Final Project od International Communication: Defining Indentity under a Multicultural Influence: The Global Culture

Global Communication

Final Project


Defining Identity under a Multicultural Influence: The Global Culture

Done By:
Widyane Sakali
Supervised by
Dr. Mohamed Ibahrine


Ifrane, 15 November 2007

Glossary:

The title of this project is: Defining Identity under a Multicultural Influence: The Global Culture

This project talks about multiculturalism. It presents my real life case about identity confusion, multiculturalism, and my feeling of belonging to the global world. This project is aimed at presenting a complete description on multiculturalism and identity regarding to the global culture and provides some arguments that support the world citizenship and the creating of a global culture. My thesis statement is: To whish extend do multicultural effects lead individuals to identify themselves as citizens of the world and feel the need of a global and unionized culture that will balance diversity?

The way this project fits with the course theme is done by emphasizing on culture, communication and globality in the book of Global Communication by Yahya R. Kamalipour. One of the Chapters we covered in Global Communication program related to Communication and Culture, which is chapter 13, and it related to cultures, the transmition of cultures across spaces, the perception of cultures in different communities and the culture of the world.


The reason why I chose this topic is because I have a remarkable experience with the effects of culture in defining my identity and the effects of belonging to different cultures or multiculturalism. This real life experience drives me to ask a set of questions regarding my belonging to one culture or another, my disability to emphasize of one of the cultures I feel I belong to, and my identity confusion and personality struggle.

I was still suffering from this cultural confusion experience until I took the course of global communication, in which Dr Ibahrine Mohamed helped me to develop a global vision about cultures in general, and his high regard and interest about the global culture and the creation of a unionized community to which all citizens of the world should belong. His visions helped me reflect on my multicultural influence and find a suitable solution which is “I am a citizen of the world and my culture is the culture of the world” or in other words I belong to a Global culture.

The main methods I used to gather the necessary information for this project were:
· My personal life experience
· Dr Ibahrine’s discussions regarding that issue
· Global Communication Book By Yahya R. Kamalipour, especially chapter 13 on Communication and Culture
· 2 books written by Mr. James A. Banks:
Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society
Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives

Consultation from internet












Defining Identity Under a Multicultural Influence: The Global Culture

Introduction to self identity

During adolescence and closing adulthood we rise questions such as “who I am? How do other see me? Who do I see myself? What am I doing in this world? To whom I belong? Where do I want to be? Etc. we usually fall into identity confusion and get obsessed with finding convincing answer to identity questions. Another confusing aspect in identity is when teens have bicultural or multicultural influences and education and feel they belong to more than one culture and can’t make the choice between them.


In my case I feel I am having a “ border crossing” which is a term raised by Maria Root referring to having both feet in two different cultures with two different groups, different education, tradition, and different countries. I live in Nador in the north of morocco where the Riffian civilization of Morocco is concentrated. Nador is a city whose culture is completely different from the Moroccan cities of Rabat, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakech, etc. In Nador we have different traditions and understanding of life in what refers to families, education, and society. I would define the Riffian culture and society as a very complex and very conservative atmosphere where men are give all the rights while women’s best position is whatever that concerns house activities, marriage, and children. Nador is far from the city of Melilla, the Spanish colonized city, with only 12 km. Being the distance from Nador to Melilla only 10 minutes, made it easier to Nador citizens to visit and interact with this Spanish beautiful city and its citizens. A fact that made the influence of Spanish culture very reflected in the Riffian society and its people.


Indeed, I have studied in a Spanish school “Lope de Vega” headed in Nador. This school is the best example that would reflect the huge influence of the Spanish culture on Nador society where we notice that over the years more and more families want their children to study on that school and receive a Spanish education. other than the education, ruffian families started adopting some habits brought from the city of Melilla being the meals, the decoration of the houses, clothes, way of life, and most importantly the language. Today in Nador it is hard to find a young boy or girls speaking pure Berber. According to a research I have conducted a year ago about the influence of Spanish culture on the ruffian society, 20% of Berber word and replace with Spanish words and its is increasing because nowadays Spanish language is being give a special interest and importance in Morocco.


