Globalization effects on youth: opportunity or threat?

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Globalization effects on youth: opportunity or threat?

Roman Maltsev

Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Karaganda

INTRODUCTION

Today modern communication technology and mass media are our modern standard. In general, mass media propagate gigantic amount of information and people need to work with them. People who surround me are students of high school. It could often be seen that they use different gadgets for purpose of communication and getting news but also the students able to sort useful information objectively. In school where I am studding I have course of Global Perspectives. The subject teaches to define credible information and improves critical thinking skills. When I am outside of the school community, I can hear some people who provide hard point of view of another source. For example, some people claim that sanctions in Russia are important solution but they cannot be competent in the sphere. Usually, the group tries to confirm own position and does not accept other perspectives so they become biased (Varlamova, 2013). In this way, I began to collect background information about mass media and the impact of this. There are three basic reasons: own interest and motivation, scientific interest, and practical meaning as a contribution to the development of Kazakhstan. As regard the first, teenagers have the most effect, because they yet have no formed system of values, so I am in this group too and want to secure myself. In addition, the issue is discussable in scientific circles, and the research paper can provide something new. Third step is contribution to my country. Fundament of successful development is young people. There are two principal: saving culture and clear thinking of youth.

We could be under influence of mass media. Around 35 percent of world's population has access to the Internet (Lee, 2014) but there are different opportunities to get news, for example, television, magazines, and radio programs. On the one hand, modern means of information transferring have enough advantages, for example, it allows improving democratization of population due to purposes of rapid communication. On the other hand, it is dangerous for humanity, because it helps to propagate terrorism, crime, cruelty and violence. Almost each user of internet has access to given kinds of information. Some people around me have a different point of views. These are globalization's advantages and disadvantages. For example, some people say that modern system of transporting information let us to learn instantly situations in economy, politics and other sphere of international relationships and in local problems, but others claims that through mass media someone makes us think with a purpose of a benefit. I can recognize second statement as influence of West and its culture. There is phenomenon, which called Americanization. As a result, I solved to explore both perspectives and to give an evaluation.

CONTEXT

Globalization means a process of integration and interaction of humanity and countries of different nations. This process has effects on culture, economy, politics and human physical well-being in societies around the world. Features of globalization can be find in the history. In general, it is associated with a trade, for example, famous Silk Road that passed between China and Europe through Central Asia. Subsequently, newer economic connection based on external investment in enterprises in other country. In our days, as Thomas Friedman has said globalization is “farther, faster, cheaper and deeper” (2014). The biggest amount of research focus on changes economic and political systems. However, the observers of globalization more often recognize that the process is having a significant effect on society's behavior that lead to controversy. By other words, globalization effect on culture the most and indefinitely (Silicon, 2014).

Fundamentally, mass media is a tool of globalization. Most scholars define our modern society as a mass community and believe it was made around the end of 19th century by processes, such as modernization, urbanization and industrialization (Wells, 1997). The role of mass media in society could be divided in three types: self-regulation, politics and education. As regard the first, there are not central mechanism that check information which going to public vision, cause of mass media sorts itself. The media plays an important role in politics. It develops democratization in its ideal form, and from other hand, it helps citizens to learn about a situation in their country and in whole world. The last, media in any its interpretations can be a source of knowledge (Silicon, 2014). An integration of economics, politics and culture is going with acceleration and consequences of the process relate to our life. System of mass media in a whole world impacts on the development of global processes, but the system own is under influence (Bell & Inozemtsev, 1999).

As was said, the mass media is important part of globalization. Television, radio, internet propagate the global culture to young people around the world. By contrast, it also can be used for creating resistance. Researchers from Denmark, France and Israel found that because of the media-induced processes of globalization, young people in those countries prefer transnational fiction, and movie material. (Lemish, Drotner et al. 1998)

The mass media, such as radio, television, magazines, and in particular the new media, such as internet, are important instruments in the process of spreading the global culture to young people around the world and conversely can be used as a platform for the networking of resistance. Researchers from Denmark, France and Israel found that as a result of the media-induced processes of globalization, young people in those countries have a preference for transnational fiction, and movie material and also a new sense of transnational social space provided by the Internet (Lemish, Drotner et al. 1998). What do students think about the influence? Aliya Tskhay, a university student of KIMEP, in interview that were made in May 2009 in Almaty said:

Like everywhere else, people's life style has changed a lot because of globalization mostly into western way… Young people are listening to pop music, wearing American brands and even changing the way of thinking.

