MULTICULTURALISM ON INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND GLOBAL POWER

MULTICULTURALISM ON INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND

GLOBAL POWER

Introduction

Today's human intelligence in communication is the key to opening the door to

success in building social relationships. Especially with The presence of communication

technology that is increasingly developing, humans are facilitated in communicating

using internet access so that humans can communicate from social, educational,

economic, and cultural backgrounds, different ethnicities and ideologies.

Communication and information technology has evolved and transformed the

political and economic infrastructure at both domestic and global levels.

The control of communication technology by certain parties has affected

national security conditions, such as the emergence of terrorists, civil wars, separatism,

new weapon systems, collective intelligence and counterintelligence movements and

information dissemination with all its implications and consequences.

Global communication has changed the definition of power on the world

political stage in ways that traditional international relations theory does not consider.

Global communication has led to significant changes in the major arenas of hard

power and soft power. In hard power the changes are material power such as military

races and economic competition.

As for soft power, changes occur in symbolic power, namely increased

ideological campaigns and cultural and moral resistance.

Phenomenon multiculturalism communication as a social fact and phenomenon.

In the last two decades there has been an increase in social interaction in various parts

of the world. This phenomenon occurs supported by rapid progress in the field of

technological innovation, especially telecommunications and transportation, Tubbs

(1996: 239).

With the development of communication and aviation networks, humans are

increasingly facilitated in communicating directly in distant places. Humans, who have

diverse social identities, usually communicate in the context of tourism, trade, both

domestically and abroad by utilizing the rapid advancement of communication and

transportation technology.

Without realizing it when we do multiculturalism communication that involves

humans in it from several parts of the world who have different languages, customs,

mindsets and ethics.

The differences between people who communicate are not only about Cultural

values but also economic, social, scientific and political aspects. World progress does

not make cultural differences an obstacle for one another in establishing relationships

through multiculturalism communication that can lead them to be able to tolerate each

other more, understand one another, and understand the world with each other, and

adapt.

The key to success in multiculturalism communication is that there are no rules

or conventions that limit it, but it runs according to the norms and values of each

culture. Multiculturalism is a field to know and learn wisely about other cultures.

Cultural differences are God's gifts that aim for humans to get to know each

other. It can provide an understanding that humans need to establish communication

even with humans who have ethnic and national differences so that humans can get to

know each other and build relationships.

Theoretical Framework

Communication Multiculturalism requires all individuals to be able to realize

and understand each other's diverse cultures, so that humans can share, complement and

maintain each other to create Harmony in coexistence in order to realize a peaceful

atmosphere. One of the principles in multiculturalism communication which that an

understanding of one's own cultural values is a prerequisite to be able to identify and

understand the values of other other cultures.

The ability to build multiculturalism communication is important to be able to

equip oneself with multiculturalism communication skills and it should not be done just

for social purposes but also has cognitive and affective purposes.

According to Litvin (in Mulyana, ed, 2001: xi) these objectives include: (1)

training sensitivity to oneself culturally; (2) encouraging a great understanding of one's

own culture and other cultures; (3) understand how to gain insight into one's own

culture's assumptions, values, freedoms and limitations; (4) learn how to communicate

in a way that is appropriate to one's own culture. (5) achieve the capacity to engage with

members of other cultures in order to create satisfying and long-lasting relationships;

(6) understand the concepts, models and implementation in the field of multiculturalism

communication; (7) understand the concepts, models and implementation in the field of

multiculturalism communication; and (8) understand the concepts, models and

implementation in the field of multiculturalism communication multiculturalism; and

(7) realize that different value systems can be systematically studied, compared and

understood.

The more open the world is due to globalization, the more crowded

multiculturalism communication is, involving people from various cultures that are

certainly different from displaying phenomena in relationships. With this, it encourages

the improvement of social relations and multiculturalism communication.

In this paper the author discusses multiculturalism communication on global

communication issues and the impact on power, the urgency of media policy, new

global information and communication systems.

Research Methods

The approach of this research is qualitative which aims to get holistic results

about the phenomena that are currently happening. Primary data was obtained through

interviews, while secondary data was obtained through several previous studies.

The analysis method in this research uses descriptive qualitative based on the data

obtained.

Research Results

Communication is the nervous system of the organization, Daniel Lerner (1982).

When humans communicate that is where information exchange arises. Information

exchange is a mechanism for regulating social action, even communication can form an

organization when applied in collective behavior in social institutions both large and

small, even though it starts not formal, parallel and tiered.

