Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Communication & Globalization



Society is composed of individuals. It is due to the communication ability that humans are considered superior to animals. The process of communication has always been and will always play a significant role in the existence of human life. No human can survive without communicating. It is believed that prior to the time of human existence there were no symptoms of speech and writing. When humans started residing on the earth it was only after a long years of time that they had actually started to speak. At first the communication was only at intra-personal level and thus defining it as intra-personal communication. Gradually interaction between the individuals increased which was later termed as inter-personal communication. This was not enough. Then people started thinking in wider perspective. The communication broadened its horizon to group communication, Organizational communication and then to mass communication.
The time where we live is 21st century and this period is very well known for its development in science and information technology. Nowadays emails, internet, fax, phones, mobiles, television are very common. And these are the tools that have made communication easier, faster, and reliable. At present it takes no time to communicate from one corner of the world to other. In this relation, the whole world is being looked at as a single community that is connected by electronic communication systems. Thus, globalization can be defined as the integration and democratization of the world’s culture, economy, and infrastructure through the transnational investment, rapid proliferation of communication and information technologies, and the impacts of free-markets on local, regional, and national economies.
Globalization mainly deals with the interconnectedness of the people in a global manner. It is due to the globalization that we are so much adapted and accustomed to not only the western cultures but other cultures as well. The influence of Hollywood, McDonalds, and change in language, culture, and dressing are such examples of globalization. Globalization is a two way process. If there was no mass media, globalization would not have been possible. The information disseminates from one part of the world to other part in seconds, this miracle is just due to the mass media. Hence we can say that globalization and mass media are interdependent. Globalization is only possible because of mass media and on the other hand mass media gets advanced due to globalization. Globalization has helped the people to be updated with each and every happenings of the world. The thoughts and ideas of individuals now work in wider perspective. Despite having many advantages many people still argue that globalization cannot always be useful to individuals since working technically is not always proper. It may confine an individual to just himself being self centered. Other critical issues may arise due to the globalization. So globalization can be seen both positively and pessimistically.

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