It turns out that some percentage of young people readily obeys global trends, which formed their behavior and chooses of films, music and brands. Are these all consequences or there is something else? The effect changes way of think as Aliya said. The factor can create new opportunities or new threats for our country. "Arab Spring", the events in the Ukraine, Hong Kong and other parts of the world demonstrate how easily and quickly the young generation can become the driving force of serious destructive transformations (Slin'ko, 2014).

In order to evaluate influence of mass media on teens' thinking in the process of globalization in culture necessary to carry out a study among adolescents with main purpose to learn what consequences will be, and how it will effect on our country, in other words, to predict the future.

AIMS

Researcher have state a hypothesis that people who develop critical thinking skills are less under influence of globalization then people who cannot analyze information critically. This means that the last group of teenagers try to follow a look: they make a purchase of technology and wear which are popular today.

The purpose of the research project is to explore influence of globalization on youth and identify how it can effect on Kazakhstan. The aim is to find out about the extent to which young people are dependent on global trends and their own opinion about the issue. In general, it relates to students' preferences of culture, it could be music or film industry of any countries. Therefore in this study the main research questions are:

· Do students have access to global media, and if yes then in what way?

· How global media effects on their behavior and thinking?

· Can students assess the reliability of international events? Alternatively, what extent to which students rely on the global media?

· What consequences could be for Kazakhstan in opinion of the students?

METHODS

Methods of the research include in the same degree quantitative and qualitative directions. The condition makes output data more credible. Firstly, the choose allows collect information about young people and evaluate general trend. Secondly, qualitative part identifies reasons and consequences clearer and deeper insights. In addition, both type of research relevant to the purpose and aims.

Secondary research was in the form of literature review. Its advantages are large amount of information about globalization, opinions of scholars in other research papers with the similar topic, opportunity to evaluate some perspectives. Its disadvantages are lack of information about situation in Kazakhstan. The secondary research helps to learn process in general, but not in details, find out about main features that connected with teens. Main sources were article `Globalization and its Impact on Youth' retrieved from Journal of Futures Studies and educational website globalization101.org. The research paper's part `Context' contains analysis and summarize both of them. Thus, there was identified some aspects of the study, such as ratio to Kazakhstan's teenagers, the expected consequences of globalization's influence, and Kazakh nation's attitude to the issue.

Primary research was in the form of survey. For achievement high level of authority, target population was identified as students from 14 to 18 years of Nazarbaev Intellectual School, approximately 620 people, because the group could show own relative to the issue. Confident level is 95% and confident interval 4.8. Thus, sample size needed is 121 students (the calculation was made using the surveysystem.com). Survey includes four main headings as it shown in figure 1. The structure helps to identify dependent and independent variables, gradually from reasons to consequences of mass media's effect. As was said in hypothesis, abilities to think critically lead to less degree of being under effect of globalization. List of questions was developed accordingly the statement, an empty responses blank is shown in appendix A of the research.

An important step was way of distribution the survey among young people with achievement high validity. After long period of analysis of other students' surveys, huge percentage of them shows next weaknesses: big amount of open questions that are required, difficult formulation for understanding, incorrectly selected target audience, etc. All of given factors reduce amount of respondents and make their answers more bias, because of absence of explanation about for what results are needed and who has access to these. The strategy of propagation excludes all of the previous aspects. New method has next strengths:

· Logical structure of questionnaire: from reasons to consequences;

· Suitable time for questionnaire sending by corporative mail: about 11.00pm, when maximum amount of teenagers is online and ready to pass a survey;

· Correct constituted message for notification about the survey, which based on adolescent psychology: “you should not do it”.

By this way, enough answers of respondents were received.

Fig. 1

RESULTS

I Personal information

In the survey, 151 respondents took part that was more than the required number for the representativeness of the study. Thirty of them are 14 years, 35 of them are 15 years, 46 students are 16 years, and others are 17 years. As regard gender, 47 students are male, and 104 are female. This stage also determined probable quantity of false answers by following question: `Are you agree to answer following questions as true as it is possible?' Thus, 14 respondents check `do not sure, and others 123 people said `agree'. Results of processing of data are shown in the figure 2.

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Fig. 2

II Access to global media

Data, which was received from this section, shows quantity of respondents who have access to global media. All teenagers at least several times per month use print or audiovisual media for getting international information. The most frequent instrument of student is internet. Around 85% of respondents every day look internet for information in the world, 36.2% uses television and radio. Print press are not popular among young people, only about 9.6% of students read magazines or newspapers every day, inversely 14.8% do not read print press and 2.0% do not watch television always, accordingly global media. The results are shown in figure 3.

Some of the data could be mismatch the validity. Reason of this could be misunderstanding of questions by teenagers. They substitute meaning of global media and answer in relation to the general access.

