Thussu in Approaches to Theorizing International Communication lists several
theories in approaching the topic of development in the third world, such as
the Modernization and Dependency paradigms. Through the modernization paradigm,
first world nations use media as a “mobility multiplier” (Thussu, 43) in order
to diffuse information from the first world to the third world. He mentions
that those espousing this approach try to transform thinking in underdeveloped
nations from a culture of fatalism and fear of change to one of personal and
national goal setting, or in other words, risk taking. A culture that is not
risk averse is, of course, great for capitalism.
This top down approach brings back
the memory of Lawrence Harrison’s efforts to show that Western, Protestant work
ethic contributed to the success of a society, and that if a less developed
country wished to succeed it would need to have a change in its values and
beliefs. While infusing Western cultural values in the Eastern hemisphere in
order to secure development mainly for the sake of the West might be a good
short term strategy, modernizations theorists’ “assumption that the modern and
the traditional lifestyles were mutually exclusive, and their dismissive view
of culture…” can clearly end badly. Nationalism usually takes over, i.e. the
nationalization of Iran’s oil to which the US responded with a CIA-backed coup.
Look at where Iran is today.
Carey also touches on third world
interpretations of communication in Communication as Culture, calling “ritualistic communication” of
fatalist nature, “directed not toward the extension of messages in space but
toward the maintenance of society in time; not the at of imparting information
but …shared beliefs,” (Carey, 18). Whereas transmission communication is meant
to disseminate ideas and spread knowledge, ritualistic communication acted as a
means of preaching. It seems implied by Thussu, however, that the West’s use of
transmission communication is used to spread the knowledge via “free press” in
order to expand capitalist markets for the West. Regardless, evidence of
ritualistic communication can be seen across the world in nation states that
actively fight against Western influence. Propaganda in the Middle East in
particular against the US and Israel, whatever the level of validity of their
arguments, aims not to force people to question but to reaffirm beliefs that
the outside is the aggressor.
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