Media/Cultural Imperialims Image
MEDIA/CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AND NATIONAL IMAGE. THE WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA.
INTRODUCTION
Information plays a paramount role in every form and context of relations. The spheres of information range from local, regional, national and international, both as a means of communication between people and as an instrument of understanding and knowledge between nations. The media is often owned by the rich and the capitalists. Thus whoever controls it has a very powerful instrument in his hand for he can channel the very thoughts of people. Media imperialism is at the moment of primary importance to all the states of the developing world. some cultures are rendered subordinate to others and that -the encounters between cultures are never on equal terms. Some cultures and their value systems are privileged because of the strategic prominence given them.
CONCEPT OF MEDIA AND CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
According to Boyd-Barrett, (1983:13) in Olise, (2010:104) media imperialism refers to ‘the process whereby, the ownership, structure, distribution or content of the media in any one country are, singly or together, subject to substantial external pressures from the media interests of any other country or countries, without proportionate reciprocation of influences by the country so affected’. Media imperialism is a subset of cultural imperialism. It is real and is hurting the interests of developing countries. In this age of globalization, the citizens of most developing countries are increasingly becoming supine consumers of media products ‘commodified’ and churned out by giant international media conglomerates and news channels The ownership, structure, production and the distribution of media contents are in their hands, in one way or the other. And they use these channels to propagate Western economic, socio-cultural and political ideologies around the world .Which makes directional flow of information- from the dominant imperialist countries to the less developed ones and
INTRODUCTION
Information plays a paramount role in every form and context of relations. The spheres of information range from local, regional, national and international, both as a means of communication between people and as an instrument of understanding and knowledge between nations. The media is often owned by the rich and the capitalists. Thus whoever controls it has a very powerful instrument in his hand for he can channel the very thoughts of people. Media imperialism is at the moment of primary importance to all the states of the developing world. some cultures are rendered subordinate to others and that -the encounters between cultures are never on equal terms. Some cultures and their value systems are privileged because of the strategic prominence given them.
CONCEPT OF MEDIA AND CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
According to Boyd-Barrett, (1983:13) in Olise, (2010:104) media imperialism refers to ‘the process whereby, the ownership, structure, distribution or content of the media in any one country are, singly or together, subject to substantial external pressures from the media interests of any other country or countries, without proportionate reciprocation of influences by the country so affected’. Media imperialism is a subset of cultural imperialism. It is real and is hurting the interests of developing countries. In this age of globalization, the citizens of most developing countries are increasingly becoming supine consumers of media products ‘commodified’ and churned out by giant international media conglomerates and news channels The ownership, structure, production and the distribution of media contents are in their hands, in one way or the other. And they use these channels to propagate Western economic, socio-cultural and political ideologies around the world .Which makes directional flow of information- from the dominant imperialist countries to the less developed ones and
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