Fig. 3

III Influence on behavior

Influence of globalization on youth largely exist through mass media as was said in Context of the research paper. Early data present almost each teen has access to global media, this means that the person could be under effect of global trends. One of them is preferences in productions of world brands. Approximately 64% of sample group purchase technology from foreign country, and 75.5% purchase wear from outside of the national market, as it is shown in figure four.

Fig. 4

Figure 5 reflect impact of global well. There was questions about music and films of what country students more prefer. The results are distributed as follows: more than three-fourths of sample population chose USA, half of students chose Europe, slightly less Russia, then Kazakhstan, Canada, Turkey, India, Japan and Korea. Separately some students distinguish Great Brittan, Germany and France. Kazakh film industry is not popular - only 11.3% of teens, however 26.3% appreciates music of people's artists. Thus, preferences of youth sent to Occident and Russia.

Fig. 5

IV Influence on thinking

Globalization also can influence on mind of teens. Critical thinking skills are protection from effect of mass media. In the process of research, following data was defined: 78.8% of students sometimes distrust in news that describe world events, and 4.6% fully do not believe. Some of teenagers find out interest of governments, which present the events. This interest could be in the form of economic or political aspects, but in the greatest part news manipulate the consciousness of population. One of the respondents, women who is 17, provide own arguments in this question, and discuss about a distraction. For example, act of terrorism in USA, which happened 11th of September, diverted attention from the government debt; swine flu, which was unreliable, diverted attention from meltdown of `Fukushima 1'; today popular virus Ebola diverted attention from events in Ukraine. Thus, some of young people have abilities evaluate information from global media critically.

Adolescents has estimated degree of being under influence of globalization on a scale from 1 to 10, minimum and maximum respectively. The arithmetical mean of respondents equals 4.5; other results are shown in figure 6.

Fig. 6

V Consequences

Influence of globalization on teens can lead to negative consequences for Kazakhstan. As it was found, students make a connection between own future and Kazakhstan differently. Most - 54.3% wants contribute to the development of the country, 28.5% plans to work in Kazakhstan, and 37.7% to live here. By contrast, 19.2% of students in no way relates own future with Kazakhstan that could involve `brain gain' in perspectives. Results are shown in figure 7.

A large percentage of youth believes that globalization has positive effect on Kazakhstan. In their opinion, students have opportunity to get a quality education in foreign countries, and after that they can use acquired knowledge for the development of Kazakhstan. The only threat loss of cultural values. Answers of respondents on the question are shown in appendix B.

integration mass media people

CONCLUSION

Based on these results, we can talk about the positive and negative effects of mass media on young people in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools' students are able to think critically, as it turned out that a good feature for the entire population. The study revealed that all the students of Nazarbayev Intellectual schools have access to global media, and therefore likely to be directly influenced by them. On average, the adolescent confirms the partial impact of global trends on yourself. The question remained as follows: is the effect dangerous or has a number of advantages.

Students prefer culture of Europe and USA. Teenagers prefer music and films that produced by the United States and Europe. This may indicate that the culture of these countries attracts them. Students believe it is opportunity for Kazakhstan to follow the example of developed countries, and may not incur any threat. Yes, indeed, this fact can be confirmed even by the President's message to the people of `Kazakhstan 2050', where President said that we must go through the best experience of developed countries. On the other hand, the students have an opportunity through the media around the world to compare level of life there and here.

One-fifth of teenagers wants to leave Kazakhstan. For Kazakhstan, it is pronounced negative impact of global trends. Students who study at the school of the first President, ready to leave their country. Thus, Kazakhstan loses mental capacity. On the other hand, more than half of the students want to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan, which may be related to the close relationship between patriotism and the desire to raise Kazakhstan to the level of the same European countries.

In conclusion, the impact of globalization on young people has, as a positive and a negative effect for Kazakhstan. Due to the fact that most teenagers are able to critically evaluate world events, they are also able to critically evaluate information in relation to Kazakhstan. This is the main protection of Kazakhstan from the negative effects of globalization.

EVOLUATION

In general, the quality of the study was conducted. Respondents were selected based on their authority. The results obtained in the study, enough generalization. The findings, which are based on the teenager, applicable to all young people of Kazakhstan with a share of error.

There is a number of nuances that are associated with the quality of preparation of the structure of the questionnaire. Ultimately, the number of detected dependent variables was minimal. Questions could be more deeply thought out based on the conclusions of other studies of various studies on similar topic.

