Globalization is a blending of diverse repertoires through a two-way flow of international and localized data developing a blend between a native culture and international products (Gher and Amin). Among the places the term Glocalization independently developed is from Japanese business practices. The concept is derived from the Japanese word dochakuka, which in definition entails global localization. Dochakuka developed into a marketing plan when Japanese entrepreneurs started to utilize the concept in the 1980s. The media represents a significant arena in which Glocalization is prevalent. Badran (1991) significantly contributed to the reality of this concept in his research on the use of Internet by localized groups of underdeveloped countries. Mounting a naturalistic trial that analyzed this utilization, he was bound to recognize the function that media played in the recognisation of this concept, especially newspapers.
Examining this concept further, Amin and Boyd (1994) were adept to work out more on this connection between media and Glocalization, over the fact that expansion may not be the only use of the media and modern communication. Rather, as asserted by their (Amin and Boyd) investigations, when a great number of people inside a distributed localized natural environment adopted the latest technologies, they cultivated an expanded perception that this is more affordable and worth the use; in this lightweight, the use of the media connection at a localized grade boasts a powerful demonstration of the occurrence of Glocalization.
The Arab media ruptured American screens when Al-Jazeera, a Qatari television channel, dazzled the global media with its reporting of the Afghanistan attacks by America, in the result of the 9/11 attacks. Till then, no one except for a few experts and scholars knew about the leading Arab newspapers’ coverage of the events. The media industry of Arab countries never received that attention before in the American dialogues (Ayish). While the significance of being localized, yet going international, development should not be undervalued. Glocalization was not just recognized as an innovation as is apparently said in various discussions, for example Boyd (1999) and Ayish (1997).
Review of Literature
Boyd (1999) in his book ‘Broadcasting in the Arab World: A survey of the Electronic Media in the Middle East’ documented that “Arabic [was then] second only to English as a worldwide broadcasting language” (p. 5). The expansion of researches on this relation between media and Glocalization can be clarified by various geopolitical significances such as being a world core oil output and the sustenance of Islam in Arab countries. Because of the widespread of Arabic language; dimensions of numerous Arab nations; political stress – a number of newspapers measured coincide over national borders of Arab countries.
Ayish in his article ‘Arab Television Goes Commercial: A Case Study of the Middle East Broadcasting Center’ (1997) argues that while Arab satellite TV has recognized an evident international occurrence, it continues not to be developed enough to be a real international player; regionally, although, satellite TV is a possible innovative power. The “satellite revolution” is leading to the junction of several components, with international and local dimensions such as, political liberalization, financial privatization, and the acquirement of “new” advancements in technologies for communication (Ayish). As an outcome, the satellite power has altered parameters of TV output, command and reaction and these alterations have political, financial, and heritage implications.
Gher and Amin in their research ‘Civic Discourse and Digital Age Communications in the Middle East’ (2000) describe Glocalization as further reinforcing the heritage shared currently by Arab nations, who would take advantage of their heritage commonalities in alignment to convey their universal diversities in action. Regional carnivals, displays and international alliance are all aired and written about for the universal audience thus promoting the heritage front of Arab countries. In that esteem, satellite TV has conveyed certain consciousness. The deepness and implication of this local identification have not been empirically studied, but anecdotal clues propose that, not less than on the international front, satellite TV has conceived a international audience.
In Boyd’s book, titled ‘Broadcasting in the Arab World: A Survey of the Electronic Media in the Middle East,’ Boyd (1999) explains that Arab newspapers are a force in the direction of the incorporation of the Arab world into the international community. Whether one considers this as an illusion, or a threat, Glocalization does not weaken the significance of the occurrence itself. Neither do the public conversation in the Arab countries and the West come to foreclosed and untimely deductions nor the penalties of international satellite convergence in media. It is an occurrence that any individual involved in the Arab district and its worldwide relations would almost manage to supervise while being arranged for foremost shocks along the way.
Works Cited
- Amin, H.Y and D.A Boyd. “The Development of Direct Broadcast Television to and Within the Middle East.” Journal of South Asia and Middle Eastern Studies 18.2 (1994): 37-50. Ayish, M. 1. “Arab Television Goes Commercial: A Case Study of the Middle East Broadcasting Center.” Gazette 59.6 (1997): 473-494.
- Badran, A. R. B. “Christian Broadcasting in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Case of Middle East Television.” Gazette 47 (1991): 33-46.
- Boyd, D. A. Broadcasting in the Arab World: A survey of the Electronic Media in the Middle East. Ames, 1A: Iowa State University Press, 1999.
- Gher, L.A and H.Y Amin. Civic Discourse and Digital Age Communications in the Middle East. Stamford, CT: Ablex, 2000.