The mass media

Via news broadcasts, music, and television programs, the mass media plays an important part in enhancing globalization and facilitating cultural exchange. The deregulation of numerous laws influencing the media has had a significant impact on the international flow of content. The cultural part of globalization has had unfathomable consequences for the globalization process. The introduction of electromagnetic signal propagation has resulted in a rapid expansion of global connectivity. The expansion of major news organizations such as CNN and Reuters has resulted in new beginnings of the codification of the global economy. Cultural imperialism theories put a spotlight on how the media in the developing countries use to import television and cultural genre formats and foreign news. The media also imported capitalist individualism and capitalism. These cultural imperialism theories of the 20th century give way to cultural globalization ideologies that dominate the media industry.

Recently, there has been a shift away from the cultural domination model of the powerful and wealthy model towards a more complex appreciation of cultures across countries. There has been a drastic resistance to American culture by media audiences and a rapid growth and development of regional markets. Homogenization refers to the extent to which the media systems conform to the formats that initially originate from the US. The electronic media especially the internet and self-produced DVDs play a major role in creating the reverse flow between the First and Third Worlds. The internet has facilitated for long-distance communications in a fast and efficient way. On the other hand, the digital methods of processing information such as DVDs has increased the information storage capacity allowing for the convergence of information.

The internet is a primary medium of alternative communication and entertainment. It has the capacity to widen the worldwide democratization of media. The internet facilitates connection between groups, mobilization of people and organization of social movements for instance, through channels such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The message in these channels can sometimes be carefully modified to fit a certain category of people. This is contrary to what the multi-international information channels would do because they reach a vast majority. Therefore, these international media channels stick to Western guidelines. The self-produced DVDs also serve to break the long time trend created by Hollywood movies. These DVDs have been accelerated by development of regional medial markets and cultural production as well as distribution centers in the developing countries. They include the Brazilian Telenovelas and Bollywood in India. They go to the extent of providing global competition by exporting their genres to America. The dominant preference in the developing countries is for domestic media and the American programs are not sought much as the national products. Some of the individuals who have found their voice in the internet include Jeff Rense who covered the nuclear meltdown in Fukshima and the Gulf oil disaster in his website, Gary Franchi who is a reality TV show reporter and Adam Kokesh who was arrested for dancing at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and as a result many people knew about his TV show and movement.

The efforts being put by non-governmental organizations such as Kiva have a promising life in the new forms of media. Just like the aforementioned individuals who have found their audience in the internet, these organizations have a chance to thrive. Kiva is a person-to-person investment website that aims to eradicate poverty. With time and continued efforts to eradicate poverty, Kiva is going to make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people. Moreover, the media industry is no longer purely American.