Media Empire and Otherness in The Age of Internet and Social Media

  The authors through the book provide that, it is against these significant others, the Orient, Islam and America, that Europe’s identity has been defined and continues to be defined. More specific issues are addressed in chapter seven of the book which talks about the media, empire and otherness (Robins, 1995).  This paper therefore focuses on the provisions in this chapter on the role of Tv and radio in shaping the cultural identities. It also relates the relevance of Tv and Radio in the cultural identities context both before internet and social media and after internet and social media. Relevance of Tv And Radio Before Internet and Social Media In the Chapter, Under the Western Eyes, the authors address the role and relevance of radio and television in the period before internet and social media in various subtopics.

Television has made ethnographers of its viewers by giving them a chance to behold exotic others in distance places right in the comfort of their homes. Not only that, television still functions to create new communities by bringing together different groups on a common platform and experience of watching television and as a result creates a mixing of culture. This means that television helps to create a common interaction and experience for viewers who enjoy similar programs (Straubhaar, 2008). Screening of The Gulf Wars and Bosnia The screening of the Gulf Wars and Bosnia also provide significant facts that support the relevance of television before and after the internet and social media. Television played a vital role in ensuring that the Gulf war was perceived as a rational and moral act (Robins, 1995).

Besides, as much as Television helped to create virtual communities through viewing of common programs, social media and internet as made better the concept of virtual communities. Internet and social media have enabled participatory virtual communities where television video gamers, or individual watching a common movie or tv series are able to interact with each other (Alonso, Oiarzabal, 2010).  Today gamers from different geographical regions can play together and compete against each other with the aid of the internet besides commenting and exchanging opinion on movies and tv series. Social media and internet have thus created interactive virtual communities that are not only limited to viewing common programs or content but also include talking and exchanging opinion and ideas about such programs.