Global Media Trends: Reflection on Globalisation & Glocalisation

This essay examines the evolving landscape of world media, focusing on the interplay between globalization and glocalization. It discusses how Americanization and Westernization influence global media trends, while also considering the impact of cultural imperialism. The essay defines globalization as the increasing interaction between companies and people worldwide, driven by advancements in communication and transportation technologies. Glocalization is presented as the simultaneous occurrence of globalization and localization, representing a challenge to simplified concepts of globalization. Real-world examples, such as Hollywood's incorporation of Asian celebrities and KFC's partnerships with Indian companies, illustrate these concepts. The essay concludes that mass media is a crucial technology for reaching a broad audience, providing information on political, social, and cultural issues, and that understanding the different types of mass media is essential for effective communication.

Running head: REFLECTION ON GLOBALISATION AND GLOCALISATION
Is the world media becoming more similar or dissimilar?
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Media can be defined as the effective collection of various communication tools or
outlets that are utilized for storing as well as delivering significant data or information (Hirst,
Thompson and Bromley 2015). This media is solely associated with the communication
media as well as the special communication for mass media business like press, photography,
print media, cinema, publishing, broadcasting, point of sale or POS, advertising and many
more. The media is one of the most important means as well as channels for the general
communication within society like radio, newspapers, television and many others. The mass
media is the proper and diversified collection of various media technologies, which are
reaching out to the larger audiences through means of mass communication. All of these
technologies by which the communication is taking place with the involvement of several
outlets (Beck 2018). Broadcast media eventually transmit the information electronically with
the help of media like radio, film, television and recorded music. The digital media consists
of both the mass communications of mobile and Internet.
The following essay outlines a brief discussion on the topic of world media becoming
more similar or dissimilar. There are various similarities or dissimilarities within the world
media. This essay will be focusing on the concept of globalization as well as glocalization.
Both of these globalization and glocalization are extremely important and significant for the
world of media. Several vital as well as relevant information will be provided here.
Moreover, real life examples and case studies will be provided in this essay.
Discussion
Similarities and Dissimilarities of World Media

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Various types of cultures are being observed in today’s world. All of these countries
know about their respective cultures (Baylis, Smith and Owens 2017). Nowadays, the
cultures of these countries are getting a much more parallel than the past. There are several
advantages as well as disadvantages due to this type of culture diversification. The first and
the foremost advantage in this sector is that it helps in sharing of ideas easily and promptly.
Moreover, a good and strong relationship is maintained between two countries. Due to this
benefit, the countries get the opportunities in enhancing their intellect, knowledge and ideas.
Thus, the relation government plan is utilized for developing their country’s GDP ratio
(Crane and Matten 2016). The lifestyle of the citizens of the country gets better with these
advantages. The defence power and the infrastructure of the country get developed with the
presence of media.
In today’s world, there are several similarities as well as dissimilarities. All of these
similarities and dissimilarities of media are responsible for the understanding the real position
of the media world in the current days. The cultural diversification is the most significant
example in this scenario (Kraidy 2017). The globalization and glocalization are strongly
impacted with the rapid development of new media. The trends of globalization and
glocalization have been increased to an extremely higher scale.
Americanization can be defined as the proper influence of the culture of the United
States, politics as well as economies within the countries that are outside the United States
like the media of the United States, food, language, fashion and technology. When there was
a major collapse within the Soviet Union in 1980s, this Americanization has acquired the
world and it utilized by the various critics within target countries that were even against this
type of influence (Burbules and Torres 2013). In the US or United States, this tem of
Americanization subsequently refers to the procedure of acculturation by annexed
populations and immigrants to the values or customs of America. Hollywood or the television

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industry and the American film and movies from the year of 1920 has been dominated all of
the media markets of the world. This is also known as the chief medium through which all the
people in the world can know or utilize the Americanization. Hence, this Americanization has
a strong impact on the entire world media. It is quite similar to the Westernization.
The Westernization matches somewhat with the Americanization or rather
Americanization are type of Westernization (Steger 2017). Although, Westernization has the
longer history than the concept of Americanization; it also includes some of the most popular
and powerful countries in Europe. The roots of this concept of Westernization are from the
Ancient Greece. Afterwards, the specific Roman Empire took this process of Westernization
since it was strongly influenced by Greece and hence created a new culture based values and
principles of this society of Ancient Greek. Some of the people solely assumes that the
concept of Westernization is much equivalent to modernization. In this entire process, this
world is being changed to a more advanced and Westernized society. Westernization has
always been an increasing influence in the world over the last few years (Dunning 2014). The
overall process of Westernization is often two-sided in that Western influences and interests
themselves are joined with parts of the affected society, at minimum, to change towards a
more Westernized society, in the hope of attaining a Western life or some aspects of it, while
Western societies are themselves affected by this process and interaction with non Western
groups.
The cultural imperialism is the proper type of various powerful nations in lesser
potential societies within the processes of Westernization and Americanization. This concept
of cultural imperialism is solely realized by the transnational flow as well as proper
consumption of the media products like television dramas, popular music, movies, sports and
celebrities. This cultural imperialism eventually consists of the various cultural aspects or
features of imperialism (Pieterse 2015). It thus refers to the perfect maintenance and creation

