social communication for change

SocialCommunication

for Change

By M. Nadarajah

[email protected](Based on a session presented in June 2004)

Media and the Production of Meaning

PMA/GCSSFS/2004/2013

Communication is

Transfer of Meaning

Levels: Individual. Group. Society.


All Cultureis

Communicationand

Signification.

Our “significative systems” (system of interconnected signs) gives us meanings That is important in our communication. Otherwise we will not be understood.


What is Meaning?

Comes from culture. Helps us to understand what is that we are experiencing and helps us relate to the others in society and to objects in the world. We must know the meaning of something before we respond.


Meaning Makes Us Human Beings.

Meaning is the Centre of

Our Being Human.


Narrative:

Another way we make meaning. Consists of understanding complex nets of deeds and attitudes. Human beings perceive any current action within a large temporal envelope…as part of an unfolding story. All cultures tell stories to make sense of themselves. They make the world meaningful.


We live within in a Symbolic Universe

which makes the social and natural world meaningful to us.


• Food Systems

• Language System

• Dress System

• Relationship System

• How the Outsiders Are Seen.

• Relationship With Nature

• Emotions

• The Sacred World

Aspects of The Chinese Symbolic Universe

• Value System


Our Culture(eg. Our Ethnic Culture)

Our National Culture (eg. Being a Malaysian inA Multicultural Context)

Global Culture (eg. Signs/Meanings Brought to Us LargelyThrough the Media. HasBoth Positive and NegativeAspects. Part of being A Global Citizen.)

We Live in Multiple Symbolic Universes. Some Symbolic Universes are Threatened by Others.


ProductionOf Meanings:

Traditional Institutions


We lived in a symbolic universe which we and our community had control over and produced. It gave us a significative systemproduced over long periods of time. This gave meaning. Even when we borrowed we most of the time consciously borrowed.

Family & Clan

Religious Institutions

Other Locally Grown Institutions


Production of Meanings: Mass Media

The Contemporary Situation


The World We Live In Is Crowded By Global MediaPMA/GCSSFS/2004/2013

You and Your Community

MNCs/TNCs(In A Global Society)

Global Media

This is the World We Live In Today PMA/GCSSFS/2004/2013

“The global media is the province of some 70 or 80 firms that provide the Vast majority the world’s media fare. There are two distinct tiers to this Hierarchy. The first tier is comprised of eight transnational media conglomerates (AOL-Time Warner, Disney, Bertelsmann, News Corporation, Viacom, Sony, AT&T, and Vivendi Universal) that all collect between USD10 Billion and USD 30 billion per year in annual media-related revenues. These Firms tend to be dominant players in numerous media sectors and to do business all across the world. The remaining sixty or seventy firms are smaller tend to concentrate more upon one or more media sectors, and are more Likely to be national or regional power-houses.”

John Nicols & Robert W. McChesney

The Power of the MNCs/TNCs and Global Media


The production of meaningis controlled by global media MNCs/TNCs ((means of symbolic production). They produce meaning that promotes a particular view/experience and this is NOT done thorough participatory democratic approaches but by economic, political and cultural domination.


Our Local CulturalSymbolic Universes

Global Symbolic UniverseControlled by Global Media

Firms. (One Major Tendency Towards

Americanisation of the World.)

Marginalisation


Hegemonic Media-tion

This promotes a media-ted society that aggressively sustains a pro-free market, pro-youth, entertainment-centric world. Global Media puts stories/tales into your head, “helps” you understand or explain

the world.PMA/GCSSFS/2004/2013

Media-ted Narratives

• Helps you find meaning in the world.• Helps You make sense of the World.• Helps you read the ‘signs of the times’.

A Profit-Motivated Global Media Helps You Read the “Signs of the Time” Not your Church.


Powerful Social/Political/Economic Interests

Hegemonic Mediated Articulation

(Entertainment-Centric World)

Narratives (Meaningful “Stories” in Your Head)

“Media-ted” Making Sense of World

Powerful Social/Political/Economic Interests

Hegemonic Mediated Articulation

(Entertainment-Centric World)

Narratives (Meaningful “Stories” in Your Head)

“Media-ted” Making Sense of World


• “Israel has been attacked time and again by its enemies and is only defending itself.”• “Israel wants peace with the Palestinians and its generous offers have been rebuffed at every turn.”• “The Palestinians don’t recognise Israel’s right to exist.”• “It is unreasonable for the Palestinians to insist on the right of return because this would endanger Israel’s security.”• “The Palestinians really don’t want peace with Israel.”• “The Israel government wants peace.”• “The Palestinians are just a bunch of terrorists.”• “The characterisation that Jews control the media is but another manifestation of anti-Semitism.”• “The responsibility for the Palestinians rests with their Arab brothers.”• “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.”

“Tales” Held By the American Public (Created By The American Media)


•“The ‘Good Life’ is buying and owning possessions that cost lots of money.”• “Having is better than Being.”• “Entertainment is the only meaningful experience in the world.”• “Happiness, satisfaction and sex appeal, just to name a few, are imminent-and-available with the next consumer purchase.”• “Your body is not good enough. You are not good enough.. Need to be improved.” • “Businesses/corporations are really concerned for the public welfare.” •“The West is Best.”•“The world is a dangerous place and we need guns, police and the military to protect us.”• “Leave it to the experts.”

Some “Tales” Promoted By Global Media That Influences Us


• Removes Critical Thinking.• Reduces the Quality of Public Debate.• De-sensitises (to violence, war, poverty, etc.)• Encourages “Commodified” Mentalities (Every thing has a price tag. What will I materially gain? What is it in for me?)• Builds Consensus Hegemonically.• Sets our Social or Cultural Agenda.• Massifies (Builds ‘Negative Unity’)• Produces an Apolitical, Spectator Society.

Impacts of Mediated Narratives


Is There No Way Out?


Traditional Forces

Dominant Forces

Oppositional/Progressive/

Radical Forces

Making Sense of Social and Historical Dynamics

Society


The oppositional/progressive/radicalforces have the role and responsibility to face, analyse, network, mobilise and change societal growth/progress that push it in the direction of spiritual crisis and unsustainable development. The oppositional/progressive/radical forces promote a culture of life.

Anti-Structures/Counter-Hegemony


We Need Counter-Hegemonic

Significative System… New Meanings.

We need collective wisdom to form sustainable anti-structures

to creatively develop approaches to re-name the world, to provide new

meanings.We need new symbolic universes that

promote spirituality and sustainability and that appeal to the young.


social communication for change

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