ICT , the merchandizing of culture and the human person in an age of globalization

1. ICT , the merchandizing of culture and thehuman person in an age of globalization

2. Structure of the presentation • Definition of concepts. • Overview of the core aspects and questions at stake. • Conclusions.

3. The conceptual toolkit ICT , the merchandizing of culture and the human person in an age of globalization • ICT • Merchandizing • Culture • Human person • Globalization

4. The conceptual toolkit ICT: Information and communication technology, and here more specifically the phenomenon of the personal computer in combination with the Internet. Merchandizing: The whole of activities aimed at the promotion of the purchasing of goods by customers (at the most optimal profit rate for the seller). Important aspects: • Information • Communication

5. The conceptual toolkit Culture: • The shared or common values, norms, beliefs and opinions within a society or group which determine the world view and the behavior of the members of that society or group. • Art and its products in a broad sense (literature, music, graphical arts, performing arts) Globalization: The process of growing internationalization, interdependency and homogenization of human activity and societies (regions), based on Western- liberal culture, driven by technology and characterized by its autonomous dynamics, i.e. a relatively limited legal and political control by national and international authorities.

6. The conceptual toolkit Human person: Core value in Creation and society and hence the ultimate touchstone of human activity and policies. This core value implies the indefeasible right of the human being to: • Dignity • Justice • Equality • Information and knowledge • Development of talents • Physical and psychological well-being

7. Breakdown of the issue ICT , the merchandizing of culture and the human person in an age of globalization • Does ICT yes or no promote a merchandizing of culture and/or a culture of merchandizing? • Does ICT, as one of the driving forces of globalization leads to a worldwide homogenization of culture? • Does ICT promote or on the contrary threaten the core values of humanity, as embodied in the notion “the Human Person”? • Does ICT produce a (new) culture of its own? If yes: what are the characteristics of this culture and what are the consequences for the individual human being and society at large?

8. ICT and the merchandizing of culture Does ICT yes or no promote a merchandizing of culture and/or a culture of merchandizing? • ICT is a “ super instrument” for information supply and communication, and as such an important facilitator of the merchandising process in general. • More important: does ICT promote a culture of merchandizing in general and of cultural products in particular? In other words: does ICT strengthen the focus on the commercial value of cultural products instead of their intrinsic, non-material value?

9. ICT and the merchandizing of culture A “ real life” example from the academic world. • In the course of the last decade: an enormous rise in subscription fees for academic journals • Reaction from the academic community: OAI (open archives initiative) and Open Access Movement: academic publications should be available to humanity “ free of charge. (Berlin Declaration). • OAI and Open Access: fully based on Internet, which provided: • An easy to use, “ low-barrier” technology for electronic publication • The communication instrument to broadcast and promote the initiative world wide and to rapidly and efficiently organize the movement. • Example of an “ ethical correction” by means of Internet of an excessive or “over the edge” commercialization or merchandizing of culture.

10. ICT and the merchandizing of culture • Related, example: the open source movement in software production. • Other example of the correction of excessive commercialization (capitalism) by means of ICT: the free MP3 music exchange on Internet. Difference with Open Access and Open Source: spontaneous or organic development within the Internet community, not planned or based on ideologic principles or ethical viewpoint. All three examples are illustrations of the opposite of a culture of merchandizing.

11. ICT and the homogenization of culture Does ICT, one of the driving forces of globalization, lead to a worldwide homogenization of culture? • ICT and more specifically Internet has been “accused” of creating – if we may use the term – a “Tsunami” of Western-liberal culture to all parts of the world; threatening, if not sweeping away local or regional cultures. • The figures seem to support this thesis: • some 85 % of the web pages are in English • by far the majority of pages is located in VS and Europe

12. ICT and the homogenization of culture Relativizing remarks: • Only some 10 % of the world’ s population is connected to the Internet, so a lot of cultures are not reached by this cultural “Tsunami”. In Africa for instance , a continent with a lot of indigenous cultures, barely 1 -2% of the population is connected. • Internet provides an easy-to-use instrument for other cultures too “to broadcast their colors”. • Adjustment of local cultures is not per definition wrong.For instance: a culture should not propagate or practice the violation of basic human rights. If the Internet, through awareness-raising information and its capacity to organize international interest and pressure groups, can contribute to the disappearance of such violations, and thus the adjustment of the culture in question, than this is a positive fact.