Ability human The ability of humans to communicate can determine the

effectiveness and limits of each organization in carrying out activities with its

environment. The international information system contains multiculturalism

communication from various parts of the world. With fast movement, this system is able

to send information anywhere in a short time, driven by the development of

communication technology where the distance between the communicator and the

communicant is not an issue today. The impact of easy access to communicate and

exchange information has resulted in growing international communication that

demands the ability of every nation and state to be able to coordinate it.

In the annals of history, developments resulting from advances in communication

technology have seen significant developments in social change in society. The growth

of a nation in the Americas would not have been possible in the 19th century without

the telegraph and railroad, which bridged vast inland and coastal areas. In the 21st

century, communication is supported by advances in internet and airplane technology.

Internet technology in this century is a vital medium because it is able to provide

information from various sources without being limited by space and time.

In general, African countries are poor and lacking in modern communication, but

today they have begun to develop communication capabilities. This is due to the

development of airplanes and telecommunications between countries so that Africa is

able to strengthen and expand relations. Africa's ability to organize communication is

due to African leaders who firmly resist the influence of European countries on their

continent.

The influence of the 'new colonists', such as Air France, British Airways, Intelsat,

Reuters, Le Monde, AFP, Newsweek, BBC allowed for interaction and cooperation

between them resulting in the formation of the Organization of African Unity and

resistance to the new colonialists. Furthermore, the policies and activities of Africans

demonstrated by ending white rule in South Africa would not have been possible

without the presence of the African Union communication and long-distance

transportation technologies and the role of international mass media.

Meanwhile, on the Asian continent, due to advances in communication

technology, there have been changes in various fields. A number of countries in Asia

such as Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore are increasing economic development.

Political changes that occur in the world can also spread quickly due to information

technology. In the Islamic world, there are problems regarding the Israel-Palestine issue

and the role and concern of Islamic countries that are still weak towards technological

development.

The Islamic world's lack of multiculturalism communication has the potential to

open the door to third-party interventions that can, on the one hand, be one-sidedly

beneficial, and on the other hand, detrimental to the Islamic world. International

communication scholars in the Islamic world have made relatively significant progress

diametrically along with changes in economic prosperity.

By Politically, multiculturalism communication is facilitated to be able to push

traditional territory and sovereignty in a nation; economically weakens economic power

and takes the economic resources of a nation; and culturally provides a contrasting

influence on traditional cultural values and norms. It is undeniable that multiculturalism

communication patterns have created a new culture of materialism and consumerism,

such as the colonization of Coca-Cola, KFC, McDonald's and the commercialization of

the body supported by the global entertainment industry.

In the cultural arena, the impact is not only related to pop culture, but also to

materialistic and fashionable lifestyles that disregard local cultural values. The channel

in multiculturalism communication more Retrieved from themselves as arenas for the

performance of new political, economic and cultural boundaries that challenge

traditional political, economic and cultural systems. According to Majid Tehranian

(2003), the taxonomy of global communication and information can signal a number of

policies that are currently working in the global society. As illustrated above, it can be

seen that the penetration of global culture has entered the area of information and

culture so far and deep that it needs to be anticipated with political policies in the fields

of information and culture.

In the area of information, aspects that need to be regulated by policies covering

national security issues, group and individual freedom, privacy, pornography and

pornoaction and copyright. In the cultural section, aspects of historical heritage, cultural

identity, cultural heritage goals, religion and language have been identified. Between

the two policies, there is public space for discourse to form public opinion and

democratic will. All these policies are made to avoid the potential outbreak of cultural

conflict when cultural clashes are not mutually understanding and damage wisdom and

lead to the direction of cultural domination.

In ensuring world security and peace on the basis of the principles of social

justice, international relations certainly require extensive multiculturalism dialogue to

build bridges of communication for harmonious and ideal cultural construction. To

avoid conflict, multiculturalism dialogue must be able to touch the military, diplomatic,

economic and cultural arenas.

The impact on the military arena of the advantages of communication technology

is like a double-edged sword that leads to the paradox of "big is small" which means

that the more security, the less security. For example, the mastery of nuclear weapons,

which is the greatest deterrent force, creates a greater possibility of nuclear war both

intentionally and unintentionally in the future. The global defense system supported by

remote satellite control is controlled by the superpowers, but its advantages open up

opportunities to be used at a loss by those who can afford satellite services.