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of the unequal relationships within civilizations and hence favouring a strong and powerful
civilization. There are some of the major concepts, which have one of the important things
common between them. All of them emphasize on the fact of unilateral influence over the
powerful and modern nations and not on the lesser powerful and lesser modernized nations.
Moreover, it is assumed that there is homogenization in the political system and culture of the
world.
Globalization in World Media
The globalization can be defined as the trend to increase the overall interactions
between various companies or people on the worldwide scale for the excess advances within
the communication as well as transportation technology, usually at the beginning of the
telegraph and steamship within the tenure of early to middle of 1980s. With the increase of
interactions within the individuals and nation states came with the growth of the international
ideas, trades as well as culture (Drori, Höllerer and Walgenbach 2013). Globalization can be
defined as the specific procedure of integration, which comprises of the aspects of social and
culture. However, the diplomacy and the conflicts are the largest parts within the
globalization history. America’s global media and culture hegemony remains strong. But it is
increasingly being contested by ‘the rise of the rest’, ‘especially with emerging media flows
from large countries with old histories and new global aspirations’.
Subsequently, this globalization is responsible for involving various goods or services
as well as the various economic capital resources, data and technology. The improvements
within the technological world have always been the major and vital factors for the entire
globalization within the world (Gond and Boxenbaum 2013). Since, it solely focuses on the
interdependence and various interactions within the individuals and nation states in respect to
the information technology, cultures, international trade and ideas. Hence, it is termed as the

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multi dimensional sector and not the one way influence. The technological alterations of
various information and communication technologies as the precondition are termed as the
media globalizations. They have thus created a specific situation, where huge amount of
information could be easily transferred within the world in few seconds. This media
globalization can be characterized or featured by two distinct and typical features (Drori,
Höllerer and Walgenbach 2014). They are the emergence as well as continuous dominance of
the complete industry of global media by an extremely smaller number of conglomerates of
transnational media. The second feature of this media globalization is that the globalization of
the media content has thus resulted in the great amounts of standardization and
homogenization within certain media products that are being produced and distributed by all
the industries of global media.
Glocalization in World Media
Glocalization can be defined as the simultaneous occurrence of both the globalization
as well as localization. The universalization and the particularization of the tendencies within
contemporary social, political or economic systems are termed as the glocalization
(Robertson 2014). This term of glocalization eventually represents the specific challenge to
the simplified concepts of the processes of globalization as the linear expansions for scales of
territories. The indication of glocalization is for the increasing importance of global and
continental levels is taking place for the increment salience of the regional or local levels.
The individuals or organizations that are maintaining the several inter personal social
networks, which combine the excess longer distance and local interactions. Glocalization
works better for the organizations that have decentralized authority. The expenses to the
organizations eventually increments since they could not standardize the projects and
products, separate cultures having various needs for highlighting the challenges (Bauman

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2013). The example of the global business, which has various challenges for the product
localization within any organization. The attempt of the Starbucks for localization within
various cultures for the accommodation of the local elements is termed as glocalization.
Although, globalization is causing homogenization, several differences and the desires for
differences that are remaining extremely stronger within the local cultures is known as
glocalization. This concept of glocalization occurs when the two concepts of globalization as
well as localization would collide (Edgington and Hayter 2013). Glocalization can easily help
the consumers understanding the products or media within a localized sense for creating the
senses of cultural proximities and localities while experiencing the various global trends.
Soft power is the ability for attracting people in each side without the changes. There
are three important sources in country’s soft power. They are the culture, political values and
foreign policies.
Real Life Examples of Globalization and Glocalization in World Media
There are some of the major examples of globalization and glocalization in world
media. New media is also the main force accelerating the trend of globalization in human
society. The globalization trend has led to the transformation of almost all aspects of human
society (Roudometof 2016). The best example of globalization is that Hollywood has
incorporated big celebrities in Asian countries to increase box office in Asia. The best
example of glocalization is that KFC has tied partnership with an Indian company in India.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that mass media is the
technology, which has the intention of reaching out to the mass audience. It is the most
simplest and primary means for communication that is being utilized for reaching to the vast

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majority of the general public. Some of the most basic and common platforms for the mass
media comprises of magazines, radio, newspapers, films, Internet and many more. These
general public eventually relies on mass media for providing relevant information and data
about the political issues, entertainment, news or social issues within the pop culture. There
are various types of mass media within the world of media. Each of them could be easily
identified and thus should be utilized properly and significantly. For the longer period of
time, the general public gets news from the current events or latest news feed. With the
invention of radio and other communication media, there is always a high chance that the
primitive media could be better for the world. With the influence of mass media, various
countries have incremented their standard of media subsequently. The cinema industry of all
of these countries has gained utmost popularity with the incorporation of media within it. The
above essay has properly outlined the concept of similarities as well as dissimilarities of
world media. The two concepts of globalization as well as glocalization are properly
explained in this essay with relevant details.

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References
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Innovation, 1(1), pp.1-5.
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