Another weakness of the study is that the research question itself is wide. Field study could be narrowed down to find any specific reasons. On the other hand, this could not be done, because during the planning of the work to be first to know what age group is more susceptible to the influence of the media and in general there is exposed.

FURTHER RESEARCH

In the scientific literature often seen mention of the fact that the reason teenagers are the easiest to manage. The results of this research work I got back. Thus comes the question: what is the reason. Further research will focus not only on students ' specific educational institutions, and youth all over Kazakhstan. You will learn why certain percentage of teenagers do not connect their future with Kazakhstan, and how it is connected with the process of globalization. You need to identify what determines the degree of effect of the media, which turns out to be a teenager.

When I only started to plan research, it is not thought seriously that media can have a negative impact for the state. My interest was mainly to find out whether or not global news can manipulate the consciousness of the population. If so, then this is subject to most teenagers. After research I am convinced that young people are able to evaluate information critically. Therefore, my opinions have changed, and I want to continue studying.

References

Bell, D., & Inozemtsev, V. L. (1999). Gryadushchee postindustrial'noe obshchestvo: opyt sotsyal'nogo prognozirovaniya;

Timothy B. Lee (2014). 40 maps that explain the internet. Retrieved from http://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps;

Gidley, Jennifer, (2001). Globalization and its Impact on Youth, Journal of Futures Studies,

(Vol 6, No 1, August), pp. 89-106. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/302381/Globalization_and_Its_Impact_on_Youth;

Silicon, V. (2014). What Is Globalization. The Levin Institute - The State University of New York. Retrieved from http://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization; http://www.globalization101.org/the-influence-of-us-corporations-on-local-mores; http://www.globalization101.org/self-regulation-how-the-media-watches-itself/

Varlamova, D. (2013). Chto meshayet nam byt' ob”ektivnymi: 11 kognitivnykh iskazheniy. Retrieved from http://theoryandpractice.ru/posts/7357-chto-meshaet-nam-byt-obektivnymi-10-kognitivnykh-iskazheniy;

Thomas, F. (2014) The Lexus and the Olive Tree. Retrieved from http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/the-lexus-and-the-olive-tree/excerpt-intro;

Jerry, H. (2005). Kazakhstan's Gucci revolution. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/opinion/09iht-edhuffman.html;

Wells (1997) A Cognitive Perspective on Social Phobia;

Lemish, D., K. Drotner, et al. (1998). “Global Culture in Practice: A Look at Adolescentsin Denmark, France and Israel.” European Journal of Communication 13(4): 539-556;

Slin'ko, D. (2014) Vzrivoopasnyi resurs. Retrieved from http://exclusive.kz/obshhestvo/25739.

APPENDIX A

Content of survey

Section 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION;

1) What is your age: ___

2) What is your gender: (M / F)

3) Are you agree to answer following questions as true as It is possible? (Agree / Do not sure)

Section 2: ACCESS TO GLOBAL MEDIA;

Note: In the next three q-s, word “information” means any entertainment / educational programs, news, etc. from INTERNATIONAL or WORLD media.

4) How often do you get information by print media?

5) How often do you get information by audio - visual media, such as television and radio?

6) How often do you get information by internet?

Section 3: PRIORITETS;

7) Do you purchase brand wear from foreign countries? (yes / no)

8) Do you purchase brand technology from foreign countries? (yes / no)

9) Chose a country (-es) which movies you prefer: (USA, Europe, Canada, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, Japan, etc.)

10) Chose a country (-es) which music you listen: (USA, Europe, Canada, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, Japan, etc.)

Section 4: CRITICAL ANALISIS;

11) Do you believe news, which describe international events? (always believe / sometimes do not believe / always do not believe)

12) Explain your point of view.

13) Chose one statement

Note: but in begin think well (this question could be skipped)

· Every nation must have own culture and originality;

· Unity and the creation of a new common culture will create peace in all the world;

· If all cultures come together, then America will have a tremendous impact;

Section 5: CONSEQUENCES;

14) Evaluate influence of global trends on yourself (complete independence 1…10 maximum dependence)

Note: If you buy brand wear, read world bestsellers, watch TV series, eat fast-food or etc. the you are under influence of global trends

15) How do you connect your future with Kazakhstan?

§ I will live here;

§ I will study here;

§ I will work here;

§ I will develop my country;

§ My future will not connect with Kazakhstan;

§ Other answer: ________

16) Influence of globalization on youth: threat or opportunity for Kazakhstan?

Note: only your thoughts

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix B

Opinions of teenagers about what value has influence of globalization on teens for Kazakhstan.

16) Influence of globalization on youth: threat or opportunity for Kazakhstan?

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