After describing the extend to which the Spanish influence is expanding in the Riffian and Moroccan society as a whole, and coming back to the concept of “border crossings", I would say that I have one foot in Spain and one foot in Morocco because I belong to a Moroccan and more specifically Riffian family, and I have been educated in a Spanish school and by Spanish professors and most of the people I interacted with are Spanish. This reflects clearly my bicultural identity because I feel I strongly belong to the Riffian the same way I belong to the Spanish culture in a balanced and proportional way, and this sometimes causes me some kind of struggle because they are two completely different cultures. According to Root, “the individual can shift foreground and background identities to cross borders defined by race and ethnicity”, in other words and applying this quotation to my case, sometimes I may wish to emphasize on one background or culture while deemphasizing the other culture and this is what Root calls the “ situational Ethnicity”. The fact is that when I spend lot of time in the city of Nador or in any other city in Morocco, suddenly I feel the need to go to Melilla or any other city in Spain, meaning hat there are times that when being in the Moroccan culture I feel missing the Spanish culture and this is what reflects my feeling of belonging to both cultures in a balanced way.


After my school and when I moved to the city of Ifrane to study in Akhawayn University I found myself in front of a different culture. The reason why I decided to do my university studies in Morocco was an idea of my father who tried to push me more to the Moroccan culture and make it easier for me to identify myself more as a Moroccan especially that I didn’t speak Arabic or French which are two important languages in the Moroccan culture far from the Riffian society. The fact is that even if Al Akhawayn University is a Moroccan university, yet it adopts and American system and the language of instruction is English. In AUI, 90% of students are Moroccans and the rest 10% of students are non Moroccans coming for exchange programs.


Even though the vats majority of students are Moroccans, the American culture is highly reflected in AUI community, a fact that makes Moroccan students have American inclinations and interests being the language where we notice that many Arabic words are replaced by English ones and AUI community have created a special language that includes many American expressions and interpretations, there is also an influence in the clothing style, the American lifestyle, the music, and a high percentage of students tend to travel the to the US during holydays, to continue their studies after graduation, or to participate in exchange programs which is an activity that is highly considered by AUI as well as by its students.


Up to this level, I found myself in front of 3 completely different cultures, 3 different languages, and I believe I belong proportionally to all of them.


In Maureen Wartski's The Face in My Mirror, the central character, Mai had always regarded herself as a special case and different among others. Mai’s case is very similar to mine, being in any of the 3 cultures I feel I belong to and being put in any king of situation where I need to conduct a certain behavior, I try to make comparisons between the Spanish, the Moroccan and the American culture. For example, and this is an example of my real life, I am 24 years old. Regarding to my Moroccan culture and more specifically the ruffian culture, I need to get married because girls in my ruffian society get married at early ages and with 24 years I am very late and in fact many of my family members are constantly asking my parents for my hand to their sons and the parents will be highly involved in making this decision for me in case I hesitate. regarding my Spanish culture, marriage is an important thing and married couples are considered as very lucky to have the chance to find their partners and step into this important life change and make this hard decision, but still they consider that girls should never get married at their early ages and that what comes before marriage is a good professional career, a good job, and independence from family and that decisions such as marriage should only concern me and my partner and that my parents have no right to interfere. and regarding the American culture, marriage is not given any importance at all, what really matters in the American society is the a good job and making money after graduating from a good career. Marriage is seen as an obstacle to the professional of the individual and if it comes it needs to be at later ages. here I would deduce some similarities between the American and the Spanish cultures that regard marriage as a hard decision to make and that it needs to come at later ages and it is a decision that needs to be taken independently from parents or any other family member, while the Riffian culture regards marriage as a decision that could be taken in less than one day where parents pay a huge role in making that decision for their daughters. this example illustrates very well my feeling of belonging to 3 different cultures and my struggle when trying to make an important decision in my life being my personal life or my professional life in what concerns my studies and my education because I am still stock with the decision to continue my studies either in Morocco, Spain, or in US.


Now I will move to talk about the positive aspects of having a multicultural identity.

Multicultural influence

Actually there are many ways to define multiculturalism but instead of making research and quoting definitions, I preferred to use my own definition.


I personally think that the word multicultural is to be divided in 2 words which are:


- Multi or multitude: meaning a variety
- Culture: referring to civilization

From here we deduce that multiculturalism refers to a variety of cultures that are combined together. The way those cultures are combined is done by individuals perception, interpretation and adoption of those cultures. What comes after the combination of those cultures is the effect that they will have on individuals and the way they influence individuals education, personality, and life as a whole.