Related idea regarding the stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction that have a

very high security priority for their owners. This is particularly problematic because

military technology has increased the hit and kill ratio, and communications technology

has increased its power for defense purposes. As a result, permanent insecurity prevails

in the centers and peripheries of global power. The political implication of this

phenomenon is that the ownership of power and peacekeeping has evolved to a great

extent but from the perspective of the global village space, it is certainly difficult to

sustain.

Impacting on the diplomatic arena, international diplomacy is supported by

intergovernmental public diplomacy. Multiculturalism communication also drives three

new types of diplomacy called public diplomacy, community diplomacy and virtual

diplomacy. Public diplomacy that uses mass media networks is utilized by the

government so that it has a meaning that supports foreign policy.

It appears that the government and mass media have a symbiotic relationship in

the coverage of international issues. The government can open access and limit and

manipulate information through the mass media, while the mass media can play a dual

role in shaping foreign policy. Commercial mass media are willing to dichotomize,

dramatize and demonize its coverage.

In contrast to public diplomacy, which is essentially top down, community

diplomacy is bottom-up. In this diplomacy, the color of the state is usually involved in a

diplomatic maneuver designed by the foreign department. In solving international

conflicts, the voice of the people is needed by the government. Likewise, non-

governmental organizations concerned with international issues can launch community

diplomacy. This type of diplomacy is used to deliver corrections to the government or

national goals that are seen as narrow by the public. Virtual diplomacy is cutting-edge

phenomenon as it is capable of featuring e-conferencing with the support of

communication and information technology. Virtual diplomacy opens a forum for

discussion of current issues and provides a channel for opinion formation.

Impact on the economic arena, multiculturalism communication on the economy

has changed the production and distribution process of developing trade and financial

services. Transnational corporations decentralize production and distribution networks

because the internet can help data flow beyond national borders. It can be concluded

that the internet has become an important tool in industrial transfer activities,

transferring jobs from high-cost areas to low-cost areas, both within and between

nations.

But on the other hand, this poses new political dilemmas in the form of conflicts

or debates, such as on the issue of national security versus economic freedom and the

issue of protectionism versus internationalism in trade etc.

The impact on the cultural arena is a phenomenon that is easy to observe. For

example, k-pop concert fever has become a cultural phenomenon in several parts of the

world. Multiculturalism communication impacting cultural interaction is a prestigious

world sporting event. The event can be a cultural image, whether or not using the

contextualization of socio-political functions and culture-specific situations aired by

international mass media so as to create a more meaningful effect.

In general, a country's government safeguards its traditional cultural values by

using three communication policy instruments that comprise three interlocking sets of

policies. These three policies relate to information, media and cultural policies.

Information policy relates to the production and dissemination of public information by

government agencies, libraries and knowledge value-added networks. Media policy

covers all forms of media communication ranging from printed materials to cyber space.

Media policy also relates to freedom of assembly and public expression. These

freedoms are not restricted except in countries with authoritarian governments. Cultural

policy is not only about the maintenance of cultural values and cultural identity, but also

the maintenance of historical heritage, freedom of religion, compulsory schooling and

the development of a national language.

With cultural policies, governments sometimes face a central dilemma of

balancing cultural diversity with national unity. National unity is often undermined by

cultural diversity, especially with the influx of outside cultural values that further

undermine national unity. What matters in cultural policy is how the state defines itself

in terms of its national cultural identity and purpose in its traditions and values. Even

the most democratic states claim national unity as their highest priority and they feel

quite capable of maintaining national unity driven by democratic values. But it is not

uncommon for such claims to be lip-service when confronted with issues of cultural

diversity and arrogance of power. For example, countries in Western Europe and North

America accept democratic values as a virtue but are discriminatory in accepting

cultural diversity. With the motto pluribus common (diversity for unity),

multiculturalism in these countries feels under attack.

The fall of the Soviet Union's empire of 15 republics and 100 ethnic groups could

not sustain the hegemony of the communist party for 70 years, nor could it destroy

ethnic cultural and religious loyalties. Instead, cultural loyalties were better able to fill

the cultural vacuum left by the delegitimization of communist ideology. As a result,

there is a sentiment of national history in each of the independent republics, having an

identity and purpose in cultural tradition. The inclusion of the family name is also

proudly returned to be able to adjust to circumstances that are not cultivated by the

politics of communist ideology.

