Papers by Francis Arackal
Globalization of Media: Global-Local Negotiations
Media: The All-Pervasive Being/Entity of Our Time
Journal of Dharma: Dharmaram Journal of Religions and Philosophies, 2015
Since the US elections in 2008 the close connection between Social Media and political communicat... more Since the US elections in 2008 the close connection between Social Media and political communication has been brought to the fore. The effective role that Social Media has been made to play once again in the 2012 US elections and its conscious or unconscious replication in the 2014 Indian elections reaffirmed its significance in contemporary political communication. Scholars have confirmed that political candidates are increasingly turning to Social Network Sites (SNS) to persuade voters and that these sites have become prominent sources of political information. Political Communication as a field of study has been about the role of communication in the political process. This paper would like to focus entirely on Social Media as a tool in the political process. Political communication has its beginnings during and between the World Wars. There are various types of political communication and political media. Among the political media the Social Media seems to be the most widely used in contemporary political process. The three main elements of political communication are: ideology, propaganda and persuasion. The deployment of Social Media in putting forth one's or party's ideology, propagating one's or party's agenda, and persuading the voter is widespread as never before. Many scholars including Walter Lippmann doubted the efficacy of media in public enlightenment that democracy requires. For, they thought that media cannot tell the truth objectively. Harold Lasswell too took note of the tendency of media propaganda to dupe and degrade the voters. His work expressed the fear of propaganda. This view was partly based on the direct effects theories of media. Similar fear about the Social Media is lurking in the minds of many today. To camouflage such fear political spin doctors might employ political Public Relations. Political spin doctors are press agents or publicists employed to promote favourable interpretations to journalists. They also weave reports of factual events into palatable stories. The case for political public relations is that it enables paternalism, pluralism, and pragmatism. But there is also a case against it in that it leads to news management and spin, corporatism in politics, and 'enlightened self-interest'. The increasing availability of internet even in remote parts of the world has made Social Media a virtual public sphere enabling e-democracy. This has enabled people to read into the official messages (media text/content) that are being sent, interpret them, and draw conclusions for themselves. This is a limitation of media in general, which applies also to the Social Media. From this some scholars argue for the limited impact of the media. In this connection a fundamental question that is being raised is about the validity and sustainability of social networks as a campaign tool: How much do users trust the information they find there? Besides, although accessibility to internet has been on the increase world-wide still there is the 'digital divide'. This tends to limit the effectiveness of Social Media 2 as a tool of political communication among the digital have-nots. Besides, most political communication is directed to and received by men. Thus there is a gender divide too as far as political communication is concerned.
We live in a world of signs and symbols -of past and present. The science of symbols -Semiotics o... more We live in a world of signs and symbols -of past and present. The science of symbols -Semiotics or semiology -helps us to understand deeply and somewhat fully the world of signs and symbols. Many thinkers -beginning with the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure -contributed to the development of this science, which by the very nature of signs and symbols, is in a dynamic state. This in itself is the beauty, attractiveness and relevance of this science. One of the areas where semiotics comes in handy is in the field of the media -books, newspapers, magazines, television, cinema, radio, social media and so forth -to understand how media content is produced by the sender, consumed and interpreted by the audience. Advertisements is one content which transcends all media. Hence the paper would take a special look at a semiotic understanding of advertisements. Media content consists of data and meaning. The content of an advertisement yields/gives rise to many meanings and interpretations. Some writers use the term media 'text' instead of media 'content'. A text can be understood in a variety of ways. Thus media content or text in principle is polysemic, having multiple potential meanings for its audience. Media content or text may also be considered to be more or less 'open' or 'closed' in its meanings. Further, media content can be differentiated according to its degree of openness. Semiotic method as applied to media content sheds light on the hidden or underlying meanings. Considered in this way the primary objective of media semiotics is to study how the mass media create or recycle signs for their own ends. In this denotation -the first order of significationand connotation -the second order of signification -play a great role. With regard to mass media content or text, connation is more significant. Indeed, all mass media texts and genres are grounded in connotation, since they are designed to generate culturally-significant meanings. The activation of this second level of meaning requires some deeper knowledge or familiarity with the culture on the part of the audience. But it can also be true that the same cultural product can be 'read' in different ways, even if a certain dominant meaning may seem to be built in. Herein lies the semiotic power of the audience meaning that all texts can be read in an oppositional way and their encoded ideology readily subverted.
Contemporary media scene is one of convergence mainly technological and corporate. Audience studi... more Contemporary media scene is one of convergence mainly technological and corporate. Audience studies have always faced certain fluidity due to the dynamic nature of audience itself. This is more pronounced in the age of media convergence. All the same the paper will make an attempt to understand the phenomenon of audiencemeaning, origin, and nature. Conceptions of audience are multiple. Contemporary audience phenomenon is characterized by massification.
