TV and radio, and there's social media
and the internet. Each of these can either make cultures more similar or keep them diverse.
So, when we think about how the world is changing because of media, we need to think about whether it's making
everyone more similar or letting everyone keep their own identity. And we also need to think about how people
use different types of media to show who they are and connect with others in this global village.
WEEK 10 READINGS
New Social Media and Global
Self-Representation
• My question here is “How do you present yourself in social media?”
• This reading shows how technological advancements have enabled a massive information storage and
global connectivity. According to Paul Virilio, this enables us to "feel at a distance," transforming how
we interact and perceive the world.
• Mark Poster argues that traditional historical periods must be reevaluated to incorporate shifts in
symbolic exchange structures. He describe a conceptual framework that traces the evolution of the self
across different stages of human communication technology: oral, print, and electronic.
• McLuhan said technology extends our senses and changes how we interact. Critics like Poster fault
him for overlooking how tech affects our sense of self. Poster stresses how interactivity shapes identity,
leading to diverse affiliations. In digital spaces, distance disappears, and instant connections arise,
altering how we represent ourselves globally on social media.
• So, “Do you belive that technology can alter how we represent ourselves globally on social media?” –
And yes, I think technology can significantly alter how we represent ourselves globally on social media.
• Technology alters our perceptions, and the internet creates a sense of omnipresence, reshaping our
experience of time and space. These dynamics influence how we present ourselves online, amid the
backdrop of "late capitalism."
• In today's globalized world, extensive networks of culture, images, capital, and power shape our
environment. This has led to the fragmentation of communities and a reordering of traditional
institutions like the nation and the family. As a result, individual identity has become a central source of
social meaning.
• Brian Massumi's study on fear in postmodern society sheds light on this phenomenon. The
representation of self through digital storytelling and social media posts transforms the online sphere
into an oddly intimate yet fragmented space.
• As we further read, it said on YouTube, it seems, any nobody can become somebody as YouTube
stands out as the ultimate global platform for self-expression. This proliferation of online platforms
allows individuals to present themselves in various ways, reflecting Poster's idea that modern
communication practices shape subjects as unstable and multifaceted.
CONCLUSION :
The important fact in this reading is about new social media and global self-representation would be how
algorithmic biases affect different cultures and identities in terms of visibility and representation.
Algorithmic biases are when the algorithms tend to represent some voices over others, which may marginalize
or underrepresent cultures. In this context, the article would help to protect issues of diversity, equity, and
inclusion in the digital space by understanding how the algorithms work and their implications for global self-
representation. The article could also outline how users navigate the platforms in order to assert their identities
authentically but consider their visibility and reach in the global online community.
WEEK 10 READINGS
The Affective Labor and
Performance of Live
Streaming on Twitch.tv
• In this reading, the concept of affective labor within the context of live streaming on the popular platform
Twitch.tv about the emotional effort needed to engage with an audience and control one's emotions to
get desired responses.
• My question is “How does the concept of 'affective labor' manifest in the context of live streaming on
Twitch.tv” - On Twitch.tv, streamers work hard to connect with their audience emotionally. They entertain
viewers while also managing their own feelings and responding to comments. This emotional labor helps
create a supportive community but can also be tiring. It's about balancing personal emotions with
audience expectations to keep everyone engaged and happy.
• The authors argue that the labor involved in streaming is not just about playing games but also about
being socially active and emotionally responsive.
• It said here that live streaming and game commentary are important for critical media studies for two
reasons. First, live streaming is huge worldwide and keeps growing and it's a big part of gaming culture.
Second, streaming is becoming a job for lots of young people, especially since many were hit hard by
the financial crisis. The idea of playing games for a living is really appealing to them.
• The extent to which streamers broadcast as “themselves” or as a “character” is a tactic of self-branding
(Hearn 2008; Marwick 2013) in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
• In the literature on gaming specifically, Tiziana Terranova’s (2000) concept of “free labor” has been
particularly influential but is often shorn of its theoretical roots in autonomist Marxism.
• Overall, "The Affective Labor and Performance of Live Streaming on Twitch.tv" likely offers valuable
insights into the complex dynamics of online content creation, audience interaction, and the emotional
experiences of streamers in the digital age.
Conclusion
The authors highlight how much emotional work Twitch.tv streamers put in, which can really affect their personal
lives. They show how important it is for streamers to connect emotionally with their audience to keep them coming
back. This emotional connection isn't just about viewers enjoying the content; it's what keeps the community
strong. The article also talks about how Twitch.tv and platforms like it are changing how we think about work and
play, especially for young people who are really into this kind of thing.
