NEW MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

By Mkessa Patricia
BAPRM 42618

Mass media activities have been commendable at any point of time of history in informing, educating or entertaining the people all over the world. Every media have had their share of effects on the society and has been responsible in their own way for changes in social-economic and cultural aspects.Multimedia,yet another part of new media use a combination of different content forms of different media, in contrast to media that only use traditional forms of printed or hand produced material.

Culture and its facts

Some of today’s life styles connected concepts of culture are work culture,corporate culture, media culture, mass culture, cultural hegemony,etc Mathew Arnold, a great literary critic in his book Culture and Anarchy(1869)says, “Culture knows that the sweetness and light of the few must be imperfect until the raw and unkindly masses of humanity are touched with sweetness and light”. Culture is also connotative with traditions and customs followed by particular societies.However, in the current context, this perspective blurs the discussion of cultural impact of new media technologies.

Cultural studies and technology

Technology change resulting in urgent changes on human life, by the beginning of 21^st century has dictated the life-styles forcing inevitable acclimatization. According to critique Swidler”consistencies across individuals come less from common inculcation by cultural authorities than from the common dilemmas institutional life poses in a given society”. Hence, this study critically views for practicality of Global Communication Orders and the lack of a comprehensive communication policy, particular to India. Also this study assumes importance in post modern world where it seems like technology and media together are forming a nexus to create a situation of waging a virtual war on mankind.

Tendency towards Cultural Globalization

As global communication on the new media threatens to overtake sex as a pass time, the very future of ‘mass media’ itself, and of profession, might be perceived to be in jeopardy. The new media has potential dangers in making us lazy, block social communication or create a separatist society, pop-up fundamental changes in our values. The benefits and pitfalls of new medium are explored compared to print.

Conclusion and suggestions

Social networking is simply redefining human communication and relationship; Because of social networking sites, auto-sexual behavior of new-media is thought to be safer. So communication policy should be clear, especially in a developing situation. Absence of communication policy has affected growth of technology and also maturity of readers, listeners or viewers. Extreme globalization results in Loss of Nativity and that bring in drastic decreases in transfer of life supportive knowledge from generation to generation.