Being the cultures different form each other, individuals may interpret the aspects of this variety if cultures in different ways being the different values, believes, the language, taboos, etc. the way individuals combine those different aspects to shape their personalities and refer to them in different contexts is what I understand by multicultural influence.
Global communication

If we refer to language, today I speak Berber, Arabic, Spanish, English and French which are all important languages that are highly considered by the rest of the world cultures. Actually I speak the 3 most spoken languages of the world other than Berber and Arabic. My multicultural influences gave me the change to speak 5 different languages that facilitate a lot of aspects for me:

· If a travel to any country in the world I will not have any communication problems because I am presenting 5 alternative languages,
· If I participate in any international program, my languages will make me an important candidate since I have the abilities to communicate and interact with different people coming from different countries,
· If I attend any international event one of these 5 languages are more probable to be used as the official language of that event since at least 3 of them are considered as the key world languages
· If I want to continue my studies in any university of the world I am more probable to be accepted easily since I will not have language problems
Global culture

My multicultural influence helped me gain a general perception and interpretation of different cultures and have the ability to use the appropriate behavior in the appropriate place. In other words, it is easier for me to adopt a certain behavior and attitude in a certain culture or under a certain situation and while interacting with a certain group of people. I have gained a general understanding about the global culture of the world that enables me to become a global member.


Global identity

It is thanks to my multicultural influence that today I feel belonging to all continents of the world. Being the American, the Spanish or Arabic culture, they are all highly considered by the rest of the worlds’ cultures and are cultures that are having an increasing impact on the rest of the world, especially the Americana and the Spanish cultures. A fact that makes me feels as citizen of the world rather than belonging to a certain origin or cultural influence. I personally consider this fact with special interest and as a valuable asset since I am opened to all cultures of the world and I identify myself as the student of all educational systems and I regard my achievements to the worlds global extend, in other worlds, if I succeed in the future, then my achievement will be dedicated to the global world.

Global concern

Another important aspect that I consider with special important as a result of my multicultural influence is that I feel concerned with all global aspects of the world being the media, the economy, education, politics, religions, and societies. I feel I am proud of the American media influence the same way I feel proud of the Spanish economy improvement, the same way I feel proud of the Egyptian and the Syrian media improvement, etc. today if I was to work for any company I will not have a preference nor concern of the nationality of the company nor the country where ill be working. I believe that we are all concerned with the global success in all the aspects I have mentioned above and we all need to contribute to that success.

Multiculturalism and Globalization

Before I link both terms I will start by defining globalization while multiculturalism was already defined above. Again I will use my own understanding of globalization which is the interrelation and interdependence of people and places around the world and the efforts made to unify the different activities being communication, economy, politics, and cultures.


I believe that both globalization and multiculturalism and highly interrelated concepts in terms of the combination of completely different aspects and their translation into a unified system that will be acceptable suitable for everyone.


Both concepts try to build a global culture and encourage the citizens of the world to develop their sense of global concern this would imply people to:

- Accept differences
- Be open to the world
- Increase global citizenship education
- Develop cultural, national, and global recognition
- Develop what we call “democratic nation-state” or democratic society

To conclude, I would share my conclusion with Mr. James A. Banks, who is is Russell F. Stark University Professor and Director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle, and whose books have shaped my vision of global concerns and citizenship of the world such as his books: Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society; and Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives.

Cultural diversity exists in most nations in the world, but the challenge to those culture is their ability to maintain the defining aspects of their community cultures while being opened to the rest of the cultures and civilizations by contribution to a global image of their communities and building a global-social relationships with the world’s nations.

It is essential that in our years of globalization, cultures and communities start working on developing democratic nations and making efforts to balance diversity and create unity among nations. According to James A. Banks “The challenge of balancing diversity and unity is intensifying as democratic nation-states”, in other words and as I personally believe, the elimination of the gaps between diverse cultures is an essential step towards balancing diversity and towards the creation of a global culture to which citizens of the world identify themselves.




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References:

Online Refrences:

Banks A. James. 2003. Educating Global Citizens in a Diverse World. New Horizons for Learning. Retrieved 10 October, 2007 from:

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/banks2.htm

Niday, Donna and Dale Allender. (2000) "Standing on the Boarder: Issues of Identity and Boarder Crossings in Young Adult Literature." The ALAN Review, Volume 27, Number 2, 60-63.

