Unit 3: World of Ideas

UNIT 3 World of Ideas

INTRODUCTION

This unit will discuss on how globalization affects cultural life particularly on
social media and religion. “Culture here refers to the way of life people have
in their everyday life.” This unit focuses on how globalization impacted the
people’s transition which includes knowledge, beliefs, traditions, practices,
habits that is being acquired by man as a member of a society, its response
to globalization and how it helps in resolving global conflict and restoring
peace.

Likewise, this unit will look on how globalization helps in spreading social
culture and ideas among nations . It will look into how media is being used in
spreading the channel of communication transferring music, dances, dramas
and in connecting people in different places making the world borderless
and interconnected.

As of today, globalization is being measured by material means while religion

is on immaterial means of living. But despite their differences, religion uses
globalization to extend religious teachings from corners of the world with the
help of television channels, radio broadcasting and even in the face book
and other social media. However, globalization also bring pressures to religion
like what Pope Francis said that “globalization is a throw-away culture and
suffocate hope and increase threats and risk”. Hence, in this unit you are task
to analyze how globalization brings changes in terms on the social life of the
people particularly on their use of technology and on their religion.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit, you are expected to:

1. analyze how various social media drive various integration
particularly influencing cultural integration;
2. explain the dynamic between local and global cultural production;
3. explain how globalization affects religious practices and beliefs and
4. analyze the relationship between religion, global conflict and,
conversely, global peace.

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ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

(Think about it!) Answer the question substantially.

“Is it possible for

globalization to occur
without media?”

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Topic 1: Global Media Cultures

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

 analyze the different kinds of media in driving global integration;
 distinguish the role of global media in creating the global village;
 appreciate the role of media in spreading globalization.

PRESENTATION OF CONTENT

Globalization is a set of multiple, uneven and sometimes overlapping

historical processes, including economics, politics, and culture, that have
combined with the evolution of media technology to create the conditions
under which the globe itself can now be understood as “an imagined
community”. The concept of “global imaginary” as coined by Manfred
Steger, refers to the consciousness of belonging to a global community- a
consciousness that has emerged in recent decades with the rapid rise of
communication technologies and the decline of nation-based political
ideologies.

The world nowadays is very much different from the world 20 years ago,
starting from its economic status, social life of the people, political practices
and the cultural life of the people. These differences are mainly caused by

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the rapid changes of the people’s way of life specifically, because of the
continuous improvement of many countries nowadays brought about by
many scientific and electronic discoveries like the information technology.

We are living in a world where technology is one of the most important

aspect of life. We use technology to make our lives easier and our work
faster. We rely on technology to be updated on issues worldwide, thus
television, cellphones, radios and social media groups were created to reach
wider and larger audiences and makes one feel that they are connected to
each other.

Globalization necessitates the blowout of different culture and media is a

great instrument of this. Movies from USA like the movie of Angelina Jolie and
Brad Pitt entitled Mr. and Mrs. Smith is being known not only in USA but even in
many other countries. Korean novelas and dances like “Endless Love and
Bam Bam” fever is being felt here in the Philippines. Knowledge and ideas
also is being shared globally through the help of social media. The concept
of accepting the rights of the members of the lesbian, gays, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) communities became known to the world through social
media, books and any other means of communication. As well as religious
organizations uses media as a means of proclaiming their teachings and
proliferation.

Today, media play a great role in helping globalization to spread global

cultures , knowledge and ideas . Jack Lule was then right asking, “ Could
global trade have evolved without a flow of information on markets , prices,
commodities, and more? Could empire stretched across the world without
communication throughout their borders? Could religion, music, poetry, film,
fiction, cuisine and fashion develop as they have without the intermingling of
media and cultures?(Claudio [Link] 2018) The contemporary world where
we’re living nowadays shows the undeniable relationship of globalization and
media in spreading cultures globally

MEDIA AND ITS FUNCTIONS

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As mentioned earlier media play a great role in spreading cultures globally.

There are a lot of definitions of media, first we have to consider that media is
the plural form of medium. Media was defined by Lule as “ a means of
conveying something such as a channel of communication”. Bloggers define
media as a communication channel through which we disseminate news,
music, movies, education, messages and data which are the means of mass
communication like print media, broadcast media and digital media.

Media is a powerful tool in delivering changes within our community hence it

is more important to determine its functions in our lives and to the society. We
have to consider that media can be informative or it provides entertainment
to a large audience. According to J. V. Vil’anilam in the Journal of Kerala
Media Academy, there are 6 major functions of state these are: Surveillance
of the environment; Correlation of parts of society and Interpretation of
events and issues; Socialization and transmission of the cultural heritage;
Entertainment; Mobilization; and Democratic Participation as well as minor
functions such as publicity and public relations; advertisement; and,

