ABSTRACT

The communication industries have become the center of our contemporary politics, economy, and culture. Once crucial for the establishment of the nation-state and democracy, the communication industries have played a key role in the rise of capitalist commercial enterprises. As McChesney (2001) points out, the current era in history is generally characterized as one of globalization, technological revolution, and democratization. In all three of these areas, communication plays a major role. Economic and cultural globalization arguably would be impossible without a global commercial media system to promote global markets and to encourage consumer values. Media also function as a public sphere to secure and develop democracy in many countries. Most of all, the global communication system, as part of global capitalism, has developed commercial values, although we cannot deny the central role of media and communication in democratization.