Understanding Globalization

Globalization

• Globalization is interpreted differently by various groups.

• It is a process ongoing for a long time, starting with early humans moving out of Africa about 1.8 million years ago.

• The internet, created in 1983, significantly advanced communication technology.

• Globalization leads to interconnectedness but is not always an even process, with some areas remaining marginalized and experiencing inequality.

Sociological Interest in Globalization

• Social change has always occurred but the pace is accelerating.

• Giddens, Duneier, and Appelbaum (2005) used a 24-hour analogy to explain this acceleration.

• Sociologists recognize the need to understand globalization's causes and effects.

• Rapid technological advances have accelerated the rate of globalization.

• Wiseman (1998) warns against misuse and misunderstanding of the term "globalization."

Problems Defining Globalization

• Globalization is a complex process involving social, economic, and political factors, not uniformly occurring.

• Its effects are viewed as positive by some and negative by others, potentially reinforcing inequalities.

• Defining it simply is difficult due to underlying assumptions.

• First definition: Globalization occurs everywhere; problematic because it assumes it occurs at the same rate everywhere.

• Second definition: Recognizes different aspects but suffers from the same problem, potentially more accurate.

• The third definition emphasizes increasing interconnectivity as an essential aspect.

• Globalization can be defined as the emergence of a global economic and cultural system (Cochrane and Pain, 2000).

• It can also be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations linking distant localities (Giddens, 1990).

• It involves transformations in time, space, interdependent economies, cultural interaction, and shared problems (Cohen and Kennedy, 2000).

Digital Revolution

• It involves massive and rapid technological advances transforming lives.

• Shift from analogue to digital technology impacts information storage and communication.

• New forms of communication use internationally recognized programming systems, facilitating global information sharing.

Advances in Digital Communication

• The exploration of the features of advances in digital forms of communication in a global society, is occurring.

• Technological advances are rapid, and sociologists are still understanding their effects.

• New forms of digital communication, referred to as "new media," fall into two categories.

• First Category:

  • Extension and development of existing media on new platforms.

  • Examples include newspapers with online readership and satellite TV.

• Second Category:

  • New forms of platforms like mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.

  • These platforms allow for new types of programs and applications.

• The media is also used to manage lives, relationships, and health.

• These new media apps are individualized and can be adapted to specific needs.

The Global Village

• Digital communication increases communication volume without face-to-face contact.

• Time and distance are shrinking, leading to the idea of a "global village."

• People can create and maintain social relationships with those living far away or only interact online.

• Connecting with others sharing similar interests worldwide is easier.

• Individuals can search for online communities and interact with shared interests.

• Online relationships can be as significant as offline relationships.

Virtual Communities

• Social networks of individuals that create an online community.

• The networks can cross geographical, political, and social lines.

• These are increasingly complex and realistic, which allows that allows for shared interests and creations/transformation of identities

• It comes in the form of Message boards, online chat rooms, virtual worlds and social networks.

Cybercity

• A study by Carter (2005) explores the uses of digital forms of communication in creating and maintaining relationships in an increasingly globalized context.

• Carter conducted research in a virtual community called Cybercity, which consisted of over 1 million registered users in June 2004.

• The study explored relationship types formed online, migration to other settings, and the interweaving of virtual and real life.

• Carter found that people often continued online friendships offline by meeting in person.

Second Life

• Second Life is one of the largest virtual worlds.

• Residents create communities, buy property, attend events, and experience relationships through a computer screen.

• Boellstorff conducted fieldwork in Second Life, studying cultures and social groups.

• He researched as an avatar and explored gender, race, sex, money, conflict, and identity.

• Problems with virtual worlds include the lack of regulation for actions considered crimes offline.

• Belgian police have patrolled Second Life since 2007 due to a user reporting rape.

• Controversial issues include prostitution/pornography and the possibility of buying "rape add-ons".

Social Networks

• Digital technology has led to virtual social networks.

• These can include friendship groups, work networks, family networks, hobby-based networks.

• Digital communication affects how people create and maintain work social networks.

• Globalisation has accelerated the shift in the economy and employment.

• The unemployed are increasingly relying on the internet for creating and maintaining work based relationships, as well as finding and applying for jobs.

• Access to digital communication is now so essential and it could be argued that those without are at a disadvantage.

• The focus of the post-industrial society is information resulting in new communication forms.

• Access to information creates social networks, leading to higher employability and social capital.

• LinkedIn is a social network founded in 2002 specifically for employment-based connections.

• There are now over 20 million LinkedIn users worldwide.

Castells (2000) and Digital Communication

• Castells interprets impacts of digital communication, drawing upon Marxist ideas.

• We are moving from the industrial age to an information age.

• The change resulted from new information technologies, specifically communication technologies.

• Shift in focus from energy to information.

• Information is critical in determining economic productivity.

• Communication technologies remove space and distance.

• The technologies change time relationship, rendering communication instantaneous.

