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Is the information revolution polarising western society?
It seems to me that as the young and the computer savvy get more and more information online, the mainstream media (commercial TV Newspapers) are becoming progressively more conservative and facile in their coverage of world events. I assume they consider a balanced point of view is no longer necessary. Perhaps progressive thinkers should make a point of watching conservative leaning news channels. They might be more balanced if they think their audience would like it.
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Amrut Deshmukh
economic and educational background. The concept of a media culture has evolved
owing to the increased volume, variety and importance of mediated signs and messages and the interplay of interlaced meanings. In the world of young people, the
media are saturated by popular culture and penetrate politics, the economy, leisure
time and education. At present, the global media culture is a pedagogic force that has
the potential to exceed the achievements of institutionalized forms of education. As
Henry Giroux puts it:
“With the rise of new media technologies and the global reach of the
highly concentrated culture industries, the scope and impact of the
educational force of culture in shaping and refiguring all aspects of
daily life appear unprecedented. Yet the current debates have generally ignored the powerful pedagogical influence of popular culture,
along with the implications it has for shaping curricula, questioning
notions of high-status knowledge, and redefining the relationship
between the culture of schooling and the cultures of everyday life.”
The concept of media culture encompasses not simply symbolic combinations
of immaterial signs or capricious currents of old and new meanings, but an entire way
of life
in which images, signs, texts and other audio-visual representations are connected with the real fabric of material realities, symbols and artificialities.
Media culture is pervasive; its messages are an important part of the everyday
lives of young people, and their daily activities are structured around media use. The
stories and images in the media become important tools for identity construction. A
pop star provides a model for clothing and other style choices, and language used by
a cartoon character becomes a key factor in the street credibility of young people.
Under the present circumstances, there are few places left in the world where one
might escape the