NEW MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

The paper initiates with mankind, globalization and the contemporary mass media role played through multiple media approach at the dawn of third millennium and the need to address the challenge of technological pluralism. Then the concepts and influences of new media technologies related communications through the internet, cell phones, multimedia, gaming and animation, portals, etc, are enunciated. Perspectives of Culture, new media culture and its impact on society are dealt with. Later, the importance of studies on culture and relevance of technology in cultural studies are explained. The paper attempts to probe into the prevalent Communication Order/s if any, their acceptance or failures among nations worldwide and their possible thrusts towards advancement of culture(s) maintaining free and responsible media practices. Light is thrown upon the sociological divide and other factors affecting the digital access, the gap among sections of users [digital divide] and hence on the consequence of the divide on knowledge realization. Contradiction arising between such a divide and that of the dream of global village is established in the paper. Simultaneously, the debate of whether globalization can be realized through the culture of new media usages is also brought out. Ideas of convergence of media and the positive and negative effects arising out of it on e-communities are delineated. The subtle changing of the classical and practical definitions of communication into the post-modern versions is also observed with instances. The local cultures resulting out of specific pattern of new media utilities and the identities formed due to new media usages and pedagogical approaches in media education, especially in the teaching of new media related topics are subjected to analysis. Nuances in ideas and possibilities of media imperialism are checked for reality and on such a realization the feasibility of setting up of Global News Agenda is attempted.