• Networks are a central societal characteristic, allowing for decentralized control and increasing effectiveness.

• The internet increases the effectiveness of networks/hierarchical structures.

• Power is now found in networks, which can be global (financial capital).

• Resources are collected for a project, then dispersed upon completion.

• The internet has a low cost of entry meaning it is available to all.

• People at the bottom with nothing to offer are excluded and are likely poorly educated with limited social mobility.

Media Convergence

• Different information types can be combined and delivered in one format.

• Videos, text, and images can be stored and accessed on one website.

• Social media platforms can communicate and share contacts.

• It has led to a convergence of cultural ideas and economic markets.

• Digital communication developed rapidly resulting in dominate western capitalist ideas.

• Ideas support private ownership and material objects being important

• E.g advertising when it is possible to advertise on a whole range of platforms and gain maximum engagement from your potential customer.

• Advertising gets increased engagement and sales.

• Successful ideas and products result from media convergence.

• Boyle (2005) explains that the process of digitalisation allows media convergence.

• Separate media forms can be accessed through one device like watching TV, access films and listen to the radio (as well as make phone calls).

• New digital media has highly interactive meanings that people can shape new forms of convergent media in individualistic ways.

Big Data

• Today the encyclopedias are used by children to research and replaced by search engines like Google.

• Way information is collected has changed.

• Due to the internet and the increase in the volume of data being recoded and collected, large amounts of information has resulted about areas of social life.

• Big Data is extremely large data sets can be analyzed to reveal patterns, trends, and links related to human behavior and interactions.

• This data is collected through commercial companies and other bodies.

Key Features of Big Data

• Volume:

  • Refers to the large amount of information stored about online communications.

  • Unstructured data also streams from social media.

• Velocity:

  • Data streams at unprecedented speed and must be dealt with promptly.

• Variety:

  • Data comes in all types of formats.

• Variability:

  • Data flows can be highly inconsistent.

• Complexity:

  • Data comes from multiple sources.

  • Data must link, match, sort, and transform data across systems.

• Big Data requires large storage space (terabytes) and presents numerous opportunities.

• Big Data focuses on data trails and impressions we generate through daily communication.

Social Media and Globalisation

• Social media refers to a digital platform that is based to confirm and form social networks with a global reach.

• The first mass usage of social media networks was probably Cyworld, launched in South Korea in 1999 (Miller 2012).

• Facebook originated as a way for students at Harvard University to communicate.

• Social media reflects increased individualism.

The use of new social media has exploded in popularity:

• In 2014, there was 15 million users of Twitter in the UK and 80 per cent of whole use Twitter via their smart phones.
• In 2014, there was was 31 million users of Facebook In UK, mainly used by age 24-35 year olds.
• In 2013, LinkedIn passed 20 million users globally.
• In 2014, Pinterest and Instagram were the fastest growing social media platforms which are mainly used by women.
• In 2011, Snapchat has launched.
• In 2014 the average snapchat users were between 13-20 and 70 percent were female.
• In 2014, according to Ofcom the net use was 41 percent.

Marxist Perspective on Digital Communication

• Digital communication is not new but simply a version of other communication forms.

• Conforf and Robbie (1999) claim that there is a range of evidence to support this.

• Power remains concentrated in the hands of a few (Cornford and Robins, 1999).

• Digital communication is presented as democratic and open but those who own and control are capitalists who ideologically control the masses.

• In the past, the means of production was owned by the ruling class; today, power and money come from the media.

• The media continues to shape ideas. It is owned by fewer media moguls who influence content.

• Increasing access to media through digital devices creates opportunities for cross-fertilization of ideas and marketing.

• Marxists argue that new forms of digital communication reinforce inequalities and ideologically control people.

• De-regulation:

• Relates to digital and media communication and due to digital communication being mediated by private companies, the state has few laws in moral responsibilities.

• There is a lack of social control that occurs because of a result of digtal communication either in offline lives.

Marxists and digital and surveillance

• Internet and digital forms of communication offer subtled ways to regulate and control peole in the interest of wealth.

• Due to economic incentive, women and children online do little to prevent exploitation.

• Critics also explain that adults are spending to much time online and the balance is being tipped towards screen based activities.

• One critic states adults and the amount of time spent in media is 8 hours and 41 minutes, then just 8 hours and 21 minutes asleep.

• Marxists suggest communication is a way of entertaining people which presents threat of what exists.

• Digital communication=new forms of surveillance.

• With the rising concern of personal data communication individuals have created a new form of survellaince.

• Privated companies gather information like consumer habits and breadcrumbs which the use is usually unkown.

• Digital communications threaten data

• Capitalism controled by people who have used various types of social media.

• The challenge is about private individual and it has caused.

• Social media are are often unkown who owns is the lack of knowdlege

• Digital forms of communications encourage passive acceptance of capitalism by challenging inquality.

Evaluation ideas on digital global

• Marxist ideas still offer an interesting way of looking at the role of digital communication in global content.

