Technological advancement has
not only shattered social boundaries of the world,it has brought tremendous
transformation in all fields of life.Marshall Mcluham,aCanadian theorist
propogated the idea of Global Village in 1960.To him the world has shrunk to a
village due to advancement in the fields of science and technology.Peoples of
the world now live in close proximity.They share their joys and sorrows with one
another.They benefit from the inventions and discoveries made by other people.It
is the media that creates the experience of global shared time,especially by
informing people around the world about “events” that they can share.It is the
media that penetrate Holy days and nights because they have the ability to do
so.Whatever the time,one can always tune in to electronic media if one has
access to them.Communications give people a chance to contact other people in
distant locations whatever the time. Globalization of any country is reflection
of that country.It shows that how person behave and live in their
country,although media’s responsibility is to spread true stories but media
should be careful in this regard.Hence we can say that in Pakistan the
responsibility of media is much more than any media in the world, because
Pakistan needs a big change and only media is now, as much powerful.As
Globalization produces winners and losers.A casual look at the world reveals
that there is competition everywhere.This is evident in everyday life,ranging
from games to work.There seems to be one mad rush everywhere we try to
succeed.This rush in every area of life divides the world into winners and
losers.At present media is the only source which is easily accessible by all
walks of people through various electronic appliances i.e. TV, Radio, Internet,
News Papers and now mobile phones also used by people to aware of events every
time.In popular usage the term mss media refers to the role of
television,radio,newspapers,books and other media in society. Globalizing TV
shows and films may influence people,shaping the way they understand their
social identities,their cultural communities,and wider world in which they live.
Media revolution has converted the whole world into a global village.Cable TV
networks is one of its tools and people’s love for such medium cannot be
denied.It has not only given shape to science and technology but also created a
deep impact on the life of a common man.In Pakistan cable TV is gaining
popularity day by day and has eclipsed all other forms of entertainment.It is
influencing each and every fibre of our society and has provided us an
opportunity to utilize our leisure time in more productive manners.Several
channels are delivering modern scientific information at no cost that we cannot
afford due to our limited resources.Simply,turning on TV sets,we can be aware of
the latest developments around the globe.We can watch the landing of man on the
moon,working of roborts at Mars and miracles of genetic engineering in the field
of medicine.This cutting edge of technology has provided us the opportunity to
move from a stagnant phase of ignorance to a modern era of revolution and
logic.It is considered as the cheapest source of entertainment in the form of
several movies and sports channels.Instead of indulging in trivial
activities,our youth can be channelized to constructive pursuits.Many news
channels equip us with an understanding of the international relations and we
learn how to pass positive political criticism and how to form logical opinion
about them.Cable TV is not devoid of its negative impact on society.We are
facing some deadly consequences of this unleashed power.Because of lack of
proper planning and ignorance,people are wasting time in watching immoral
programs.Also western media is propagating their own idealism and styles to
influence our culture.Western way of living and violence which is shown by
English movies is creating a sense of frustration among our youngsters.A
vigilant scrutiny of cable operators and a successful media campaign must be
observed for the smooth and constructive use of cable TV in Pakistan.
As we are living in rapidly and constantly changing times,change is around
us,about us,within and without us.There is today a need to rethink and update
the traditional and time-tested approaches in the favour of newer techniques and
methodologies to help understand and meet the challenges posed by the increased
use of information technology in all facets of our lives and learning
intelligently and efficiently.
It is because of globalization that world is fast shrinking.This would be a
reason for students to take advantage of the situation and study wherever their
interests take them.Many of our students who like to study at institutions in
other parts of the world.In Pakistan our universities conduct only popular
courses.Hence if a student has passion for a subject such as astronomy,he will
not be able to do so in Pakistan.In this case he would have to study
overseas.Our students go there and study there and become very bright
students.Now,with a single click on internet when we look at all the
universities in the world as possible places of study,we will have more
choices.Its the impact of globalization that different countries and cities are
connected to each other through world wide web.Computer owners open their own
websites that get connected internationally.Thus,there is a constant flow of
information and exchange of knowledge over the websites.Scientific,commercial
and industrial information flow endlessly from and through the websites.Films of
different kinds,pictures of happenings and events across the the world,scenes of
war and peace,reports of important meetings and discussions between world
leaders and so on are presented on computer networks and TV channels side by
side.All parts of world are in communication now all the times.Distance has
disappeared,and the need is no more there to pass time in wait for the arrival
of news from farr-off places.
Thompson(1995: 149) refers to the globalization of communication by pointing out
that one of the salient features of communication in the modern world is that it
takes place on a scale that is increasingly global.
Electronic communication and news,first by the telegraph and later by
radio,television and the internet,created a new concept of time that hastened
the space of life by constantly reminding people that something was happening-
if not here,then somewhere else.Not only do people become aware of other places
and the events occuring there,but the media remind them that the world never
sleeps even if its audience does.
