Globalisation and the Media

The relationship between globalisation and the media is one of the most important and contested topics in contemporary sociology. The media is both a product and a driver of globalisation — it is through media technologies and content that ideas, images, values, and cultural forms circulate across national borders. At the same time, the globalisation of media raises profound questions about cultural identity, power, and inequality: does globalised media promote cultural diversity and mutual understanding, or does it impose the values and products of powerful Western (particularly American) corporations on the rest of the world?

Key Definition: Globalisation refers to the increasing interconnectedness of societies across the world through the movement of goods, capital, people, ideas, and cultural forms across national borders. Media globalisation specifically refers to the global distribution of media content, the transnational ownership of media companies, and the worldwide spread of media technologies.

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Cultural Imperialism