Culture Imperialism Rotation in Indonesia
Media Globalization: Culture Imperialism Rotation in Indonesia
DR. Widodo Muktiyo
It is undeniable that globalization now is one loud word heard in the entire world in this 21st century. Even pro-contra phenomena also give color to the globalization trip. The change that is conducted entirely is felt collectively, and influence many people (cross all the countries) that influence the life style and our environment. World really change and globalization is a connected world unlimitedly; or it borrows the McLuhan’s term as global village (Fakih, 2006; McLuhan, 1994).
One of the interpretation towards globalization is said that globalization is” both a journey and destination: “both a journey and destination: it signifies abd historical process of becoming, as well as an economic and cultural result; that is arrival at the globalized state. Actually, globalization intrinsically has brought culture nuance and value that influence taste and society life style. Through the media that are more open minded and reachable, the society gets various information about that modern civilization from all over the world. While, we realize that not all citizen can evaluate yet where we are as a nation. That it is, for example, information flood and new culture that is brought by is often strange from life attitude and operative norm.
The Mass Media Roles
Before discussing about media globalization, we will try to review the mass media role that affirms the tendency of the global condition. As known, the mass media roles in social life, especially in modern society are undeniable, according to McQuail in his book Mass Communication Theories (2000: 66), there are six view perspectives about the media role. First, looking at mass media as a window on event and experience. Or media is being looked at as window that make possible public see what’s going on outside there. Or media is a study tool to detect various event.
Second, media is also often assumed as a mirror of event in society and the world, implying a faithful reflection. The mirror of various event exist in the society and in the world which reflects what it is. Therefore media managers often felt innocent if the media contents are full of violence, conflict, pornography and other various wickedness, because according to them that it really is, media is only as a fact reflection whether like or dislike. While actually, angle, direction and framing from contents that are assumed as reality mirror are decided by media professionalism, and public not thoroughly free to detect what they want.
Third, mass media as a filter or gatekeeper that selects all things to be given attention or not. Media always choose issues, information or other content form based on standard of the managers. Here, public are chosen by media about anything proper known and get attention.
Fourth, mass media is often also viewed as a guide, signpost or interpreter, which translate and show direction on various uncertainty, or a various alternative.
Fifth, mass media as forum to interpret a various information and ideas to public, so that it allow the happening of conception and feedback.
Sixth, mass media as an interlocutor, which is not only merely a place of the passing information, but also as a communication partner that allows the happening of communication interactive.
From here, it can be seen that the media role in social life is not merely a diversion tool, stress reducer or entertainment, but the contents and information that are presented, have a character significant in course of social. The mass media contents is brain consumption for the public, so that what is in mass media will influence subjective reality of social interaction member (Defleur and Ball-Rokeach, 1989; curran et. al, 1979).
The description about reality that is formed by this mass media contents will later provide response and public attitude towards various social objects. The wrong information from mass media will also show the wrong description towards that social object. Hence mass media is demanded to submit information accurately and completely. This information quality is ethical demand and mass media presentation moral.
Media Globalization: Culture Imperialism Practice
According to the great role of mass media in affecting the public idea, of course the mass media development in Indonesia in the future must be thought again. Even in facing the mass media globalization which are not avoidable again. The mass media globalization is a process according which is naturally happen, as the sunshine, as the rain or meteor falls.
Globalization makes a difference in countries in the space dimension, time and culture reduced. If, in 1970s to the last 20 century era, we cling with the American term, so in this 21 century the term replaced with globalization.
How big the influence of this globalization at least it can be seen with the tendency, for example the market and economy production in different country are being dependable to each other as a result from the international trading. The increasing of the problem, for example in environment area, multinational crisis, multinational crisis, regional inflation and others. And undeniable again that globalization influence most of all aspect that exist in society.
Actually globalization has happened since long time ago. When Hinduism, Buddha or Islam arrived in the archipelago, that process can be called as globalization. In case, that time, the limits that exclude the archipelago area and culture is open and finally mix with values that exist in those religions. However, in globalization context in the world of communication, globalization grows along with the technology development. In other word, the fast communication means growth makes globalization is also more faster (Briggs and Burke, 2006).
The same opinion is also revealed by Pawito (2010: 12) that as long as the decade 1980-an mass media experiences great transformation with new invention and completing at technology information-communication including the digital technique (in television, radio and printer machine), integration between computer and satellite then followed with internet use widely and also hand phone. The development in the mass media world obviously facilitate globalization processes like as that proposed.
By using Internet/ hand phone which has internet facilities, for example, access for information (almost about everything) and all entertainment from outside world is easy acquired. In the same time, other mass media service like television, radio, newspaper, magazine, domestic books, at least to many matters, are global culture product. Because of this tendency so it can be said that culture type in many aspects that develop in society, including Indonesia society, is the globalization penetration result that carried or facilitated by mass media.
Marshall Mcluhan in 1962 in his article the guttenberg galaxy: the making of typographic man that be the basic of the appearance of technological determination theory. The basic idea of this theory is that the change in various communication ways (most influenced by media mass) will also form human existence. Technology forms individual how to think, take a part in society. And the technology finally aim human to move from one technology century to technology century other. McLuhan confirm that we make device to communicate and device to communicate that we use that finally form or influence our life itself (Nurudin, 2007: 184-185). At least the description from Mcluhan also amplificates anything about the influence of that mass media.