The role of media in the process of time-space compression is among the
consequences of time coordination.Mumford writes:
One further effect of our closer time co-ordination and our instantaneous
communication must be noted here: broken time and broken attention.The
difficulties of transport and communication before 1850 automatically acted as a
selective screen,which permitted no more stimuli to reach a person than he could
handle: a certain urgency was necessary before one received a call from a long
distance or was compelled to make a journey oneself: this condition of slow
physical locomotion kept intercourse down to a human scale,and under definitive
control.Nowadays this screen has vanished: the remote is as close as the near:
the ephemeral is as emphatic as the durable.While the tempo of the day has been
quickened by instantaneous communication,the rhythm of the day has been broken:
the radio,the telephone,the daily newspaper clamour for attention,and the host
of stimuli to which people are subjected,it becomes more and more difficult to
absorb and cope with any one part of the environment,to say nothing of dealing
with it as a whole.(1986:21)
The press ,symbolized by the newspapers,is perhaps the oldest and most powerful
medium of mass communication.Now by utilizing and getting benefit from
Newspapers,we can easily know that what is happening in other parts of the
world.In Pakistan it goes beyond the range of television and reaches the
remotest regions of the country.Newspapers provide us the latest news about the
political affairs of the country.A part from being a source of revenue for the
newspapers,they are of positive interest to the buyer and the seller.Commercial
and social life of nation cannot be minimized.Salesmanship is the key to modern
business and the newspaper is an effective means of advertising.Another function
which the press performs today is that of a watchdog.It loses no time in
focusing its spotlight on areas of crime and corruption and injustice.It checks
evils and wrong doers are afraid of being exposed to the public eye.The
humanitarian aspect of the press cannot be ignored.In its desire to lessen the
misery of the unfortunate,it often highlights the suffering and distress of
individual and groups.It picks up and gets on behalf of the desrving and
persuades the government and the well-to-do to come to their help.They describe
us the activites of different political leaders.Newspapers give us useful
information about the economic affairs of the country.They tell us about the
prices of different articles about food production,industrial production and so
on.Even proper advertisements in newspapers,besides adding to their
income,introduce industrial products and job opportunities to the people.Ads are
also a useful source of information regarding rent and sale of houses and plots
of land,marriage possibilities,foreign travel and so on.They promote comparison
and contribute to development.Newspapers tell us what is happening in different
fieldsof of national life,for e.g,in education,religion,science etc.They show us
the picture of whole society.Newspapers should try to present a true picture of
society.Newspapers publish news about other countries.They inform us about what
is happening abroad in political,economic,education,military and other fields.We
can learn about important events taking place in world by reading a
newspaper.Thus,we can learn about wars, revolutions, earthquakes, floods etc in
different parts of the world.We learn about the different functions the UN is
performing in various fields of economic uplift and international trade and
relations between states.The editorials of popular newspapers are useful
commentaries on national and international affairs,Newspapers are also an
effective medium of entertainment.They publish humorous essays and stories.They
tell us about social matters like debates,public meeting affairs,tranport
problems,price levels,art,literature,religion and so on every now and
then.Newspapers should try to present a true picture of society without fear or
favour.They should never try to mislead us.Ofcourse the press can work
independently only when the public knows democratic principles and desires to
act on them.So there is a need to educate and inform public about the meaning
and benefits of true democracy.
The media have also created the idea of the mass audience:the same message
delivered to many people around the world at the same time.What was earlier
considered to be out of reach was now reachable through media.According to many
theorists,the sense of place has been fundamentally changed by the arrival of
media and communications.Their presence changes places into spaces.One can
easily understand that there are new placeless spaces,such as airports or
shopping malls,but even their social relationships are formed between people
which could make them places.
It is because of Globalization that TV ads all over the world informs,entertains
and educate the general public,especially in Pakistan.Governments all use this
tool to impart information to masses,for e.g, there are ads to highlight the
importance of tax payment,maintaining cleanliness in society and observing law
and order.General health programs get easily publicity like compaigns for child
health,family planning,awareness about AIDS,TB and Bird Flu.Television has a
number of uses.It makes it possible for us to see what is happening far away.In
our homes,we watch on television films of events taking place in other
cities,countries and continents.The arifical satellite has made it possible to
watch events in other countries directly.Television is a very fine medium of
entertainment.It brings the musician and his music,the singer and his singing
and the actor and his acting close to us.Whether it is rain or sunshine,hot or
cold outside,we can enjoy television programs from all over the world,because
the whole world is now interconnected globally.Television can be used to teach
uneducated people.Through it we can improve the knowledge of our students and
educated people.Thus we can present on TV educational programs of different
categories.We can have programs for teaching the basic details of languages.Such
programscan be extremely useful for our villagers and the working classs people
in the cities.We can telecast other programs of general information.for
e.g,there can be science programs about the modern inventions and developments
in science,agricultural programs for farmers,medical programs for
doctors,industrial programs for labourers and factory workers.Special economic
television programs can be very useful for general public.Through them the
market rates of different articles can be quoted and explained.Political
television programs are of great importance.They bring political leaders and
their views close to people.
