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Overview of multiculturalism and media
Multiculturalism entails the belief, acceptance, and admiration that different cultures can coexist together in a community, society, or country equitably in terms of expression and presentations.
In this sense, in a multicultural setting or society there is respect for ethnic multifariousness and every culture is significant. Promotion of multiculturalism involves many stakeholders and among them is the media. The media plays a significant role in encouraging peaceful coexistence in multicultural communities or nations.
In the view of the media role in boosting multiculturalism, it campaigns for equitability of ethnic groups, religious groups, and the political class and it advocates for non-promotion of a specific ethnic value as central.
On one hand, the contemporary media encourages interaction of cultures through advertisements and therefore sharing of cultural activities and on the other hand, the media helps to preserve cultural uniqueness of the different communities and hence maintain cultural diversity of the world.
According to Ankerl (2000), “…presentation of isolated cultural activities in the media helps promote and protect the unique features of the local culture of a nation or area and therefore contributes to global cultural diversity” (p.36).
In this case, interaction and isolation of cultures helps in strengthening the phenomena of multiculturalism with regard to other cultural and social values.
Dominant cultural trends and media
In a cultural context, cultural dominancy predicates that a particular cultural value, behavior, or ritual occurs as cultural or societal norm respected and honored by all although not all who accept cultural dominancy.
Karotayev (2004) observes that, “…dominant culture is usually but not always in the majority but it achieves it’s dominancy by controlling institutions” (p.68).
Although dominant cultures require all to accord it dominancy, to the contrary not everybody will adhere to the requirement it seeks to control institutions such as the media and communication, learning institutions, and art and construct expression industry.
With media and communication, cultural dominance expresses its impact to many and its campaign for superiority over other cultures and subcultures becomes felt widely. Even with the contemporary media of websites and internet, propagation of dominant cultures persists simply because dominant cultures continue to seek for control in the institutions of media studies.
In addition, contemporary media studies borrow largely from the native cultures of the contemporary society especially the artistic styles in promoting interpersonal communication an important aspect in the media industry and therefore dominant cultures play a central role in the development of the contemporary media.
To the surprise of Beniger (1986), “…people who are able to access the information society are known as digital citizen, a signal that we are entering into another phase of the society” (p. 342).
Acquisition of new technology in the media industry changes then cultural orientation of people to the modern cultural practices especially with the digital technology. The resulting impacts are on the violation of the cultural norms of the society.
In multicultural society citizens feels free to express who they are and what their cultures hold. With the availability and through effective usage of the media and thus establishment and maintenance of the dominant cultures, this is possible.
As Bell (1976) puts it, “Multiculturalism is seen by its supporters as a fairer system that allows all people to truly express who they are within the society” (p. 56).
Multicultural societies provide a rich playground for different cultures to express and present their endowment in terms of cultural wealth and for the purposes of publicity, different media methods including the new digital technology come into use.
Dominant cultures are rich in social and cultural history and therefore the free expression of these cultures in a multicultural society helps to unveil the history underlying their existence.
Dominant cultures apply diverse techniques to spotlight neglected social history especially of the women and minority (Stone 1998, p. 221). Highlighting the abandoned history affecting the society helps to uphold the dignity of human and recognition of others.
The consistent use of media in a multicultural community makes this possible and therefore strengthens establishment of the dominant cultures.
Furthermore, as a major role of multiculturalism to reconstruct the society and restore integrity, awareness of the past becomes of critical importance. For this reason, dominant cultures expression uncovers the dominant values, behaviors and norms of the society and hence suppression of other subcultures. Through the media, this is achievable.
Dominant Culture on another perspective includes not only the majority social group but also the minor social groupings who own the resources, pluses, and ways of controlling the culture of the community or society in which they live.
These social groupings with command over the cultural activities of a community tend to influence all aspects of living, communication, dressing, deportment, and even reasoning. The media in this case only advocates to address those values concerned with dominance simply because the social group controls all aspects of lifestyles in that setting.
Additionally, these cultural systems bear plans and scripts entailing economical and political concerns, which protect them from any possible disruptions.
Due to the economical and political protection enjoyed by these cultures, there is ease of manipulation of the media to present and publicize their cultures as dominant over the others and thus sustain and maintain they dominance.
For instance, according to Garnham (2004), in western societies the dominant cultures accentuate industriousness and achievement and do not allow for laziness and non-performance (p.34). This signifies that the culture created and dominating the western societies involve consistent hardworking with bountiful achievements.
Personal respect and respect to others and others’ property and responsibility remain important virtues of the western society and even the media portrays these virtues explicitly.
As the norm of hard work and achievement, targets in the western society correlates to salary and wages and therefore, non-performers in the society or those, who get money and wealth through inhumane and undignified ways, feel out casted and unfit in the society hence left to blame themselves.
In socialization processes, the media plays a pivotal role in enforcing the dominant cultures to others in collaboration with teachers and parents. All these factors work together towards a common goal of imposing the dominant cultural norm to either the young deviant children or a new individual in the culture.
