Media as Global Change Agent

A Chinese tourist takes a break in front of a Starbucks coffee shop in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The Influence of Global Media

When media products flow around the world, both their form and content are agents of change.

Historically, we know that the introduction of any significant new mode of communication — whether alphabetic writing, printing presses, electronic media, and now digital networks — alter social and political structures. We also know that the exchange of cultural content carries new ideas and values, influencing cultural group identity and beliefs.

If change is inevitable, the questions to ask are: To what degree? What kind? How do people react? The answers, interestingly, are as varied as the range of cultures in the world: it simply depends.

In this issue we offer a variety of examples and opinions regarding media as a global and cultural change agent. We hope you enjoy our work.

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Protest in Mexico against FARC

Rita del Castillo, right, mother of Juan Gonzalez, one of four Mexican university students killed during a Colombian Army cross-border raid on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, camp in Ecuadorian soil, reacts during a protest in front of the Colombian Embassy in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

Facebook: A Hub for Protesters

By Terron Paul

Those opposed to the activities of the Marxist insurgent army, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), went from a small group of people venting their frustrations on Facebook to over 430,000 anti-FARC supporters. A year later, in February 2008, 185 international cities witnessed protests against FARC holding hostages thanks to the popular “One Million Voices Against FARC” Facebook group.