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter00/niday.html

Books:

Global Communication by Yahya R. Kamalipor
· Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society by James A. Banks
· Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives by James A. Banks
Other sources were:
· In class discussions about the issue of communication and culture by Dr Mohamed Ibahrine
· My personal experience

Detailed Outline of Chapter 14

Patterns in Global Communication: Prospects and Concerns


I) Introduction

At end of 20th Cent, USA Congress passed a Laissez-faire Communication (new world order for media around the world)

This was not a sign of democratization

Content control was always held within state bureaucracies or by the citizen-owners of the nation

Media cartels have been formed to secure capital or dominate marketplace
information revolution seems to have come to an end or the very least a maturation

II) The Status of Infrastructure in the Com. Industry

Information revolution called by some writers 'the com. age' or the 'era of new media'
Nicholas Negroponte calls it 'digital revolution'

Wireless ind., achieved through use of global satellites

a) The Global Satellite System
1965, Geosynchronous satellite (GEO) could handle only 240 voice circuit at a time
now: 40% of voice traffic

b) Asia-Pacific Rim
satellite established to serve Asian Pacific region
ex: AsiaSat, Insat, KoreaSat, Palapa, etc
New bus. development ('soft alliance')
Hybrid network: combines both space and terrestrial connections to deliver customer signals efficiently and economically

c) The Middle-East
progress through selling broadband internet access by satellite and DBS
ArabSat: ME most important service providers

d) Africa
with exception of some major cites, Africa's terrestrial com infrastructure is scarce at best and non existent at worst
new GSM installation (growing) in Africa
3 million users of Internet in Africa (having a pop of 700 million)

e) Europe
pioneer in the field of DBS and DTG transmission services
Eutelsat important

f) South America
Latin America is sustained by a variety of Trans-Atlantic Satellites, including Intelsat and PanAmSat, and thanks to the continent deregulation of the telecom sector
Argentina: region's satellite sector

g) North America
WTO agreement opened up the telecom market and formation of a Pan-American market for satellite services has emerged
US and Latin America operators form partnerships
USA monopolizes north American satellite market
second and third generation tech implemented

h) Global Internet Services
preeminent economies such as the ones of USA, Can, Japan, etc have perfected sophisticated fiber-optic telephone
USA becomes the 1st fully integrated digital telecom in world
base economies (developing countries relying on foreign aid)
Expectant economy

III) Privacy and Information Warfare

'the evil incident to invasion of the privacy of the telephone is far greater than that involved in tampering with the mails'
FBI capturing info of all kinds

a) Gov intrusion
Surveillance system called Echelon: under covenant UKUSA, observe and analyze telephone, fax, email and Internet com
employs special computer program such as 'dictionary'
FIDNET: against terrorism

b) Int Information Warfare
spread of computer viruses, terrorists using propaganda

c) Int Debate concerning Free Access to New Media
In many expectant and base economies, info cannot be freely exchanged via Internet
media censorship in some Arab countries

IV) Global Economics, Transnational media, and Vanishing Culture

Nostalgia for the past
Traditional values vs globalization

a) Cultural Impact
flow of pop culture: a threat to local culture
freedom of expression; a right in the West legitimized by constitutional authority
in other parts of world; censorship easily tolerated as a form of civic responsibility within a legitimate social framework
stereotyping imagery

b) Economic Impact
create partnership
recent years: 3 trading blocs: EU, NAFTA and Pacific Rim partners
difficult to have eco progress without having access to com systems
human brain power: create economic wealth today

V) Conclusion

Digital tech led to losing privacy, security, etc and sovereignty
Coming change: a brain power

Detailed Outline of Chapter 13

Communication and Culture


Introduction:

Culture is a way of life
Mass media are key components in any nation's culture

Culture Industries:

Coined by Adorno and Horkheimer: They developed a theory called 'Critical Theory'
The Two believed that the real purpose of mass media was to provide ideological justification for the capitalistic societies where these industries developed.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 1999, describes culture industries as important national economic resources that allow expressions of creativity to be “copied & boosted by industrial processes and worldwide distribution.”
Business has its own set of cultural characteristics
Any organization has its own culture that keeps people attached to it and allows members to identify with it
We all belong to multiple groups, each with its own characteristics culture, including schools, religious organizations, civic groups, and even neighborhood groups

Transmission of culture:

Geertz: 'culture is an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life'
print capitalism: newspapers

How West Dominate in Production of Culture:

Schiller: Mass Communication and the American Empire
Nordenstreng and Varis: the one way flow was based on historical conditions related to the introduction of TV and eco. resources and dem. characteristics of the exporters and importers of programs
Tunstall: the Media are American
Tomlinsonm: Cultural Imperialism

What Cultures do to defend cultural autonomy?

