Detailed Outline chapter 14: Patterns in Global Communication: Prospects and Concerns

Lamiae Mejjane

Detailed Outline chapter 14



I)Introduction

• At end of 20th Cent, USA Congress passed a Laissez-faire Communication (new world order for media around the world)


• This was not a sign of democratization


• content control was always held within state bureacracies or by the citizen-owners of the nation


• media cartels have been formed to secure capital or dominate marketplace


• information revolution seems to have come to an end or the very least a maturation

II) the Status of Infrastructure in the Com. Industry

• information revolution called by some writers 'the com. age' or the 'era of new media'


• Nicholas Negroponte calls it 'digital revolution'


• wireless ind., ahieved through use of global satellites

a) the Global Satellite System

• 1965, Geosynchronous satellite (GEO) could handle only 240 voice circuit at a time


• now: 40% of voice traffic

b) Asia-Pacific Rim

• satellite established to serve Asian Pacific region


• ex: AsiaSat, Insat, KoreaSat, Palapa, etc


• New bus. development ('soft alliance')


• Hybrid network: combines both space and terrestrial connections to deliver customer signals efficiently and economically

c) The Middle-East

• progress through selling broadband internet access by satellite and DBS


• ArabSat: ME most important service providers

d) Africa

• with exception of some major cties, Africa's terrestrial com infrastructure is scarce at best and non existant at worst


• new GSM installation (growing) in africa


• 3 million users of Internet in africa (having a pop of 700 million)

e) Europe

• pioneer in the field of DBS and DTG transmission services


• Eutelsat important

f) South America

• Latin America is sustained by a variety of Trans-Atlantic Satellites, including Intelsat and PanAmSat, and thakns to the continent deregulation of the telecom sector


• Argentina: region's satellite sector

g) North America

• WTO agreement opened up the telecom market and formation of a Pan-American market for satellite services has emerged


• US and Latin America operators form partnerships


• USA monopolizes north american satellite market


• second and third generation tech implemented

h) Global Internet Services

• preeminent economies such as the ones of USA, Can, Japan, etc have perfected sophisticated fiber-optic telephone


• USA becomes the 1st fully integrated digital telecom in world


• base economies (developing countries relying on foreign aid)


• Expectant economy

III) Privacy and Information Warfare

• 'the evil incident to invasion of the privacy of the telephone is far geater than that involved in tampering with the mails'
• FBI capturing info of all kinds

a) Gov intrusion

• Surveillance system called Echelon: under covenant UKUSA, observe and anallyze telephone, fax, email and Internet com
• employs special computer program such as 'dictionary'
• FIDNET: against terrorism
  

b) Int Information Warfare

• spread of computer viruses, terrorists using propaganda
  

c) Int Debate concerning Free Access to New Media

• In many expectant and base economies, info cannot be freely exchanged via Internet
• media censorship in some Arab countries
  

IV) Global Economics, Transnational media, and Vanishing Culture

• nostalgia for the past
• traditional values vs globalization
  

a) Cultural Impact

• flow of pop culture: a threat to local culture
• freedom of expression; a right in the West legitimized by constitutional authority
• in other parts of world; censorship easily tolerated as a form of civic responcibility within a legitimate social framework
• stereotyping imagery
  

b) Economic Impact

• create partnership
• recent years: 3 trading blocs: EU, NAFTA and Pacific Rim partners
• difficult to have eco progress without having access to com systems
• human brain power: create economic wealth today
  

V) Conclusion

digital tech led to losing privacy, security, etc and sovereignty

coming change: a brain power