• Marxist ideology is the spread of the capitalism which have been in result and the ability to gain profits.

• Marxist ideas are with the more new sophicated ruling class to control and watch the working class of the masses.

• Owners of the media similar to companies use in positions of manipulate and take the use of society.

Feminist Views on Digital Communication

• Includes theoretical interpretations, as well as socio-political movement.

• The discussion includes exploring how it is feminists are intperating in the in pattern of digal communcations while exploring how these are the doing to the change in these patterns.

The static on various communtions

• • Women in particular use media slgithly more than men.
• • Pinterest and Instagram of 70 % are overwhelmingly women.
• • 13% of woman on the Wikipedia.

Feminist Theory and The Digital

• Feminist studies are relatively recent.

• Theories have emerged in part with the ciriticism of patriarchal ways.

• The world focuses on women exclusions and digital history and with the use of feminism and history by developing feminism.

• Challenges are the role of women and cybersprace of interest is the digital communication and with the seeking challege of overturners for gender an digital.

• Harware (1985) with breaking work sciencent and tech of socialist of the late society review and strongly felt what women would in knowledge and technologally based from her arguretns feminist had to participate and inform and in her manifesto women should essentailize it from shared meanings.

• Harware agrue that feminism should constructed by people in particual entities may allow transcend in boundries of ideas of means.

• Harware with suggesting in technologal advancement women should have an iednetiy that not boundes on patriarchaly discourses in gender.

• Her later with cybrog metphor of explaining problemis feminism to capitalism being an better undsterandting indentity.

• Harware with teresting gender by way what empower and offering which the tradeitons of the social life offers.

• Nakamuri(2011) whicwomen from range ethnicity are gaining presence by particular intreset.

• In particulat that networks support which women cant excess support previously and for exampe sexisim in a project by Laura Bales.

Globalisation and the Exploitation of Women

• Globalisation now have new oppurtinties of effecting new way of effects like new oppurtinies to create new ways exploit vulenrabl grpups.

• In result women and children already in place and become risk in what became a commodity and is being bought and some the some the criminal activity and entertainment is by tourists organise rings sexual.

• Childern annd children throughout women for those with dont that power made it difficult so most feminist state that man controled the women children are not prioritised being traffcked and also because an unregulated global.

• Sexual women and childern are acconpaing by huuman human rights disasters a signigacgnifnt, and the coordinatio is in movement trafficking is risining .

• Arlaccik (1997) the most oragnisations is the undesrable result of globalisation with the being no pirrteoes in a country.

• New form of exploitation:

  • Increased concerns, is also with protecting the childern.

  • Ceop leader with protecting and in year and 2012-13 reported

• Various report of child abuse.

• Various amount intelligence report uk and oversea law.

• 192 people for online crimes.

• Negetive impacts include sexual abuse

• Abiltty of sharing some peoples violence towards women.

• Women should be seeing the without any feeling and dignity by accessing th images online.

• Violent imagery seen as less serious.

• Viewing voilence can expose and pictures with no clothes and the controllinf of women

• Men not detected are lessy likley found and no real regulation is present.

• Modern day slavery or the world leader is being that the result on reaserhc in the social jutsice 2013 by a ranger acaremic on the nature and extented slavery in the.

• The study evidence from 180 indviduals including who is in labour and forceed from and the sector included slavery with those who home and domestic.

• Large cases never reported/recognised in any statistics.

• Also, in 2011 the 2077 in potention victims form modern and slvaeroy this problem is never only against manifests of the womens and for men to is what vulenrabl for vulnerable 40 percent are male this cant viewed with manifestation women as the majority is sexualy contuinects.

• Feminists online forums with what for online that in a manner reproduce womens and childern are marginal.

• At present at unpiloiced it presntes way for policy makers.

• Feminst also point that women offer cant cant controle

• Protester have been utilizing internet

Practical Responses

• In recent practical been lack from and for for eamplpe that is though scholars and the artistic for writing from for women to engaging humantites
• The fourth wave of feminism: New interesting is what the reavilitation is what it knows with the fourth feminism which that being 20000,2010 defiened being importance is the way for communiting and sharing to had a effect on women who be muted with allow to express for the part of groups/

Digital communcation simply providing way to exploit women and children and what mobilise ability for praticing.

Some idelogucys pertupte in a way for representation of womens and gender.

Computer compainesi in second role so that they new muteded from voice.

New digatil global

• Being a strog movement that is example by what orgs for badg.
• Another eample the the 59 procent users identify femninism.
• Ikamara larasi who addresing sexist music and in response in lyrcic.
• Jinas younis that the the femninist online groups and in the is the writing about from for feminiam groups and the is the bates and setting cpaings the convinsce pages.

This disucssion alon

• Illustrates global digital communcation. The lead for genred means digaltic reudcuce women.

• Being with women and effetcs hand in oppsition .

EVALUATION

• Femiinsat are it not the creating ways that extneding patrichcal.

• Other feminists optimistic new expersssions about ment and gender.