Countries with large domestic markets for cultural products always have an advantage in films and television production because they are:able to charge lessable to remain competitive with other exportsCountries with low productions markets employ these strategies:1- Quotas2-Subsidies and Grants3. Regional alliances (co-productions)4.Adaptations of programs produced in other cultures5. Resistance measures

Not ALl Pop culture is American

•Despite an international film and television market dominated by the U.S., people still tend to prefer their local cultures and local cultural products•In India, Japan, Russia, and Brazil, 70-90% of television content is produced domestically•Bollywood music and movies appeal to larger audiences, Indian and non-Indian alike, throughout the world

Role Of Journalists in Production of Cultures is objectivity an unattainable myth?*

U.S. news formats are adopted by other news organizations. CNN has large influence- sound bites, voiceovers, etc. internationally used
Journalists are supposed to detach themselves from what they write

Managing Cultural Conflict:

Globalization vs. Fragmentation, Jihad vs. McWorld
Kurdish; not allowed to have their own channel
broadcast from London to preserve a distinctive identity

Hybrid Cultures and the Media

Melting Pot, hybridist, creolization or globalization: Mix of cultural frames for all of us
American Culture
fusion
media imperialism: interpreted according to local culture

What we can conclude:

Journalism, American Style, is also exported around the globe in broadcasts and print media

Detailed Outline of Chapter 12

Global advertising and PR


I. Introduction

-Newsom, Turk and Kruskeberg say that Public relations practitioners are intermediaries between the organizations they represent and all of their organizations’ publics

-Advertising and PR becoming more global

-Multiculturalism and technologies are changing communications

II. Brief History of Advertising and PR Worldwide

1. Western in origin
2. corporate in purpose
3. manipulative in role, function, and intenta Western in Origin?
1. advertising existed in Middle East as early as 3000 B.C.
2. not only 20th ct. phenomenon. German org. had one of the earliest internal pr departments in 1890
3. PR is more culturally-based than marketing or ad. and thus it is harder to conduct transnational PR
4. difference in Western PR (between an institution and its environment) and developing country PR (between material and nonmaterial aspects of culture)
5. Advertising tailored to indigenous cultures, not all ads are appropriate by all cultural standards

Corporate in Purpose?

1. accompanying the growth of large corporate institutions and enjoying the growth of consumerism as a global economic phenomenon
2. Global corporations are finding niche markets now rather than appealing to a mass global consumer population
3. U.S. gov and NGOs have long used advertising and PR as well
4. focus of corporations on “relationship marketing”

Manipulative in Role, Function and Design?

1. true advertising aims to sell ideas and products but PR is more complex
2. PR can play an essential role in democratic society
3. “relationship marketing” and responsible corporate citizenship

Democratic in Tradition?

1. suggests availability of consumer choice
2. places value on public opinion (inherent to democracy)

Capitalistic in Heritage? True

III. Environmental Challenges, Population Growth, Poverty and Hunger

War“social marketing” can help alleviate and/or deal with these problems

IV. Tensions from Technology, Globalism, and Multiculturalism

1. Technology is the intervening variable affecting gobalism and multiculturalism
2. Governments, Corporations and Private

V. Nationalism versus Globalism

Homogenous global culture vs. revamped nationalism

VI. Past vs. FutureTensions between modern and traditional societies as well as within traditional

VII. Tensions among the First, Second, and Third WorldEast-West tension diminishing but new divide between poor and rich

VIII. Class Stratificationsocial

Class issues remain in the 21st century, digital divide

IX. Control of Technology

Citizens or corporations will control it?

