Are global communications endangering cultural diversity?
This is the question Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart are addressing in their book Cosmopolitan Communication. Cultural Diversity in a Globalized World.
And this question is also crucial for my research. Is the Internet as the most common media for global communications endangering cultural diversity? Or is it only changing some aspects of culture relatad to human rights?
Norris and Inglehart distinguish three types of possible effects usually referred to:
- L.A.-Effect: Convergence of national cultures around Western values: homogenity
- Taliban Effect: Polarization of national cultures: diversification
- Bangalore Effect: Fusion of national cutlures: fusion
In the next step, they set up their own theory, called the „firewall model“. According to Norris and Ingelhart, there are a number of firewalls that prevent cultural dominance by the west- but the individual use of news media can still have a direct effect on individual values. Specifically, it can lead to more trust in outsiders (with different culturual background) and is related to weaker feelings of nationalism.
For my reasearch, I’ll have to answer further questions: It remains to be seen if the individual use of news media is also leading to a different perception of the image of women or cultural practices conflicting with human rights. And another question still to answer is, if „the news media“ is synonymous with „the Internet“, respectively Social Media?