13. ICT and the Human Person Does ICT promote or on the contrary threaten the core values of humanity, as embodied in the notion “the Human Person”, which could be broken down into the following subvalues or rights? • Dignity • Justice • Equality • Information and knowledge • Development of talents • Physical and psychological well-being

14. ICT and the Human Person Human Dignity Concening this aspect, the balance seems negative: Internet is notorious for its flood of immoral content (pornography, racism,…) in which human beings are treated and presented as usable or loathsome objects.For example: the Internet is a hotbed for the spread and circulation of child pornography, one of the most de-humanizing phenomenon in society. At the same time however, and as a small positive light in this massive human darkness, the Internet has proven to be an efficient instrument to track down and round up child-pornography networks.

15. ICT and the Human Person Justice and Equaility • Positive: the Internet can be an awareness-raising tool for injustice and inequality and optimal instrument for the organization of interest and pressure groups. • Negative: ICT produces its own, new inequalities between people, and more specifically risks to create “second class” citizenss in the knowledge or information-based society which is being shaped by the Internet. • The “digital divide” between the developed and the developing world concerning the access to ICT’s.. • The division in “ have’s” and “have-not’s” in society: those being able to access and (know how to) use ICT and those who do not dispose of these facilities • young vs old, • natives vs ethnic minorities, • white vs blue collar...

16. ICT and the Human Person The right to Information and knowledge In this respect the Internet, no doubt, is the all-time champion in history. Never before has such an abundance of direct and easily accessible information been available to mankind. No wonder that the Internet gurus depict the coming into being of the Web as a more important event than the development of book printing. According to them humanity has entered the “post-Gutenberg galaxy” referring both to the superiority of electronic registration of information compared to paper and the unlimited amount (“galaxy” ) of information available..

17. ICT and the Human Person Development of talents • Distant education by means of ICT (Internet), brings learning opportunities to millions of people hitherto deprived of these possibilities. • First of all of importance for the developing world: • It can fill the gaps in expertise and curricula of local schools and universities. • Substantially enhancement of the number of persons benefiting from quality education, no longer reserved to the “ happy few” who can pay a scholarship abroad. • Also in the developed world: • “The” instrument for life-long learning • Second chance education for educational “ drop outs” . • No doubts about the quality of virtual education. • The experience of the University of Phoenix • Results of a Dutch survey on virtual education.

18. ICT and the Human Person Physical and psychological well-being • ICT can create a boost in both quantity and quality of medical care, especially in developing countries: • Assistance “ on line” from a distant expert. • Direct access to “diagnosis-databases” • Health information campaigns for the local population. • Concerning the effects on the psychological well-being, the case may not be that positive (e.g. the already mentioned threat of mental or moral health by immoral, de-humanizing content). More about this aspect in the last question.

19. ICT: a new culture? • The “unmanageable” big amount information on the Internet can lead to a state of permanent anxiety or insecurity with the individual. Before the dawning of the Internet, our information horizon was both limited and (pre-)structured. Structured by our guides in the pedagogical process – parents and teachers – and limited by the availability of physical resources (books, journals, …) in our vicinity (libraries, book shops…). The Internet has completely and abruptly changed this: from a guided visitor in a conveniently arranged and familiar park, the individual in the “post-Gutenberg galaxy” has become a wandering tourist in an immeasurable forest.

20. ICT: a new culture? 2.Being a curious searcher by nature, the human individual will try to know and pick as much fruits as possible in this information forest. This “horizontal” gathering of information might well go at the expense of a “vertical” deepening of the material. The internaut may simply have no time and be too anxious for profound intellectual reflexion. So the reflective attitude and capacity of the individual may be diminished and we could end up with a non-reflective society.

21. ICT: a new culture? 3. The use of ICT will cause a decline in basic interpersonal relations and direct social interaction, At the same time the Internet users will get in frequent contact with individuals and cultures from all over the world, which in turn will enhance their understanding of and tolerance towards foreign cultures and societies. It may well be that the groups formed or encountered in chat-sessions and on line discussion rooms become a more relevant reference group for the Internet user than his local peers in everyday life. This may create a situation ofsocial uprootedness for the individual.

22. ICT: a new culture? • The use of ICT will lead to the gradual disappearance of various physical “information carriers”: books, CD’s, journals… and so the proper value attributed to these carriers as such.

23. Conclusions • Various positive and negative aspects of Internet. Big challenge to strengthen the positive aspects and avoid the negative. • Creation of international regulations concerning the control of offensive and de-humanizing information. • Second big challenge: rethinking of the the education and transfer of values in a society where: • Reflexion • Books • Direct personal interaction Which up to now were cornerstones of the preservation and overdracht of culture, tend to diminish.