X. An Ideological Foundation for Advertising and PR

Ad. and PR not a panacea for these problems but they can help. a participation in culture

XI. Conclusion

PR and Ad. can help International relations and communication but cannot cure all the problems facing a globalize world

Detailed Outline of Chapter 10

Politics of Global Communication

1. The Three Substantive Domains

a. The fields: telecommunication intellectual property rights, and mass media

b. Telecommunication issues: accessibility, allocation, and confidentiality

c. Intellectual property rights issues: more urgency because of new technologies and large scale copying of copyrighted materials

d. Mass media issues: tension between harmful content and free speech.

2. The Beginnings

a. Telecommunication
- Guaranteed freedom of transit within territory of the union and the standardization of charges to be collected by each country
- The rise of a multilateral agreement

b. Intellectual Property Rights
- Multilateral treaty-
-The development of basic principles to ensure remuneration for an author by protecting the work from reproduction

c. Mass Media
- The convention for facilitating the international circulation of films
- Negative social impact of the mass media

d. The New Multilateral Institutions
- The creation of the UN and its specialized agencies

e. Specialized Agencies
- Multilateral policy: ITU, UPU, UNESCO, WIPO,ILO, WHO, FAO, ICA, etc.

f. The Nongovernmental Organization
- An important contribution was offered by a rapidly growing group international nongovernmental organizations

g. Shifts in Global Communication Politics
- The international governance system for communication
- Global communication is defined by trade and market standards, moving from a political discourse to an economic trade discourse.
- The more and mores powerful private players
- Transnational corporations

h. The World Trade Organization
- National treatment of foreign competitors in national markets

3. Current Practices

a. Telecommunication
- Telecommunication infrastructures are essential to development
- The installation and upgrading of infrastructures is expensive
- Private funding is needed
- To attract private funding, countries will have to liberalize their telecommunication markets and adopt pro-competition regulatory measures

b. The WTO Telecommunication Treaty
- Public telecommunications transport service
- Public telecommunication transport network

c. Changing The Account Rate Settlement System.

d. The Domain Of Intellectual Property Rights
- Current intellectual property rights
- The use of technologies strengthens the monopoly control owners

e. The Domain Of Mass Media
- Problem of oligopolies and cartels
- Preference for anti-cartle legislation clashes with free market agenda
- liberal claims vs. protectionism

4. Lessons From A Key Project In The Domain Of Global Mass Media Politics

The global information infrastructure bring them improvements in lifestyle, comfort, well-being

5. Global Communication Politics Today

a. Access
b. Knowledge
c. Global Advertising
d. Privacy
e. Intellectual Property Rights
f. Trade In Cultureg. Concentration
h. The Commons
i. Civil Advocacy
j. The World Summit On The Information Society

Detailed Outline of Chapter 11

Global Communication and Propaganda

- Propaganda has to do with the use of communication channels, through known persuasive or manipulative techniques, in a n attempt to shape or alter public opinion.

The use of propaganda:

- First, government leaders, with intent to mold public opinion on international issues that have bearing on a country and its people, often use its techniques

- Second, use of propaganda is in attempts to influence matters abroad, normally to reinforce a country’s public actions or policies, or perhaps to change or reinforce perceptions of a country, its citizens, or its reputation among individuals elsewhere in the world

- Finally, nongovernmental entities may seek access to global communication channels in order to sway public opinion or affect public policy formationThe purpose of propaganda is to persuade and convert by using intentionally selective and biased information

1. Origins of Propaganda

a. The origins of the term propaganda may be traced to the 17th century. It was used in condemnation of clandestine organizations that attempted to undermine or influence foreign affairs

b. Lipmann and Lasswell: manipulation was necessary for managing individual in democratic societies; propaganda to mold public opinion for the support of a democratic society

2. Seeking a Definition

a. Propaganda is a phenomenon of public discourse guidance or coercion that is not always immediately recognized as harmful.

b. Propaganda has to do with the use of communication channels, through known persuasive or manipulative techniques, in an attempt to shape or alter public opinion.

