Internet Effect on Non-Western Societies - Essay Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2012 Introduction The past decade has seen an outstanding dissemination of network technologies into the non-Western societies. The technological debate encouraging the acceptance of these new Medias of technology, especially the internet, has mainly focused on these Medias’ potential to speed up national growth efforts, opening up public spheres for democratic discourse in addition to creating favourable social-cultural changes. Dominated by the Western media, values, preferences, beliefs, the internet has actually had a significant impact on the non-Western cultures. According to Kayaoglu (1998), the impacts have been viewed as part of global penetration spreading through developing communication systems. On the other hand, though hyped as representing the peak of economic level-headedness, the impacts of the internet have similarly been argued to be having a very dark side. This particular paper therefore intends to evaluate the claim that the internet has actually had a negative effect on non-western societies in relation to culture and science and technology. According to Wisegeek (2003), there is no doubt that the advent of the internet has brought about a number of benefits in terms of knowledge and information exchange. The new widespread cultural awareness has, for instance, helped reduce racism and discrimination, and even more, helped enhance global relations in general, since individuals from diverse backgrounds can now communicate and interact more freely, a factor that has helped them discover that they are not really different as they used to assume. (Positive argument on cultural aspect) However, as Wisegeek (2003) highlights, one of the arguments in support of the claim that the internet has actually had a negative effect on non-western societies can be based on arguments by the cultural globalization critics that the spread of the internet has had a destructive impact on national identities, as a consequence corrupting various individual’s minds, influencing and changing individual’s moral viewpoints and ethical values. Guangrong (1998) argues, for instance, that pornography merchants (dealers) from Western nations are motivated by the large amounts of money made. Consequently they have opened up a number of pornographic websites, hugely producing different forms of sex information. Nude males as well as females are now everywhere with performances of computer prostitutes also openly entering the internet. According to Albirini (2008) therefore, the spread of the internet has resulted in the vanishing of unique cultural entities with various traditions, values, history and identities of cultures disappearing. This is because the dominant Western cultures spread through the internet have overtaken and supplanted the indigenous non-western ones, in so doing, replacing the diverse indigenous cultures of the non-western societies with new ones. For instance Guangrong (1998) highlights, various websites display aspects of the western society with the overwhelming majority displaying positive portrayals of the western lifestyle. According to Johnson (1999), for instance, product marketing which has been enhanced as a result of the internet has never been culturally neutral. Marketing messages only reveal a typically western focus on individual satisfaction, upper-class lifestyles and material consumption, a factor that has impacted negatively on the non-Western setting. According to Guangrong (1998), such information is particularly appealing to the youths from the non-western societies whose life philosophies and worldview are argued to be immature. As a result of these, local products within the non-Western societies have been mostly abandoned with various individuals preferring more costly imports that are viewed as enhancing ones status (status-enhancing) or viewed as more modern. (Counter argument on cultural aspect) The internet has also been argued to be having a negative effect on the cultures of the non-western societies based on the fact that it has been characterized by its cultural and language bias. In addition, given its mainly Western design as well as content, the internet has aided the spread of the Western cultural patterns with no thought for the social experiences of the local cultures of the non-western societies. As highlighted by Guangrong (1998), it has helped dominant cultures to homogenize other cultures to an inferior position. Since it is overpoweringly a culture of the English language, the internet has further strengthened the culture based on the English language throughout the world. Cultures based on French, Chinese as well as other languages have thus been significantly weakened. Guangrong (1998) argues that since the advent of the internet, some of the developing nations within the non-western societies have made themselves susceptible to the dominant cultures of the Western societies. The situation has turned out to be worse that some scholars in a number of these nations have become concerned about their local cultures getting homogenized.(Counter argument on cultural aspect) Research findings revealed a strong correlation between internet dissemination and economic growth. Hence, the wealth or capital gap between the technologically advanced nations of the western societies and most non –western nations has grown from a ratio of 1 to 6 in the early 20th century to nearly 1 to 13 by the end of the last century (Albirini, 2008). According to Ostergard and Mazrui (2002), various analysts have also suggested that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) networks have without a doubt had a significant positive impact on the economies of a number of developing nations within the non-western societies in terms of creation of job opportunities and foreign exchange outflow. (Positive argument on economic aspect) In despite of these positive economic implications, Ostergard and Mazrui (2002), reveal that whereas large amounts of money are being spent on technology equipment by the non-western nations, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) networks have