The Globalization process, which began around four decades ago have transformed every aspect of h... more The Globalization process, which began around four decades ago have transformed every aspect of human life today, especially culture. This transformation has been both positive and negative, both empowering and suppressing. In this the role of the media has been the most efficacious; for media has been and today is the very vehicle of globalization. Perspectives with regard to media globalization differ. According to some, media globalization is leading to the horizontal integration of communications. World System Theory throws more light on this. There have been five major facets of media globalization. For long media/cultural imperialism have been talked about. Connected to cultural imperialism has been the Electronic Colonialism Theory. The recent theoretical and critical analyses of globalized media and their impact on cultures however reveal that cultural change has to be understood as a dynamic articulation between local and transcultural forces. Moreover, cultures are far more resilient than proclaimed and find numerous ways to diffuse and rejuvenate themselves. Under globalization thesis it was thought that audiences are passive receptors or victims of the media. Ethnographic study of viewers from some remote parts of the globe reveal a different picture. An active audience adapt global media fare to their own environment and use it creatively. Further, research shows that globalization of media only benefits the proprietors and media managers is not entirely true. Therefore this paper, in the context of the recent developments in broadcasting across the world, would like to challenge the perhaps overstated impact of media and cultural imperialism. The paper would do this through a detailed descriptive-explanatory study. Besides the traditional alternative media, the emergence of Internet and Social Networking, have facilitated the oppositional (code) reading into media products by audience. Today it would seem that the world has done with the particularly negative phase of globalized media. In fact these days an almost reverse process of localization and regionalization, in constant negotiation with global elements (technology, capital and other know-how) is being witnessed. Counter-media flows, diasporic adoption of ethnic media, and reverse media imperialism is on the increase. This is particularly evident in South Asia and in India.
Development has to be understood holistically. It is very closely connected to culture, which of ... more Development has to be understood holistically. It is very closely connected to culture, which of course is very difficult to define. Cultural factors have powerfully affected the pace of development. Some of them are: Religion, history, language, traditions, system of values, artistic, social, economic and political norms, and a nation's size.We begin with the status of culture in the international development paradigm. Then the paper will examine the relationship between culture and sustainable development going on to reflect the importance of culture in environmental sustainability. Next the paper will deal with the role of culture for peace and reconciliation because only when there is peace there can be proper development. Surely, development can also ensure peace to some extent. There are many avoidable myths about culture in relation to development: One of the main myths is that an emphasis on cultural difference and the continuity of traditions could lead to social and political conflicts, be incompatible with human rights, affecting governance and development. This is far from the truth. This takes us to a consideration of the relationship of culture of indigenous communities and their development. In this context it is also important to consider culture in relation to the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In the media mediated society in which we live today culture is definitely influenced by the media resulting in what is called 'media-culture', which leads to a unique kind of development. Not everyone endorses the development model promoted by the media.
One of the most authoritative definitions of Investigative Reporting (IR) comes from the associat... more One of the most authoritative definitions of Investigative Reporting (IR) comes from the association of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): It is the reporting, through one's own work, product and initiative, matters of importance which some persons or organizations wish to keep secret. According to this definition the three basic elements of IR are: that the investigation be the work of the reporter, not a report of an investigation made by someone else; that the subject of the story involves something of reasonable importance to the reader or viewer; and that others are attempting to hide these matters from the public. At the same time it should be added that views on IR is somewhat polarized. The answer to why IR is needed is manifold. Some of the tools that could be used for IR are archives, whistle-blowers, anonymous sources, and undercover operations (Sting). IR is a public service and it is a powerful catalyst for change and so it should be based on ethical principles. Some of the ethical principles on which an investigative reporter might base his/her work are: Aristotle's Golden Mean; Kant's Categorical Imperative; Mill's Principle of Utility; and Judeo-Christian Principle. For, he/she would have to face ethical dilemmas connected to sources, sting (hidden camera and bribery), fake stings, objectivity, privacy, and trial by media.
Body has been understood as a gift, traditionally. Generally a gift is given and accepted and not... more Body has been understood as a gift, traditionally. Generally a gift is given and accepted and not demanded. Sure, gift once received one may do with it what one likes. In the case of the body-gift usually the tendency is to nurture it for its well-being. One may well not be happy with the shape and size of the gift. The dissatisfaction about the body-gift is caused partly by the images that are being bombarded through various media. As a result body shape ideals are formed both in men and women, nowadays from a very early age. Children in many countries (more so in developed ones) consume media for three to four hours daily on average. The so-called perfect body image standards set by the media are almost impossible to live upto. This can cause low self-esteem in many leading to depression ending up in psychological disorders. Contemporary media's – especially advertisements – presentation of body almost amounts to " organs without body ". Faciality has become obsolete and a unified vision of body has disappeared. Some individuals (celebrities) and organizations have come forward to counter the unrealistic body-image and beauty standards propagated by the media. Ultimately, one needs to develop (or helped to develop) from childhood a positive body image. For, in fact all are born beautiful because of the substantial beauty flowing from the very beingness of everything.
Shalom religious media had a very small beginnings. From the size of a mustard seed it has grown ... more Shalom religious media had a very small beginnings. From the size of a mustard seed it has grown to be a large tree (to use a Biblical imagery) with branches across the world. This paper would like to focus on the beginnings, expansion and impact of Shalom media.
Uploads
Papers by Francis Arackal