Global Media & Democracy

• How do audiences consume and/or participate, in the media areas you have selected, now compared to in the past? Give specific examples.

• How ‘global’ is your media area? Can everyone in the world access it or is it still dependent on access to the Internet? How many people in the world have access to the Internet?

 429,000,000 people worldwide have access to the Internet, with only 20% of the world not having Broadband in 2008. The rich and powerful countries, for example the UK and USA have an easier access to the world around them, over poorer countries, for example Gambia, who struggle with the amount of money in their country therefore their culture is kept very local.

•  What do you think are some of the problems of global media in terms of a community’s identity?

 In terms of television some of the problems of global media are: Erosion of national culture, Cultural dominance of the USA , Market forces funding, Less choice?  As numerous cultures nowadays can access televisions, they have a wide access to other countries culture, therefore they can learn about other countries identity. However as the USA is such a large percentage of the world, the US culture has said to have become the 'norm' across the world. As a result of this other cultural ways of life are becoming threatened. It has been said that the more globalisation there is, the less people will care about local or national culture, and rather than follow a religion, follow a more attractive, persuasive way of living which they have adapted through the world of media and television.