Surveillance refers to the collection and distribution of information by

the media. Like for example the Filipino citizens becomes aware of the
changing of the Government structure into Federalism from centralized
form of government because of news from television, radio, newspaper
and any means of social media.
Correlation of parts of society and Interpretation of events and issues
refers to the interpretation and analyzation of media and its activities.
Like for example citizens know from the television broadcast on the
possible drought due to the weather forecast of El Niño
Transmission of the social heritage refers to the ability of the media in
communicating the norms, values and behavior of the traditional
societies trough a drama, songs, novels and many others which the
society nowadays can appreciate.
Entertainment refers to the ability of the media to divert attention and
give amusement to the audience
Mobilization refers to the ability of media to encourage a community to
participate in a common goal with the use of social media.
Democratic participation refers to how media influence the freedom
of the people to freely air their ideas on what they perceived is right or
wrong in a certain issue.
Publicity and public relations refers on the ability of the media to inform
the public about an issue, a person or an activity.
Advertisement refers on how media share and promote new ideas,
products and others to the public.

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THE GLOBAL VILLAGE AND CULTURAL IMPERIALISM

McLuhan examines the impact of the electronic media by using his analysis
of technology. He analyzes that that the television brought social changes
wherein, this television can make “a global village”. This means that people
can create the same perception on what they watched as they seat and
see in front of their televisions watching same programs. Other media scholars
believe that the global media had the ability to homogenize our culture.
They believe that when global media spread, people from different parts of
the world would begin to watch, listen, and read same things. This has begun
when the America’s culture begin to spread all over the world and when this
is combined with the global media brought about by colonization, the
“cultural imperialism form where American culture become superior over
other cultures of the world.

Herbert Schiller (1976) argued that not only the cultures of the world became
Americanized but it also helps the American “capitalist values” like
consumerism began to spread. The same with what John Tomlinson believes
that cultural globalization is basically a understatement for “Western cultural
imperialism” since it promotes “homogenized, westernized, consumer
culture.” Additionally, Robert Mc Chesney believes that “economic and
cultural globalization arguably would be impossible without a global
commercial media system to promote global markets and to encourage
consumer values.” These intellectuals who criticized cultural imperialism have
a top-down view of the media as believe by Claudio and Abinales (2018)
considering that they are more concerned with the broad structures of the
media content. These intellectuals had neglected other flows of information
that media can provide because of their focus on America. However,
cultural imperialism theory has, thus, still subject to important critique.
Globalization and cultural hegemony vis-a vis impacted to each other
positively and negatively. The positive impact of globalization will lead to
diverse cultures maintaining their diversity and coexisting with each other in
this globalized arena. Globalization will aid in bringing the cultures together.
This will lead to a convergence of world cultures. In other words, we will move
to an era of “cultural hybridity” and “creolization”. The negative impact is
that, globalization will lead to the domination of one culture over another
culture. We will see “cultural imperialism “, “cultural hegemony”, and
obsolescence of weak cultures.( Gupta, 2009). We are moving towards a
world in which people practicing monoculture losing their own cultural
identity

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APPLICATION

Pick an Asian musical dance/ song/ drama that internationally became

famous (Psy, Utada, Hikaru, F4, Meteor Garden, Boom Boom, etc.) and watch
it. After watching, answer the following questions:

1. Where did the musical artist/dance/song/drama originate?

2. In which countries does it become famous?
3. How did the musical artist/dance/song/drama become famous?
4. Why do you think the musical artist/dance/song/drama became famous?

FEEDBACK

Directions: Read the following statements provided below and identify what
is ask by the statements. Put your answer on the space provided before each
number.

______1. He describes as a means of conveying something such as channel of

communication.
______2. This means technologies of mass communication.
______3. He declared that the television was turning the world into “global
village”.
______4. A context created by media globalization coupled with American
Hegemony.
______5. An instrument of globalization for the spread of global culture and
ideas.

REFERENCES

Steger, Manfred B. , Paul Battersby, and Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. 2014. The
SAGE Handbook of Globalization. Two volumes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE
Publications.

Abinales, Patricio and Claudio, Lisandro, “The Contemporary World.”,.(C & E

Publishing, Inc.2018): 72-81.

[Link]
het [Link]

[Link]
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306&bih=638

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[Link]

[Link]
transcriptsand-maps/functions-media

https:// [Link]

Topic 2: Globalization of Religion

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

 distinguish the relationship of religion and globalization;
 examine how globalization affects religious practices and belief;
 recognize the role of globalization of religion in bringing global peace and
solving global conflict
 discuss the future of religion in the globalized world, and;
 appreciate how globalization improves religion.

PRESENTATION OF CONTENT

In this topic, the relationship of globalization and religion will be discussed. It

seeks to understand how globalization affects religions of the world the same
trough with how these religions respond to the process of globalization in
resolving global conflict and restoring global peace.

Religion is a system of beliefs and practices while globalization refers to the

expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across
world-time and across world-space (Steger). Religion and globalization
persistently engage to one another in order to flourish and thrive while at the
same time being affected by the other.

Globalization serves as an instrument for societies to free from the constraints

of their nation-states but in return destroys their culture, on the other hand
religion aimed to arrange and develop the broken culture of societies by
giving answers on social conflict to economic disadvantages to even
personal happiness.

