Ideas for Globalization

Global Media Cultures

Global Media System – a medium to distribute ideas, information, values and beliefs, global media
prevalently facilitates the distribution of cultural symbols that shape human relationships in the
globalized world.

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any
other capabilities and acquired by a human member of society

Media – communication vehicle or means of information delivery system to express, cultivate, or convey
message to a target audience.

Mass Media – a form of media which reach broader sphere simultaneously

Forms of Media:

1. Print Media
- oldest media are those printed in word or picture, which conveys information through the
sense of sight
- Fernandez Rodriguez indicated that printing and publishing began in the Philippines with the
arrival of the Spanish in 1565
2. Broadcast Media
- The most convenient and practical means to spread information to reach the broader
audience immediately
3. New Age Media
- Various forms of electronic communication that is made feasible through the use of
computer technology

Local and Global Cultural Production

Cultural Difference

- Pieterse (2009) offers an insightful and lucid examination of the cultural implication of
globalization. He strongly asserted that there are only three perspectives on cultural
difference:
- 1. Cultural Differentialism – Lasting difference between and among cultures predominantly
uninfluenced by globalization or any countries, and trans-cultural flows and processes.
- 2. Cultural Convergence – The notion of increasing homogenization or sameness all over the
world
- 3. Cultural Hybridization – The mixing of cultures as a result of globalization due to
interaction of global and local, a unique and new hybrid cultures that is completely different
from global or local culture

Religion – Involved things that surpass the limits of our knowledge.

A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred
Religare – to bind together again that which was once bound but has since been torn apart or broken
(Perry, 1998)

Function of Religion

1. Establishing social cohesion – Religion unites people through shared symbolism, values and
norms. Religious thought and ritual establish rules of fair play, organizing our social life
2. Promoting social control – Every society uses religious ideas to promote conformity.
3. Providing meaning and purpose – Religious belief offers the comforting sense that our brief lives
serve some greater purpose. Strengthened by such beliefs, people are less likely to despair in
the face of change or even tragedy

Globalization Affects Religious Practices

1. Globalization promotes greater religion tolerance – Globalization promotes a pluralistic culture,

meaning religions with overlapping but have discrete interest and ethics interact with each
other.
2. Globalization creating backlash of religious parochialism – Considerably, globalization is a world
revolution though all revolutions interfere the peoples’ customs and traditions – that is,
“people’s very security, safety, and identity.” (Kurth, 1999)
3. Religious identity and globalization: furthering challenges – Globalization paved the way for
religions to interact with another, it generates an arena of conflicts and competition. If religions
view themselves as “world religions” and reinforce their distinct identities, there would always
be tensions.