On the imbalance of international communications

Abstract

INTERNATIONAL communication today is For this typified by the southern flow of Information, from the northern hemisphere to the south- ern hemisphere, dominated by the de- veloped nations in information gathering and dissemination, and intensified by tech- nological advances in communication in the last two decades. The incessant cries of "cultural Imperialism," "cultural domina- tion," and "cultural invasion" echoing from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America have precipitated a rigid control of communication in many developing coun- tries. The imbalance of communication flow, castigated, and denounced by every developing country, is considered to be the source of all evils, ranging from the failure of politico-economical policies and erosion of social norms and values to street crimes and prostitution; nevertheless, the verdict is still not yet in. This study attempts to illustrate the fundamental problems, to ex- plore the consequences of communication imbalance, and to examine communication dysfunctions in order to provide a set of solutions specifically addressed to the ell- mination or the reduction of the detrimental effects of communication dysfunctions. In the meantime, evidence is provided to sub- stantiate the contention that communica- tion imbalance can be eventually corrected, not by control but by allowing the free flow of all types of communications. Japan is a typical example: she absorbed the best and discarded the disharmonious features of Chinese and Western civilizations. Further attempts are also made to examine the in-herent, natural immunity of cultures against alien concepts and practices. The conclu- sion is aimed at the battle cries of "cultural imperialism": much ado about nothing.