As of today, globalization is being measured by material means while religion

is on immaterial means of living. But despite their differences, religion uses
globalization to extend religious teachings from corners of the world with the
help of television channels, radio broadcasting and even in the facebook

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and other social media. However, globalization also bring tensions to religion
as others view globalization as “throw-away culture and suffocate hope and
increase threats and risk.”

Hence, we are task to analyze how globalization affects religion as well as

the responses of religion to globalization and; what would be the future of
religion in the globalize world.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION AND GLOBALIZATION

The relationship between religion and globalization is much more

complicated. According to Peter Berger, the “contemporary world
is…furiously religious. In most of the world, there are veritable explosions of
religious fervor, occurring in one form of another in all the major religious
traditions. The most known religions across the world are: Christianity with 2.2
billion followers; Islam with 1.57 milliard followers; Hinduism with 811 million
adherents; Buddhism with 380 million adherents; and others.

Religion has entered the “information age” where it became globalized in

accelerating its methods and processes in disseminating teaching and belief
system. The continuous improvement of the information technology has help
religion to enter globalization. In reality, religion nowadays, serves as
foundations of many societies bringing people together, on other ways,
religion becomes foundations of modern government; other’s used religion to
become aggressive in power and popularity.

There are a lot of tools which are being used in uniting humans all over the
world on religious basis these are books, movies, cell phone apps, social
networks , charity funds, special internet sites, and religious schools. Through

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the use of the different technological tools, religion epitomizes the definition
of globalization due to the fact that it can be spread more efficiently than
ever before. Religion becomes globalized because of this, holy scriptures,
religious practices and teachings can be acquired easily using our smart
phones on our facebook account, twitter and even broadcast in the
television, hence, this were known by a large number of audience through
out the world. It is now probable for any religion to spread beyond national
borders, allowing even small new religious movements to engage in overseas
activities and leading to new unseen religious developments. Even celebrities
nowadays, are advocating small religious movements that are following and
advertising them.

More likely, two of the world old religions- Christianity and Islam used
globalization as a means of expanding, whereby it serve as a great force to
reach more communities and help many people to save their souls.
Unfortunately, globalization comes with materialism which is a taboo for the
objectives of religious life like for example materialism goes with the
acquisition of communication means which are important for further
dissemination. The rise of ISIS or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the
movement of the Born-Again Christians indicate their defense against the
globalizations materialism. These actions of religious groups show that
globalization can be a sort of expanding religion or taking advantage of one
another. The idea of bringing the nations close together through globalization
also provides tensions to some religions like the Islam. They view globalization
as an instrument to spread western values, culture and belief that may
displace Islam and are contradict to their teachings. The World Council of
Churches also criticized the materialism brought about by globalization.
(Claudio, 2018)

Despite the blessings brought about by globalization like economic progress,

communication improvement and religious dissemination, it also manifested
the curse it brings. Today, it sees globalization as the root cause of injustices
and violence within the society like: (1) a fast-expanding gap between rich
and poor, (2) the public making this gap widely evident, (3) a disturbingly fast
rate of cultural interpenetrations, (4) worldwide availability of modern
weapons, (5) lack of effective laws to control ruthless international
concomitants of mass production/distribution, and (6) fear of macro-
ecological catastrophes due to excessive increases in population and in per-
capita consumption and waste. Hence, it can’t be denied that terrorism
reasons of provoking is due to globalization effect on culture, social,
economic, and political life of many countries.

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APPLICATION

As of the present, what is the relationship of religion to globalization? In what

ways does globalization affects religion?

Activity: Using the nested target list diagram, explain how does globalization
affects religion and in what ways they are related to each other?

Religion vs Globalization
What is religion?
Relationship between
Religion and Globalization?

Ways on how globalization

affects religion and vice versa.

What is globalization?

FEEDBACK

Diretions: Read the following statement and identify if it’s TRUE or FALSE. Write
True if correct and False if not.

______1. Religion is concerned with the sacred while globalism places values
on earthly treasure.
_______2. Religious evangelization is a form of globalization.
_______3. The constitution of Malaysia explicitly state that Christianity is the
religion of their country.
_______4. Hinduism is one of the two worlds oldest religion.
_______5. Globalization threatened to destroy the religious system of a
community.
_______6. ISIS stands for International State of Islamic Society.
_______7. The proliferation of religion has to do with the globalization.
_______8. The Lutheran World federation condemned globalization as a
“throw away culture”.

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_______9. The use of technology to spread religion shows great relationship of

religion and globalization.
_______10. The rise of ISIS is a result of the spread of globalization.

REFERENCES

Steger, Manfred B. , Paul Battersby, and Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. 2014. The
SAGE Handbook of Globalization. Two volumes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE
Publications.

Abinales, Patricio and Claudio, Lisandro, “The Contemporary World.”,.(C & E

Publishing, Inc.2018): 62-70.

Lindley [Link]; “Current Links between Globalization and Violence”, Journal of

American Sciences. 3(1), 2007.

Film: PBS Frontline: “The Rise of ISIS”

([Link]

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