[Sigiii-l] Plaza: Cultural diversity

[Gianluca Miscione]

> Folks
> I received this contribution for the Plaza which is rightly pointing to
> the many contradictions in the current Weltanshauungen
> Hope it generates some useful reflections, and hopefully further
> debate.
>
> Michel                          mailto:Michel.Menou at wanadoo.fr
>
> >=========================================
> >Cultural Diversity in the Information Society
> >Sergei Stafeev,
> >Centre of Community Networking and Information Policy Studies (CCNS) ,
> >St. Petersburg, Russia
> >http://www.communities.org.ru
> >

[...]

> >Communication and media infrastructures cannot in themselves be either
> >determinants or mediators of common economic and cultural spaces, they
> >are just one of many social and technological determinants which vary
> >from society to society and culture to culture. The infrastructure may
> >be global but its applications and impacts can only be determined by
> >the local human condition. The local and regional determinants include
> >unemployment, poverty, exclusion and inequality. This is in addition
> >to culture, language, and social and economic factors.

I agree

> >Moreover, the development of Internet and information resources which
> >allow to propagate the non-commercial information around the world
> >practically without any payment is a giant positive factor
> >(potentially) for information diversity.

Not necessarily, non-commercial information not always implies information
diversity. For example soft-propaganda can take advantage of the new-media.
Even if anyone can (potentially) answer doesn't imply they'll be listened
to. IMHO the social relevance of contemporary media are often
oversimplified. Maybe it's because of a kind of "ideology of new media" that
orders our imaginary but may be not suitable to social realities.


> >The changing relationship between society and technology affect our
> >social roles as individuals, as members of our local communities, and
> >as social actors in global information society. Proliferation of new
> >communications technologies may help erode existing inequalities and
> >divisions -- though they may well intensify class domination and
> >gender, race, and class inequality and subordination. We need a new
> >vision of information society which seeks social cohesion by promoting
> >a culture of shared communication, values and knowledge, seeking
> >coherence through valorisation of diversity.
> --

Some brief comments:

- I agree inequalities should be reduced, but divisions are usual in any
sort of social organization;

- social cohesion doesn't imply less inequalities, strong hierarchical
structures can be cohered but unequal;

- I really try to support the valorization of diversity, but the "culture of
communication" need practical and viable solutions on the decision-making
level.





I really think we (all, not only the subscribers to this list) need to focus
on the basics rather than on the "cutting-edge".
My personal choice to look for answers to all these issues is re-starting
from social sciences (from a micro and inductive standpoint).





gianluca