Scribd
Upload
11 views

Reading Report Week 8

Uploaded by

Moreno C. Diego
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
11 views

Reading Report Week 8

Uploaded by

Moreno C. Diego
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Communication Power

Communication in Digital Age

The Politics of Regulatory Policies


Following the thread of what Castells commented in the same book, in previous chapters the
subject of the media is still addressed, but this time it is intertwined with the subject of power
structures and regulatory policies. This is due to the nature of communication, that is, because
it affects the infrastructure as well as the culture of society. And depending on the policies
imposed or not imposed, there may be consequences for the content of the media, which is
why it is necessary to establish these policies.
Then, he tells us about the types of regulations that have been imposed on the different media,
which are apparently 4, such as: the print press, the Internet, broadcasting and
telecommunications networks. These include content regulation, property regulation, and
service regulation imposed on operators and broadcasters and that is the work of different
agencies, depending on the country of origin, and it is a global, albeit localized, measure.

Deregulating the World (but not the American Way)


Clearly, around the world, unlike in the United States, the privatization and regulation
of the media has occurred to a different extent, since, as the author comments, apparently at
least not in the United States, communication is too important to allow it to be privatized.
Even so, control of the media falls in the power of governments around the world and not
only that, but it is used to move masses according to the dictator or political party.
Although with modernity, the ways of regulating the media have been changing, there are
still countries that control 100% of the media and its different expressions (Russia and
China), others that do so in part (India) and there are other countries that are a little more
"liberal" (USA).

Cultural Change in a Globalized World


Castells identifies the shift in strategies in the media industry, moving from so-called
peer-to-peer communication to personalized communication. This shift is driven by global
media networks and digital technologies that enable mass production and personalized
distribution. He exposes the axes of opposition between globalization and identification and
between individualism and communitarianism as key cultural forces. The author explores
how these factors generate complex cultural and social patterns that characterize the
evolution of global culture and its internal tensions. Based on the axes mentioned, Castells
defines four cultural patterns: branded consumerism, networked individualism,
cosmopolitanism, and multiculturalism. Each of these patterns represents a cultural
configuration in the network society, and together they create the cultural space in which the
global communication system operates.

The Communication Vectors of Cultural Patterns


In this section he describes how each cultural pattern is communicated through
different media and technologies. Consumerism finds its main platform in the global
entertainment industry, which integrates and distributes brands in a way that is adapted to
specific markets. Cosmopolitanism is fostered through global news networks, while
multiculturalism emphasizes the diversity of production and distribution of culturally specific
content. Multiculturalism is the variety of cultural expressions through the distribution of
content. Finally, networked individualism flourishes in the autonomous and interactive
communication that characterizes the Internet and other digital networks.

Protocols of Communication in a Multicultural World


Finally, Castells examines the protocols that enable communication in a globally
fragmented society. These include advertising, common media language, branding and digital
hypertexts, which constitute transversal practices that facilitate the integration of meanings
in a shared communication environment. These protocols are not based on a shared culture,
but on a "culture of sharing", where the audience becomes an active agent in cultural
transformation.

Conclusion
So, we can say that through this chapter of "Communication Power" by Castells, it is
revealed how the evolution of power structures and regulatory policies directly affects the
nature and reach of the media. Communication, by influencing both infrastructure and
culture, becomes a fundamental instrument that can be and is easily manipulated or controlled
by political and state entities. Castells also highlights that in the digital and globalized era,
global cultural forces such as consumerism, cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism and
networked individualism are redefining communication.
In conclusion, Castells suggests that regulatory policies and power structures around the
media have a determining role in the construction of culture and in the control of public
discourse. Although globalization and digital technologies have democratized certain forms
of communication, governments and corporations continue to significantly influence the
social narrative.
Bibliography
• Castells, M. (2013) Communication Power. Oxford University Press: USA, 99-126
pp. Available at: https://research-ebsco-
com.udlap.idm.oclc.org/linkprocessor/plink?id=77d38bc3-b029-358e-bcb4-
cc0c0e2e6563.

You might also like