Guest Editor’s Note

Graduate - Non-Refereed

Dear Reader,

An objective of Global Media Journal is to encourage thinking about communication by graduate students.  Graduate students represent new blood, fresh thinking, as they view the accomplishments of those before them through the eyes of a new world, a different generation. 

In this issue I present to you three essays based on a number of similar premises, on the ways in which advancing communication technology and media are changing if not have already redefined the ways we communicate and relate to one another.  An essay by a recent graduate from Glasgow University urges re-examination of media representation of democratic practices in developing countries from a political economy perspective.  Another essay by a student at Temple University looks at ‘globalization’ of advertising and television program exports.  The third essay is from a student at American University in Cairo and attempts to understand online dating in a society where the Internet is still in its infancy.  All essays are thoughtful attempts.  One might describe them as the experimental laboratory of graduate thinking, where imperfections are plenty, but expected, where the raw materials is assembled, the idea is tentatively mapped out, but the communication scientist still must tinker and fine-tune.

Emma Miller’s article “Television, International Understanding and Globalization” is informed by her dissertation research project that investigated British television coverage of developing countries.  Using thematic analysis of two different television formats – news and a documentary – that focus on Nigeria and South Africa, Miller argues for more background and context that can make a significant difference to portrayals of events in developing countries.  She observes “… There are limits to the kind of democracy which can be delivered by national elections when international capital has such capacity to control and shape the circumstances of populations in the South.”  Miller would make a stronger case for her hypothesis by presenting similar media formats and firming discussion of the methodology design.  Yet so, the reader gains an unmistakable sense of her arguments as to how television can improve public understanding of international relations in a globalizing world.

The article by Chad Liu “Making Identical Audience Commodities across Countries by Global Sports: NBA and Global Advertising in Taiwan and the US” examines the fascinating world created by globalized and commercialized sports. Liu outlines how global advertising entails not only those “standardized” ads which are exported from the industrialized countries to other countries, but also those “local” ones based upon the multinational firms’ global marketing strategies. The latter follow standardized or unified themes, but the execution of the advertisement might be localized to accommodate to local customs.  The results of his content analysis demonstrate that the “global contents” in Taiwanese NBA commercials are actually of “American style” rather than a hybridized culture. Thus, “American corporations not only directly export the NBA, but they also directly exported some ads to Taiwan. For example, the commercials for Chrysler and Nike in the Taiwanese NBA program were identical to those in the U.S. with no re-editing or translation. On the other hand, the local advertisements highlight American cultural elements such as hip-hop music and street ball.  Briefly, it was seen that the contents of the NBA’s commercials around the world are “unified,” in fact, by American culture rather than a “global culture” in which cultures from different corners mix together.

Ingy Galal’s paper “Online Dating in Egypt” explores cyber-dating among Egyptian youth at a university in Cairo.  Although the purposive sample is small (66 students in all, 30 males and 36 females), Galal asks well-researched and ample questions including on Internet usership habits, the nature of the cyber-relationship (e.g. website membership, instant messenger systems), what adds to the allure of the communication medium, and the effects of cyber-relationships.  The most commonly cited reasons for engaging in a cyber-relationship were “I can express myself better over the internet” and “It provides me with comfort, excitement and distraction from my daily life”.  Much like youth and adults researched on the same topic in the U.S. and other countries.  Galal’s research supported her hypothesis that a majority of young well-to-do Egyptians were involved in online dating.  Both genders are involved but for different reasons.  She concludes, “The older Egyptian generations seem oblivious of the Internet’s potential impact on the social arena.  As more Egyptian couples meet over the Internet and more of them get married, more serious attention will probably turn to that medium.”  Although the Internet is still in the experimental phase in Egypt, as Galal observed, the reader perceives many of the reasons why Egyptian youth resort to the Internet for finding romance and some of the effects of cyber-relationships on Egyptian youth. 

All three essays prompted me to once again ponder the significance and meanings of ‘global media’.  You may disagree, you may question, but you will undoubtedly ponder the intricate complexities of our globalizing world.

Sweety Law
Texas A&M University

Guest Editor, Invited Sections

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