In the other side, globalization gives profit in global interaction context that mean it allows every person endures the life in global domain village. However, it is important to remember that it is a period development within reason double-edged knife. Dedy N. hidayat remind that through the globalization it will appear a global consensus that makes products of west as a power project, domination, and local manipulation. All of this involve power projects that the historic trace span from third world conquest era (belongs Indonesia), imperialism distribution, and capitalism domination west, up to contemporary efforts toward homogenizes and global consensus achievement towards various idea and modernity product ethics west (Hidayat, 1992).
The one of the imperialism form is in a cultural context. By globalization there is a kind of tourism that makes us feel many things from different culture. Added by being inspired of the development of the communication technology so the appearance of a culture globalization development will not able to be avoided.
Return to the mass media context as principal channel from globalization process where in global context, it is controlled by giant companies based in America and England. There are at least five giant companies that dominate global media i.e. News Corp, Disney/CapCities, Time Warner, Viacom and TCI.. These companies has its branch companies so that genuinely rooted. News Corp, for example, has various newspaper companies, television station and broadcasting satellite system in all over the world including Star TV and Sky TV; and Time Warner’s is the owner of Turner Broadcasting which is the founder and the owner of CNN. This fact evokes a vast concern and also the hits culture imperialism (cultural imperialism), belong study hits culture imperialism as media imperialism (cultural imperialism media axis imperialism) (clearer, read, for example, tomlinsonm 2002: 223-226).
About this cultural imperialism, it is not just an issue. Before 21st century, it is very rare that Indonesian television showing many programs from other countries except AS. But, nowadays in the television, we can see many TV programs non-America. They are from Indian, Japan, Korean, China, Taiwan, Mexico, etc. The world more integrated based on market in capitalism market circle.
More countries compete for marketing its television. Indonesian television to be more colorful with involvement of TV programs from other country. They are TV serial from Japan and Korean, Telenovela from America and film from Indian. Is it negative or positive? Like a coin, everything has positive and negative side. In the positive side, we know about other culture and increase our knowledge, while in the negative side our local culture is more faded because of the influence of foreign culture. This is a practice of cultural imperialism added by this problem, it can be happen because we less appreciate our culture.
In the contexts of third world, it is very known that until now this inferiority still dominate so everything that come from West country always considered more beautiful, more interactive, more advance compare with everything from East country.
The involvement of internet and television which is act as bridge for almost countries in the Earth makes distributing culture more quick, the leak of one culture from countries that consider superior enter to countries that inferior unconsciously. In the television, many people in behind the screen, such as the employees of home production, producer, director, until the owner of television station usually only people who chase financial profit for themselves, so they showing many programs from countries that consider the superior, for interest more audience, it means that it will increase the rating, it means that the entering of advertisement is increase, without caring that this problem means that they did a real act for shatter nation culture itself slowly.
By looking all problems, Have we blame our young generation who may more appreciate if they called as MTV generation? Have we blame them who don’t know each local language, leather puppet, traditional dances, etc? Have we blame them who prefer spend their spare time to window shopping at the malls, eating in fast food restaurant which is franchise product from foreign country? Is it them actually the victims of the modal owner egoism, and older generation from them who try foreign culture by media?
Nowadays, globalization more feel than Americanization, because information and media trend are not monopolized by US. Now, all countries in the world can participation in marketing the information. Although in fact AS and other west countries still dominate the information trend. Globalization of media ownership that really show up showing practice the high culture imperialism (Morley, 2006; Straubhaar,et. al, 2009).
Indonesian culture can’t incontrovertible was contaminated global culture from America. As the result there are stresses because of smashing inter advance global culture, with local culture that representative of nationalism spirit or regionalism, but also the traditional impressed. That should be note is that the worry or refuse of globalization usually called Americanization; it is show up not only in advance country or third world country.
By showing the study of cultural imperialism in the same manner as said by Tomlinson (2002) was proper we must increase the alertness to cultural imperialism. Moreover main thesis from this study that is said that more power the penetration and hegemony culture of society advance country (west county) to advance society culture or third world so this problem is global capitalism success. It means globalization processes in fact it was strengthen hegemony capitalism circle, which in the next the fact carry economic systems neo-liberalism that pointed on subordination, exploitation, poverty and alienation in the society of advance world.
Alternative Solution
As expressed by Gramsci that is well known with the hegemony theory that said that to escape from foreign culture grip, the participation of the intellectuals who have to give the clear understanding for the society, especially the rising generation, not class traditional intellectuals who exactly legitimate the foreign cultures (Gramsci in Bocock, 2007: 39-40).
However it is not so easy to make competitor product to shifted import presentations from outside, so that more interesting the rising generation if they don’t have capital enough strong? According to my observation during the time, this organic intellectual class is slimmer, so that the load extradite to watch over the young generation from globalization negative influence are not wise.
At least the alternative way is needed to quickly socialize and realize the media literacy movement to take over the bad effect of media globalization. James Potter definite media literacy as : ”A perspective that we actively use when exploring ourselves to the media in order to interpret the meaning of the messages when we counter. We build our perspective from knowledge structure. To build our knowledge structures, we need tools and raw material. The tools are our skills. The raw material is information from the media and the real world. Active use means we are aware of the messages and are consciously with them” (Potter, 2001). It is important because it will push individual to actively transferred the message and confirm individual in face or access media.
The one of positive or negative effects from globalization is definite from our attitude in using media. Because of that, it needs media literacy, in order to we can see good side and bad side from media content so we flow in globalization current.
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