Comparative Media Analysis

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY 1
Comparative media analysis
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PSYCHOLOGY 2
Introduction
Media has always been an integral part of society and a medium for collecting and
disseminating information to the masses. Today, people can access the media not just on radio,
newspapers but on TV and the internet. As the involvement of media and technology deepens,
the current and next generations find it much easier to access media, and it could be their cell
phones, laptops, and iPods. The paper discusses the media systems of the global North and South
in comparative perspective and if they are convergent or divergent in nature. The assignment
tests the divergence of media in the 21st century and the claims of growing homogenization of
media systems by comparing the comparing media regulation in China and the UK.
Media convergence and divergence
Different types of media convergence have been identified - technological, global,
economic, social and cultural. The process of media convergence involves technology,
utilization, commercialization, and structure (Sullivan & Jiang, 2016). The worldwide industries
have been impacted by the globalization of manufacturing, consumption, and distribution. The
global media and its widening reach around the world have led to new constructions and
challenges. New media technologies have contributed to a new media revolution. The dynamics
of media globalization have created different impacts in the global South as asserted by
Wasserman (2014). When media manages its content across multiple platforms such as print,
radio, Internet, social media and other interactive platforms, becomes a convergent media. In the
rapidly-changing 21st-century, with high-speed broadband in almost every home and
workplaces, there is a universally accessible platform for convergent media (Flew, 2012). Policy
convergence is a generic process where policies tend to grow alike in terms of structures,
processes, and performances (Olsson, Deverell, Wagnsson, & Hellman, 2016). In terms of media

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convergence, it refers to the process of merging previous media technologies due to the
digitization and computer networking. The emergence of digital technologies and technological
changes have made the convergence of media and communications prevalent and promoted
many companies to extend their reach (Sullivan & Jiang, 2016). Even traditional vehicles like
newspapers, magazines, and television can be accessed on the Internet. The phenomenon of
media convergence has impacted the media industry and ownership decisions.
Global North-global South media
The phrase “Global South” refers to the family of countries at the Periphery or the
regions outside North America and Europe. The terms like “Global North” and “Global South”
were used to denote the geopolitical relations of power in the world. These terms found
increasing use in academic fields like political science and international relations (Dados &
Connell, 2012). Regions like Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America broadly constituted the
Global South. As asserted by Pfetsch (2013), the global North and South stand in contrast in
terms of economic welfare, culture, and political stability. The economic and social differences
between the North and South deter cooperation. The global North includes the world's most
developed countries like the United States and European countries. The world has become a lot
more complicated in terms of economic and social development.
While Global North is in favor of globalization, there is a mixed stance in the Global
South. The news media is a primary vehicle for globalization as it reaches out to a global
audience. CNN and BBC networks have used technology to create internationally oriented news
programs and connect to wider audiences (Beer & Boynton, 2006). Aljazeera, a southern
network has supplemented its Arabic language with English to spread its global influence. As
global media develops, the use of standard technology can help drive international integration.

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While the northern actors have held an essential influence on political and media elites, the
Southern actors have mostly tried to fit themselves in. The Southern media tries to create its
niches within the Northern-dominated conventional technology and norms. The media actors
have only partial freedom, and different media actors can vary in terms of traditions, cultures,
and agendas. The localized differences interact with the globalizing media to create mixed result
(Beer & Boynton, 2006).
The research on neoliberal globalization reflects upon the disparities in some urban
regions of the Global and the embedded poverty in the Global South. Moreover, research from
the Global South has been primarily a Northern undertaking (Gulson, & Pedroni, 2011). The
media-soaked countries of the global North are witnessing the demise of newspapers because of
social media and smartphones. However, the newspaper trade is still vigorous in many countries
of the global South. The political, social and historical progresses impact the growth and
development of media (Wasserman, 2014).
The Global North and Global South divide can be seen to some extent in the use of
media. In today’s media ecology, audiovisual media content is a liquid asset that can be
streamed on various platforms as a corporate strategy. Dissemination takes place on different
platforms can be a linear broadcast, video-on-demand, webcasting and illegal peer-to-peer
circuits (Courtois, De Marez, & Verdegem, 20142). Thus, the numerous screen media have
converged regarding their affordances. The media convergence raises new problems with the
current framework of media and its content. The nature of the media consumer has shifted from
being an audience member to media participant and co-creator (Flew, 2012). There is a need for
developing a framework that concentrates on media content rather than the platforms for delivery
and distribution. Regulatory arrangements and the current framework need to be revised and be