Media Globalization

Transnational media can be defined as media that are produced, distributed, and consumed across national boundaries through the new communication and information technologies that became available at the end of the 20th century. These technologies include satellite television and the Internet. Transnational media appeared in the era of globalization, an era characterized by an increased connectivity, interconnectedness, or interdependence. Transnational media are most often studied from an economic or cultural perspective. An economic perspective focuses on the concentration of power in the hands of only a few global media giants that aim to enrich themselves and their owners, potentially at the cost of consumers and citizens. For women, this increasing media concentration means a smaller number of media outlets worldwide and less diversity of ideas in the marketplace. A cultural perspective focuses on the impact of imported cultural products on local cultures as well as the reception of these products by various audiences. The flow of cultural products across nations is of specific interest to women, as ideas about appropriate gender roles are often quite nation-specific. Global news agencies, for example, often exclude voices of women in their news reports and typically represent women as victims. Third World, postcolonial, and transnational feminists are working to point out problems of access and representation of women in the media, especially of those in developing countries. Media activism groups around the world engage in activities such as the Global Media [Page 213]Monitoring Project, which is taking place every five years, to gather information about the participation of female journalists in the news media as well as the inclusion of female sources and the representation of women in the news. This research is used to lobby media houses for the inclusion of women in all aspects of the newsmaking process and to demand more gender-sensitive representations of both men and women.

Globalization and advances in technology have led to an era of more connectedness and interdependence, including the ready availability of transnational news.

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