Identity dilemmas in the context of media globalization

Abstract

The phenomenon of globalization is characterized by a multitude of components: economic, financial, political, military, cultural and communicational. In the media sphere, for example, the new information technologies generated the metaphor of “global village” (Marshall McLuhan), which substantially reconfigured the universe of communication through the free circulation of information and audiovisual entertainment formats. A veritable industry of international formats has sprung up, which has caused the homogenization of the global media market. Nonetheless, the harmful dimension of this agglutinating process has also become visible by the fact that media globalization threatens the national identity, the traditional cultural customs and values, etc. The start of the digital era is marked by the expansion of the Internet, the proliferation of mobile phones and the strong impact of social networks in the public space. In the given context, our analysis will also focus on a relatively new phenomenon: virtual identity.