How Social Media Will Strengthen Cultures
Before the advent of Social Media, even the Web as a whole, there was argument that Western television was destroying other cultures. Yet the most popular shows in Brazil (still are) are called Telenovela’s made in Brazil, by Brazilians and watched daily by more than 60 million Brazilians – more than ever watched American TV shows produced in the U.S.
Step forward to today. Internet access reaches over a billion people around the world. With the advent of Social Media, we can create content and distribute it globally in just seconds. Never before, in the history of mankind, have we been able to do that.
Media content such as Where The Hell is Matt opened up our eyes to the shared human experience of music dance. The music he used by one Indian artist, Praan, resulted in that musicians exposure to the world increasing his sales and popularity beyond India unlike ever possible before. The there’s Playing For Change, again using music as a cultural learning tool. Susan Boyle’s performance came out of England and flew around the world. As did the said and fatal shooting of Nadia in Iran (warning: this is a very graphic and sad video). All items that point to how Social Media is expanding global cultural awareness.
Humans have moved all over the planet in the past 100 years and very much so in the past 40 years. Some are refugees forced by war and political upheaval to leave, others for economic reasons and some because they can. This has created a large population of immigrants in many Western and other nations – the diaspora of these countries are producing content. And sharing it. And we’re all consuming it, because it’s easy to access.
In all democratic and free nations where diaspora reside they form communities. This is natural after all, being in a minority in a new culture is hard. Over time, that community shares it’s culture with it’s host community (sometimes it’s rough, sometimes not.) Now these communities can reach out and engage and share unlike ever before.
In the end, Social Media allows us to experience other cultures, understanding we have far more in common with each other than not. The diaspora and immigrant communities can strengthen the ties in their host community and back to their home nation.
What do you think? Can Social Media strengthen cultures? Is it going to help shape a new global culture? Reduce wars and conflict? Grow more democracies?