only had a little contribution to a majority of the economies of nations within the non-western societies, instead they have increase the overreliance of non-western societies on western societies. For instance; because the ICT implementation requires a continuous upgrading of the equipment as well as expertise, it has perpetuated many nations within the non-western societies to rely on foreign experts in order to plan, oversee as well as run their networks. In addition to this, such nations experience a waste of human capital owing to the failure of the Information and Communication Technology infrastructure planners to come up with suitable career opportunities to local technical talent within the developing nations of the non-western societies (Ostergard &Mazrui, 2002). Albirini (2008) argues therefore that if this trend continues, it may pose calamitous consequences for global economic inequality and political stability, just like the great innovations of the earlier times did. (Counter argument on economic aspect) Various studies have also revealed that the spread of the internet has had a negative impact on the non-western societies in the sense that the new ICT wave has undeniably widened the capital (wealth) gap between the Western and non-western nations (Albirini, 2008). As Albirini (2008) highlights, one of the studies that examined internet dissemination and use in developing and developed nations through technological as well as capital indicators found out that in as far as internet dissemination and use is concerned, non-western nations are still behind developed nations of the western societies .(Counter argument economic aspect ) Politically, the spread of the internet has reinforced advisement in the political participation of citizens in political matters in the sense that there views can be channeled to the ruling class through internet social media networks such as Facebook and twitter. On an international level, Albirini (2008) argues that it has enabled non- western nations to be able to acquire more information such as political ideologies which have been useful in running their political systems (Positive argument on political aspect). On the other hand, in despite of the positive implications on politics, the internet has been politically employed within the local levels as a propaganda medium to enhance the political power of a large number of governments within the developing nations of the non-western societies. Contrastingly, Albirini (2008) highlights that various constraints with regards to internet use have curtailed the general public’s political participation opportunities within the cyberspace, as a result alienating them from key political decisions that have a direct impact or effect of their day-to-day lives( Counter argument on political aspect). According to the Internet World Statistics (2007), for instance, even though 20 percent of Latin America and 4 percent of the Africa populations and many developing nation’s population have an access to the internet, only a small number of this population can access the media in the political sense that they can communicate their political viewpoints in addition to sharing them with their colleagues. The majority of the public populations is therefore either denied this tool or is not able to shape their political discourse owing to various censorship constraints. Therefore, instead of the internet being a medium of free flow of information, it has turned out to be another tool for political domination especially within the developing nations of the non-western societies (Counter argument political aspect) According to Albirini (2008), the expansion Information and Communication Technology normally occurs with regard for more demand in the political, social as well as economic needs in the non-western societies. Albirini (2008), argues that despite the fact that quantitative inequalities between the Western and non-western nations in as far as internet dissemination is concerned appears to be converging, the experiences of the two societies in as far as internet uses is concerned are qualitatively poles apart. The most important goal of bridging this digital gap with the western societies that are technologically advanced has not been realized. Conclusion The introduction of the internet has without a doubt been one of the most exciting events during the 20th century. As a result of its advent, the olden dream of getting to know all the things happening within the whole world without venturing outdoors finally turn out to be a reality. On the other hand, as highlighted in the paper, it is clear that the internet has actually had a negative effect on the western societies. Some of the negative impacts highlighted include destructive impact on national identities, its cultural and language bias, it’s overwhelmingly advocate for western lifestyles, widening of the capital (wealth) gap between the Western and non-western nations in addition to its negative political influence of a reactionary nature within the non-western states. References Albirini, A, 2008, The Internet in Developing Countries: A Medium of Economic, Cultural and Political Domination, International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology,Vol.4,Issue 1,Pp 49-65 Guangrong, R, 1998, The Negative Impact of the Internet and Its Solutions, Chinese Information Center for Defense Science and Technology, The Chinese Defense Science and Technology Information Monthly, Issue 121, 5th issue of 1998. Internet World Statistics, 2007, Usage and Political statistics, Retrieved on July 17, 2012 from Johnson, K.S, 1999, The Negative Effects of Forcing Western Culture on Other Countries When Marketing Products, Retrieved on July 17, 2012 from Kayaoglu,M,1998, Terrorism and Strain: An Exploratory Analysis of the Impact that Individual Strain and Negative Affect Have on Violent Behavior Among Trained Turkish Hezbollah Members,ProQuest. Ostergard, R &Mazrui, A, 2002, “Technology Transfer in the Computer Age: The African Experience”. New York: State University of New York Press, Pp.213-236 Wisegeek, 2003, “What Is Cultural Globalization?’’ Retrieved on July 17, 2012 from Read More