CCGL9011

Media in the Age of

Globalization

An Introduction

Dr. King-wa FU
Journalism and Media Studies Centre
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/fukingwa/
Use a word to describe the
first thing you think about
the MEDIA
Media
 “The term media refers broadly to the
range of tools that
humans(/computers)* have used
throughout history to communicate
with each other about a shared reality.
The most common reference is to the
set of modern technologies – from the
Media printing press to the Internet – which
facilitate communication across space,
time, and social collectives.”

Jensen, Klaus Bruhn. "Media." The International Encyclopedia of

Communication. Donsbach, Wolfgang (ed). Blackwell Publishing,
2008.
* added by King-wa Fu
Is Robot a type of Media?
Is Driverless Car a type of Media?
What social media
APPs are you using?
 Digital Media
• Digital media, also known as “new media,”
comprise content created, disseminated,
and/or stored using digital computers or
mobile devices (video games, blogs, etc.), as
well as their physical embodiment (DVDs, flash
memory sticks, etc.).
• Digital media are often defined in contrast to
“analog media,” new media in contrast to
“mass media.”

• Chun, Wendy Hui Kyong. "Digital Media, History of." The International Encyclopedia of
Communication. Donsbach, Wolfgang (ed). Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Analog media vs. Digital Media
Digital Convergence - ALL IN ONE
Positive and Negative
Impacts?
Various Definitions of Globalization
• “compression of time and space” (Harvey 1989)
• “intensification of worldwide social relations which link
distant localities in such a way that local happenings
are shaped by events occurring many miles away and
vice versa.” (Giddens, 1990)
• “compression of the world and the intensification of
consciousness of the world as a whole” (Robertson,
1992)
• And more ….. 114 definitions

• Al-Rodhan et al (2006) Definitions of globalization: A comprehensive overview and a proposed definition, Geneva Centre for
Security Policy
Technology and Globalization
• New technologies are viewed as “linking distant
localities into one globalizing world” in a
synchronous time zone that goes beyond real
territories. (like using Facebook/Whatsapp/Skype)
• The speed and mobility generated by electronic
networks becomes indispensable for creating the
physical conditions of globalization, tying together
the world as a whole.

• Lee, Kwang-Suk. "Technology and Globalization." The International Encyclopedia of Communication. Donsbach,
Wolfgang (ed). Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Global Village Six Degrees of
(Mediated) Separation

Cc @ dou_ble_you
In-class Quiz
 HKU Moodle Site
Media in the Age of Globalization
 Welcome to CCGL9011 Media in
the Age of Globalization.
In this course, students will examine the role of the media in shaping the global and
local societies, as well as the ways how growing access to information fosters
knowledge sharing and citizen participation in public affairs and creates social problems
such as privacy infringement, misinformation, and polarization. The students will
explore if the global media really changes the power structure of information flow,
production, and dissemination or actually reinforces the imbalance. Do the media
technologies amount to an individual’s emancipation or serve as another form of
exploitation? What is the role of the media in Hong Kong, China, and the rest of the
world? In a multipolar cultural world, how do citizens contribute to the conversation on
local and global issues? The course will also reflect on critical social values such as the
freedom of expression, information, privacy, transparency, and investigate the impact of
the social media, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology.
Teaching Staff:
King-wa FU Email: kwfu@hku.hk
Lily Haohan Hu lilyhhhu@connect.hku.hk
Marie Bröckling marieb@connect.hku.hk
Schedule
Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Media Framing

Week 3: Journalism and globalization

Week 4: Media ecosystem

Week 5: Technology, media, and society [Individual Essay 1]

Reading Week

Week 6: Decentralization: Digital activism and Blockchain

Week 7: Freedom of expression and Internet censorship in a global world

Week 8: Digital media, surveillance society, privacy, and transparency

Week 9: Mobile media and globalization

Week 10: Soft power and digital diplomacy

Week 11: Big Data, AI, and Future Technologies

Week 12: Wrap-up [Individual Essay 2]

Assessments
Assessment Details of Assignment Weighting
Method [Limit: 250 characters]

Class participation In-class quiz and in-class 30

activities.
Group project Group project on a selected 40
topic.
Individual essay Assessment in the 30
(x2) understanding of basic
concepts, lectures,
presentations and current
events.