CMCL 307: Contemporary Culture Shaped by Digital Media Analysis

This essay examines the influence of digital media on contemporary culture, considering the impact of technology and globalization. It discusses how digital platforms perpetuate culture through various forms of media, such as songs, videos, and movies, while also highlighting the perpetuation of affluent classes and the criticisms of capitalism. The essay references theorists like Marcuse, Ellul, Brzezinski, and Snow to explore the degradation of societal values and the redefinition of culture in the modern world. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the realities of society through cultural artifacts and the need to bridge the gap between scientific and literary cultures for societal growth and development. Desklib offers a range of past papers and solved assignments for students seeking further insights into this topic.

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Culture and digital media
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Influence of digital media on contemporary culture........................................................................2
Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
Discussion....................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................4
References:......................................................................................................................................6

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Influence of digital media on contemporary culture
Introduction
With the advent of human civilization, the aspect of culture and traditions also came to the
lime light. Human beings are mainly guided by their emotions. Their emotions have led them to
formulate certain ethical values and customs which they consider would be applicable to the
society based on their level of acceptance (Kar, Yadav & Agarwal, 2016). The evolution of
culture is also dependent on the activities of such individuals. With the advent of globalization,
the importance of digital media came to the limelight. The purpose of this paper is to understand
how the contemporary culture has been affected by the presence of digital media. In this regard,
the impact of the technology has been taken in to consideration in the course of the paper.
Discussion
Culture of a society is propounded through various mechanisms (Aldén & Neuman, 2019).
In the contemporary world, there has been a wide growth in the digital platforms. Digital media
have helped to bring the societal realities much closer to the individuals and show case to them
what is going on around them (Kar, Yadav & Agarwal, 2016). In this context, it can be seen that
the aspect of culture has also found a strong foot hold within such digital media platforms. The

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different songs, entertainment videos and movies which are shown to the children and adult
members of the community, all try to perpetuate culture within them (Gay et al., 2018).
One of the major trends which can be noticed in the contemporary society is that of the
perpetuation of the affluent classes. Globalization has liberalised the world economy meaning
that now the individuals of the society are free to compete with each other from a level playing
field. However, according to Jungherr (2019), such a level playing field is a misnomer because
the people who have the financial resources and the necessary connections in the society, are the
ones who can afford a decent standard of living. The other individuals of the society are
excluded from this sphere of activity and their poverty is perpetuated as a result of their
inactivity (Kar, Yadav & Agarwal, 2016). The state sees this a failure on the part of the
individuals themselves to improve their standard of living, where, in fact, the fault lies with the
liberalised state itself since it is unable to provide the requisite means to bring them at par with
the affluent classes (Friedrichsen & Kamalipour, 2017).
Marcuse criticized the aspect of capitalism which can be noticed in the present world
order. He termed this concept to be accelerating the waste generated in the society, be a
mechanism of substratum poverty and leads to an irrational combination of productivity and that
of destruction.

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In this respect, reference can be made of Jacques Ellul and his work on “Propaganda: The
formation of Men’s attitudes”. This work has been written to highlight the various vehicles of
digital and printed media which are used by the government to propagate these cultural values
and norms which are acceptable to them (Tal & Gordon, 2016). Thus, the news articles and
views which are shared with the aid of such vehicles of communication, all aim to perpetuate a
particular thought within the minds of the people. The idea of conformity is harped upon within
this book (Kar, Yadav & Agarwal, 2016).
Marcuse was of the opinion that the only way in which the societies of the contemporary
world order would be free from the clutches of capitalism is that of establishing a welfare society
along the lines of socialism. However, it needs to be noted that the abolition of human labour is
utopian in nature (Morris, 1981). Human labour is an integral part of the present day world order
whereby various individual indulges in different activities which leads to the growth and
progress of the nation they are living in. At an individualistic level, such activities are also
considered to be necessary as they help them to incur more income, thereby leading to the
consequential improvement in their standard of living.
However, such claims were negated by Zbigniew Brzezinski. Brzezinski (1981), was of
the opinion that the shift from the traditional society to a globalized world order is characterised
by the mitigation of many societal values. The field of education is the one which is affected the

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most. In the traditional societies, education was available only to a limited number of people that
is those who could access them. Would the development of the modern society, education is no
available to everyone without any distinctions being made (Kar, Yadav & Agarwal, 2016). There
is also a significant use of audio and visual aids which enable the effective learning of the
concerned students.
A point of synthesis has been reached in the article written by C.P Snow. Snow (1962),
opined that while it is true that the different forms of technology has been degrading the aspect
of culture present in the society, it is first necessary to redefine the nature of culture itself.
Culture refers to the situation which arises when a group of individuals live together and share
the same norms, traditions, language and food. In the modern society, such various forms of
culture can take the shape of either a scientific culture or that of a literary culture (Leavis, 1962).
However, both such forms of culture are important for the growth and development of the
society and for the development of the human society as seen in the present world order.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that the two genders have always remained divided from
one another. Based on their biological differences, the society has differentiated between them
and accorded a higher standing to the male gender while the female members have been
relegated to a secondary position. This is apparent from the existence of various cultural artifacts

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from all around the world. The existence of culture helps to identify the realities of the society
and acts as a mirror of the individuals.

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References:
Aldén, L., & Neuman, E. (2019). Culture and the gender gap in major choice: an analysis using
sibling comparisons.
Friedrichsen, M., & Kamalipour, Y. (Eds.). (2017). Digital transformation in journalism and
news media: media management, media convergence and globalization. Springer.
Gay, V., Hicks, D. L., Santacreu-Vasut, E., & Shoham, A. (2018). Decomposing culture: An
analysis of gender, language, and labor supply in the household. Review of Economics of
the Household, 16(4), 879-909.
Jungherr, A. (2019). Book Review: Social Theory after the Internet: Media, Technology and
Globalization (Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 117-119). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE
Publications.
Kar, S. K., Yadav, S., & Agarwal, V. (2016). Impact of culture on gender roles: A mental health
perspective. Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry, 32(4), 337.
Leavis, F. R. (1962). Two cultures? The significance of CP Snow. Critical Review, 5, 90.
Morris, J. W. (1981). Classics of Western Thought, Volume IV: The Twentieth Century.
Tal, D., & Gordon, A. (2016). Jacques Ellul revisited: 55 years of propaganda
study. Society, 53(2), 182-187.

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