Myths and historical memories powerfully shape a society's cultural configuration

and are preserved in national monuments, libraries, religious rituals and literature. From

this perspective, cultural policy decisions should be based on historical memory or

heritage to determine which values to suppress, discard and maintain.

Developing countries about 20 years ago rose up to establish an unbalanced

international communication order. In order to end their marginalized status in relations

international relations, the imbalance is now being sought to be change balance when

communication international enters the era of information and communication

convergence. This is pursued by utilizing the development that have advanced in

telecommunications and computers that have revolutionized international information

exchange. Manifestations of of which manifestation in multiculturalism communication

is when world events are covered by the media and broadcast to other countries. Apart

from the political sphere, international communication journalism works in the sphere

of science and culture with the nature of information that is circulated and has a wide

impact, such as music news, sports, films and television programs that are global. It is

also involved in media broadcasts of intellectual work and scientific exchange and

cooperation and even intelligence activities such as international espionage and reports.

diplomatic cables can be transmitted abroad.

International communication studies pay close attention to the circulation of news

between socially, economically and culturally different countries. It reveals the

imbalance between the flow of news from developed to developing countries. In this

dynamic, the power of media organizations such as news agency conglomerates

influences all areas of life, giving rise to media and cultural imperialism.

It is undeniable that the political role of international cooperation has been utilized

to advance the media industry and societies of developing countries, as manifested in

development communication. However, this progress still displays disparities. Experts

in the field of international communication argue that the international communication

perspective should pay attention to the imbalance of news and information flows with

all its consequences and implications, especially in political, economic and cultural

issues.

Filip Pekorino (2006) is concerned with the study of political change as an impact

of the internet and communication networks on the concept and form of democratic

governance. Pekorino's research refers to hypotheses related to the impact of the internet

and communication networks that involve various aspects of technological advances in

digital media for the public interest.

Through his research, Pekorino provides hypotheses: (1) The use of the internet

and communication networks directly impacts the democratic process by influencing

participation in the political process, especially in voting; (2) The use of the internet and

communication networks allows the voting public to be better informed; (3) The use of

the internet and communication networks of television, radio, and traditional print

media as primary sources of information during the electoral process directly impacts

voter decisions.

While the internet needs to play an important role in serving information, it has

yet to be proven that it provides sufficient academic scientific information to meet the

needs of society. This means that academic works and scientific reports including books

have not been seriously disturbed by the internet, except for information that has been

converted into digital products.

That with the proliferation of internet network functions as a centrally distributed

mass media like a broadcast system controlled by guards, it is still open the possibility

for traditional media to survive, especially to serve specific information needs in the

future.

Based on the phenomenon of international communication involving mass

communication and internet media lately, it can be concluded that the internet and

social communication networks have surpassed other forms of mass media channels

which are the primary source of information, meaning that the internet flow is getting

stronger and various information flows and overflows on the internet, Bolier David

(1996).

Conclusion

The information policy needed to regulate freedom of information and privacy

rights with national security is not easy to resolve. As has happened, the National

Security Agency (NSA) during the Bill Clinton regime designed and introduced a new

encryption technique popularly known as the clipper chip to be used for security

purposes. With the clipper chip, the NSA can secretly intercept information that has the

potential to jeopardize security from outside that enters the citizen's environment.

In the absence of persuasive evidence to counteract the multiple effects of

multiculturalism communication, historians and experts in cultural sociology and

cultural anthropology fear that the world will experience the end of civilization, history,

journalism, and education. They also fear the end of modernity with the emergence of

the information society in the global village with electronic democracy that opens

opportunities for the work of cultural domination that will fill the world with the

support of cultural imperialism.

The government, which is supposed to make inspiring public policies that meet

the expectations of its people, often bows to foreign pressure. Non-governmental

organizations that supposed to facilitate the operation of the community empowerment

movement, are instead willing to become accomplices of foreign parties. In this case,

non-governmental organizations are like organizations in disguise. Instead of defending

the interests of the community, non-governmental organizations carry out foreign

agendas and interests. Business institutions, which are supposed to be engaged in

economic processes, have entered politics, especially in the electoral and legislative

processes.

They are supposed to uphold cultural values but practice behavior that is not in

line with and even reverses the cultural values valued by society. Moreover,

multinational and transnational foreign corporations provide absolutely no benefit to

society, except to extract as much profit as possible for their own interests. Thus, it is

clear that the relationship that should have been established through positive,

constructive multiculturalism communication is being lived with negative-destructive

impacts.

Research Results