3. Propaganda and Public Relations

a. Instead of propaganda, many prefer to use terms such as public relations, publicity, promotion, marketing, public affairs, and advertising

b. The constant use and misuse of the term has led to further confusion so that today the term has diminished importance and impact

c. Hegel: even democratic societies might be controlled through hidden persuaders and manipulators

d. Creel

e. Dewey

f. The widespread management of public opinion formation in the domestic market

4. Public Diplomacy

a. Truthful propaganda: public diplomacy is public relations

b. Public diplomacy became very closely associated with activities emanating from the United States

c. The objectives of those involved in public affairs communication are to inform and influence public opinion intentionally

5. Research Persuasion

a. Propaganda research was concerned with understanding the effects of the mass media propaganda upon populations subjected to it

b. Differentiated between one-sided messages that offer arguments in favor of the perspective being promoted and two-sided messages where both favorable and bipolar sides of an argument are given.

c. Two sided arguments were found to be more effective than one sided approaches

d. Exposure to specific forms of propaganda might have a marked effect on basic core values held by subjects

f. Bucket theories and the mass mediated manipulation

6. Wartime Propaganda

a. Propaganda was important to mobilize hatred of the enemy

7. Strategies of a Propaganda Campaign

a. Name-calling: the use of labels to project an idea in a favorable or unfavorable light. Its purpose is also to discourage individuals from examining substantive evidence on an issue.

b. Glittering Generality: the tendency to associate and issue or image with a noble or virtuous term. Purpose= arouse both faith and respect in listeners and readers

c. Image Transfer: when one takes the power, respect, or good reputation bestowed on an existing entity or concept, and then attempts to share these positive qualities through association with a product, individual, or position, the perpetrator is hoping to benefit from it.

d. Testimonial: when a distinguished or recognized but highly unpopular person is used to cast a product, individual, position in either a positive or negative light.

e. Plain Folks: when a communicator wishes to convince others that they or their ideas are good or valid since they are similar to everyone else, just everyday ordinary people.

f. Card Staking: when a presentation uses a selection of facts and distortions, elucidations and confusions, and both logical and illogical statements.

g. Bandwagon Approach involves utilization of a notion that “everybody is doing it”

8. Modern use of propaganda

a. The long running Cold War was often central to activities as we saw governmental efforts to produce propaganda continue in the aftermath of the Second World War (social guidance films)

9. Terrorism as Propaganda

a. Governments continue to be major users of propaganda in the delivery of messages

b.When the messages emanates from a nongovernmental group, it is called non-state terrorism.

c. Public sentiment in the meantime will be influenced by rhetoric

10. Addressing Terrorism

a. Global inequities and the imbalance of power.

b. While other terrorist groups will undoubtedly emerge, the likelihood of this occurring might diminish is we turn our attention to the political, social and economical problems of these countries

11. Conclusion

a. Propaganda is a long-established communication technique employed for public opinion manipulation.b. Advances in technologies have made propaganda even more persuasive

Detailed Outline of Chapter 8

The Global Implications of the internet: Challenges and Prospects


I) Convergence theory and cultural identity

• Communication is a process of sharing information in which two or more participants reach mutual understanding.

• The convergence model posits reduced within group variance to be the primary result of the communication process and a requirement for collective action and the achievement of social goals.

• Cultural convergence theory suggests that the variance between groups or national cultures would become smaller over time as a result of international communication.

II) Systems Approach and Social networks systems

Holism is better characterized by organizational structure, when an entity consisting of two or more basic parts, or people in communication with each other in which the outcome is something more or different than the sum of the parts (e.g., culture).
Definition of a system

“A system, then, is a set of things that affect one another within an environment and form a larger pattern that is different from any of he parts”
Social networks

Social network perspectives focus on the structure of social systems elements of a social system are put together


From the network perspective, social environment can be expressed as patterns or regularities in relationship among interacting units

These patterns are often called structure

III) Intercultural Communication

• Intercultural communication concerns the linkages between Groups A and B that involve individuals a, b, and c

• These links also include the mass media, telecommunications, including the Internet because the information that facilitates the understanding of Groups A and B is communicated via the mass media, either print or electronic

• These linkages among different cultural groups have increased, resulting in globalization:

The process of strengthening the worldwide social relations that link distant localities in such a way that local events are shaped by circumstances at remote places in the world



1. Trans-border communication has opened cultural boundaries and began the process of cultural convergence

2. It has created a global community with an increasingly homogenous culture, particularly regarding political, economic, educational, and scientific activities, although in the area of religion this process has been much slower

3. The Internet is one channel that directly connects people of different cultural and national groups from across the globe with one another

Information flows via the Internet may facilitate the convergence of national cultures, leading to a universal set of beliefs that includes a change from national to global identity