Human Geo 4.3. Questions Flashcards
Why is watching TV especially important for popular culture for two reasons?
- Watching TV is the most popular leisure activity in the world. in 2018, the average human watched 4.4 hours of TV per day in 2018, and the average American watched 5.1 hours.
- TV has been the most important mechanism by which popular culture, such as professional sports, rapidly diffuses acrossed Earth.
How has TV diffused from the US to Europe and other developed countries, then developing countries through the second half of the 20th century?
- Early 20th: Multiple hearths. TV was developed simultaneously in UK, France, Germany, Japan, US, and the Soviet Union
- Mid-20th: US dominates with 86% of the world’s 37 million TV sets in 1954.
- Late 20th: TV diffused to Europe by 1970; but most of Africa/Asia had little if any TV broadcasting.
- Early 21st: Near-universal access, ownership rates climb sharply in developing countries.
What pattern of diffusion did the Internet follow in the late 20th century?
- 1995: most countries didn’t have Internet, and the US had 63% of the world’s users.
- 1995-2000: Internet users increased rapidly in the US, but US share of woldwide users declined (35%).
- 2000-2017: Internet usage increased rapidly in the US to more than 3/4 of population. US Share declined more (7%). China now has 22% of users.
What does comparing diffusion rates of TV and the Internet tell us?
The diffusion of TV from the US to the rest of the world took a half-century, but the diffusion of the Internet took only a decade. Given the history of TV, the Internet is likely to diffuse further in the years ahead at a rapid rate.
How has Facebook diffused from the US to the rest of the world?
- Created in 2004 by Harvard students. World’s most popular social media platform.
- US started out with far more users than anywhere else. As the number of users continued to increase in the US (to 185 mil in 2017), its share has declined
- In 2014, India became 2nd country to have more than 100 mil users, and behind it were other DCs.
- Between 2009-2017, the UK fell from 2nd to 8th in number of users, and Canada from 3rd to 16th.
How are Instagram’s diffusion patterns similar to other social media?
- In 2017, 17% of Instagram users were in the US, which was the 3rd most frequently photographed country (Italy being 1st and Japan 2nd).
- 7/10 of the Instagram users with the largest number of followers in 2018 were American entertainers. The 3 non-Americans were Justin Bieber, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.
With Twitter messages, the 2nd leading country is one of the world’s poorest, India. What may this be a preview of?
Future trends, in which electronic communications advances diffuse rapidly to developing countries, not just to other developed countries.
What are 3 reasons that governments shouldn’t regulate social media platforms?
- It’s used primarily to stay in touch with family/friends.
- Social media users expect to recieve ads related to their interests.
- Social media providers promise to self-police content.
What are 3 reasons that governments should regulate social media platforms?
- Social media platforms haven’t adequately protected individual privacy.
- Some information disseminated through social media is intentionally false.
- Social media companies sell info about us to companies, some of which have used data to influence elections & undermine democratic values
What is Freedom House’s project all about?
They are a US-based research institute for the study of democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Their project called Freedom on the Net measures the level of Internet and digital media freedom in 65 countres (excluding countries with limited Internet connectivity and countries with connectivity but insufficient evidence).
- A score of 0-30 = “free” (19 countries)
- A score of 31-60 = “partly free” (31 countries)
- A score of 60 + = “not free” (15 countries)
How have governments tried to ban technology?
- 1st half of 20th century: Governments tried to jam foreign radio stations (especially enemies). During the Cold War, Communist countries blocked TV stations from Western European countries, which proved easier than blocking radio signals. Ultimately, satelite dishes could be smuggled into countries & consumers could outwit gov’t controls.
- Now, governments can prevent unwanted tech by regulating commonly used platforms that are supported by the country’s infrastructure. China is an example of this (restrictions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram but instead promoting homegrown apps like WeChat, Weibo, & QQ).
Japan, the UK, and the US have dominated TV in developing countries & supply much of the programming. How do leaders of many developing countries view American control?
They view US control of much of the world’s TV programming as a new method of economic and cultural imperialism. American TV programs present American beliefs and social forms, such as upward social mobility, relative freedom for women, glorification of youth, & stylized violence. These themes may conflict with and drive out traditional folk culture.
To show sensitivity to folk culture, many satellite/ cable providers block offending networks (like MTV) and censor unacceptable programs. Instead, there are programs that emphasize local values and avoid controversial content.
What are 3 types of Internet content that are routinely censored in other countries?
- Political content (views opposing the current government’s or views related to human rights, freedom of expression, minority rights, and religion
- Social content (sexuality, gambling, illegal drugs, other topics viewed as offensive/socially sensitive).
- Security content (armed conflicts, border disputes, separatist movements, militant groups).
What are governments turning to instead of stopping the diffusion of technology or putting in restrictions on ownership of hardware, use of software, and viewing of online content?
- Harrassing their citizens through physical attacks and imprisonment due to Internet activity. In The Gambia, a law makes it a criminal offense to use the Internet to criticize public officials. A law in Ethiopia permits the gov’t to search computers, Internet sites, and other social media.
- With countries that require transnational corporations to maintain a local server, the government has access to the data stored there.
- Women & LGBTQ + communities have been targeted for their online activities: Pakistan stoning in 2013, gay Russian men assaulted by hate groups.
What are the 3 worst offending countries according to Freedom House?
- Iran: especially harsh punishments imposed on those who promote causes opposed by the gov’t.
- Syria: gov’t supporters launched malware cyberattacks against the computers of thousands of antigovernment protestors.
- China: people posting antigovernment messages on blogs and websites have been arrested.