Like the media of the world. The media in Pakistan serves three fold objectives
very efficiently which are awareness, entertainment and advertisement. Since the
last decade the media in Pakistan has become very vibrant because of the
privatization of TV channels, independent press and uncontrolled internet access
to general people. Pakistan is a big country of more than 150 million people. So
it offers a huge market to multinationals and local companies to sell their
products. These facts are very provocative for the international companies to
sell their products and services in Pakistan. The multinationals companies like
coca cola, KFC, MacDonald, Nestle and many more are already doing business in
Pakistan.The purpose of the media is to inform people about current ,new affairs
and to tell about the latest gossip and fashion. It tells about the people who
are geographically divided.
The media that can influence people is called mass media. Nowadays it has become
an agent to change the society through the world. There are many mass Medias.
These are internet, radio, television, newspapers, blog, face book twitter,
cinema etc. The importance of mass media can not be described in words. Mass
media gives us news and views of the world. We can now know within shortest
possible time what is happening in the farthest corner of the world in exchange
of mass media. It helps to reveal the news of people’s misery so that concerned
authorities can take necessary steps. Today it has become a powerful weapon to
change attitude and behavior. Mass media gives us not only entertainment but
also information. The power of mass media beggars description. It can directly
influence on people and create or change public opinion promptly. Mass media
production, information and entertainment programmes can greatly impact on the
people of society in any society of the world. Mass media directly or indirectly
influences the political, social, economic and values. The whole world has
become a global village due to media. Today the powerful effects of media have
spread in every society of all over the world. In spite of having all these
importance mass media has some demerits too. Sometimes, mass media creates
misunderstanding among the people providing false and baseless news. Besides,
satellite channels often telecast some vulgar programs that damage the moral
character of the young generation. Therefore, the using of mass media should be
significant and for the betterment of the society. No department of life –
cultural, religious or recreational – has been free from the effect of this
great transformation in progress. The old system of classification and
stratification of society as a whole is changing gradually and slowly but surely
and certainly.We may go for some little changes. For instance, we may change
clothing style. We may change our room setting. We may change our eating stuff.
We may do whatever makes us happy.The old system of classification and
stratification of society as a whole is changing gradually and slowly but surely
and certainly.
Now with the advancement in the field of science and technology,we are globally
interconnected and communicate with other countries.There are a group of
computers that can communicate with each other connecting million of other
computer networks in the world.It is made up of networks of official and
educational institutions,commercial and social organizations and governments and
private agencies.World Wide Web is collection of millions of chaging documents
on computers all over the world.These documents may contain the
books,magazines,pictures,films and information one needs.A firm,company,office
or person can have his own website for the communication of his information to
others.The different websites that run into millions,offer information in the
sciences,arts,religion,education,commerce,industry,agriculture,law andalmost
every topic or subject.So internet promotes the communication of all sorts of
information and knowledge in different societies and countries.Experts and
scholars in different countries and continents exchanged information on the
sciences and arts,technical and technological matters and all other subjects of
their interests.Now the circle and boundaries of this information are expanding
with the rapid development of different technologies.The internet has surely
brought countries and nations closer.Like the TV,radio and telephone it has
functioned to help in the development of the world into global village.However
it has been put to harmful uses as well.Internet has been used too much for
commercial advertising.At times,misleading information by producers is provided
in their efforts to promote the sale of their goods.Orders for these goods are
places with their markets and ready payments are made through credit cards.Later
the buyers come to know about the poor quality of the
goods.Information,pictures,materials harmful to characters dispalayed on
internet.This has bad effects on young minds.Chatting system on internet brings
harmful people in contact with honest users.
We in Pakistan can especially promote science and technology only if we are
globally interconnnected with other countries in the world by making the use of
different technologies and Communication.We can likewise learn about new books,
magazines, films, music and other arts and literary writings in different
countries in English and other international languages.As far as English is
concerned,we are at a great language advantage as we mostly understand
English.The new developments in building construction,roads,railways,airways and
water communication,business and industry,science and technology all lie at
hand.The working of political system in different countries,elections and their
results,political disturbances,strikes and terrorist acts like bombs blasts and
killing all are within our view all the time.Because of this Interconnectivity
we watch and hear about all scenes of destruction,we can learn how we can make
our national and personal life better.We can surely learn how we can avoid
disorder and confusion.We can fix and determine our true destinations and aims
in life with this information and guidance.