Most of the dominant cultures lost control over the societies during the colonial periods where the colonial powers showed neither regard nor respect for any tradition and social groupings with unique characteristic.
Dominant cultures in that era remained suppressed with even people relocated and forced to follow a specific lifestyle hence the loss of cultural dominance and therefore the media in contemporary society helps to restore the lost glory of these cultures.
Through the media systemic portrayal and presentation of these native traditional cultures, recollection and reunion of the lost cultural dominance becomes possible.
On the other hand, media helps to campaign against the then counter cultures, which resist dominant cultures. The resistance is generally in the form of refusal to respect their values, norms, behaviors, scripts and programs but with media politics of dominant cultures the resisting cultures get absorbed by the dominant cultures and therefore the dominant cultures establishes and remain sustained.
In a multicultural society, the resistant to dominant cultures increases significantly as every culture in the society requires equity in dominance and expression. This calls for vigorous media presentation in order to articulate the image and features of the dominant culture to the minds and memories of the people.
Multiculturalism leads to pluralism in the society, which encourages rich multicultural society or community. Through the media, this plays a great role in fostering peaceful societal coexistence to ensure that all citizens get equal opportunity to exploit fully their potentials regardless of ethnic, cultural, or religious background.
In the contemporary society, discrimination of individuals for opportunities in employment, learning institutions and in social setting causes conflicts and disagreement. The media however helps in restoring unity, friendship, and respect for ones culture, beliefs, and human dignity.
Cultural pluralism in political systems helps greatly to foster the image of all the cultures in a country or state. In turn, this helps to reduce chances of cultural marginalization and suppression in many democratic countries.
Political systems thus provide a good platform for the expression of all cultures and therefore seek the equality required in a multiculturalism society because each political movement bears equal expressive authority. In these cases, the dominant cultures are still part of what the political systems express. This largely helps to sustain the politics of dominant cultural and social trends.
Some nations of the world with multiculturalism continue to progress; for instance, Canada with diverse multicultural society, discourages criticism of people based on race or culture.
According to Gottfried (2002), the speech given by the governor general of Canada on his installation ceremony from 1935 onwards stated that all cultures should maintain their identity, individuality, and contribute to the national image (p. 234). The speech favored the propagation of the idea of multicultural society and many radio and television stations aired it.
The print media also printed and published the speech. As a result, citizens from allover the country read the speech and in this way, the information spread to all the people.
The governor in his address maintained that strong and progressive nations contain different racial elements and cultures each contributing positively to the country in economical, political, and social fields.
When the Canadian government adopted the governor’s policy on multiculturalism some years ago, the media played a central role in realizing the full expression of all the cultures including the dominant cultures of the Canadian people.
In the modern society, where defiant to the dominant cultures continue to proliferate due to the incoming technology, goals in society, other beliefs, and freedom of choice and even different social structures, media becomes the only available tool to maintain the dominant culture elements in the society during this transition.
As Fuchs (2008) observes, different cultures are at different levels and stages of evolution in relation to changes in technology and social or cultural system (p. 786). In this view, cultures are therefore changing with time dynamics and over generations.
The native people hold the values, beliefs, behavior, and virtues of the dominant cultures and therefore need to pass them to the new generation. For effective articulation of these dominant cultural elements to the new generation then the media industry of the country plays the central role.
Changes in cultural systems and lifestyles also warrant a shift from traditions to modern lifestyles but this does not justify the loss of the cultural identity.
In most cases, cultural backgrounds of many people determine the lifestyle one chooses or leads and therefore the need for the media to continue propagating the values or norms of the dominant native or indigenous cultures, as they are rich in good values.
Conclusion
The media among others systems play a major role in the expressions of the dominant cultures in the contemporary society especially in the multicultural settings where all cultures need equal opportunity and attention in terms of expression and presentation.
Dominant cultures entail good moral values and sustain traditionally respected norms, which helps to sharpen behaviors of the new generations and therefore these values and beliefs need not be lost. This calls for the media to propagate the dominant cultures’ values and social elements.
Multiculturalism on the other hand, brings cultural diversity and appreciation of different cultures in the nation and all the spheres of human life such as education, economy, and politics. With peaceful coexistence, citizens share from different cultures and treasure others based on their cultures. This brings about friendship and togetherness in the society.
Reference List
Ankerl, G., 2000. Global communication without universal civilization. Geneva: Inu press.
Bell, D., 1976. The coming of postindustrial society. New York: Basic books press.
Beniger, J. R., 1986. The central revolution, technological and economic origin of Information society. Cambridge: Harvard university press.
Fuchs, C., 2008. Internet and society. New York: Routledge.
Garnham, N., 2004. Information society theory as ideology. London: Routledge.
Gottfried, P. E., 2002. Multiculturalism and the politics of guilt. Ottawa: University of Ottawa press.
Karotayev, A., 2004. World religions and social evolution of the old world civilization, New York: Edwin Mellen press.
Stone, J. B., 1998. Cultural and language diversity and the deaf experience. Cambridge: University press.
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