Globalisation, Mass Media and Social Movements
What this domain tests
This domain examines global interconnection, media transformation and collective action. Questions test the 1991 reforms, cultural globalisation, media effects and the distinction between old and new social movements.
Core concepts
- Globalisation: increased flows of goods, capital, people, images and ideas across borders; India’s 1991 reforms accelerated it.
- Glocalisation: global products and ideas are adapted to local tastes and meanings.
- Cultural globalisation: mixes homogenisation with hybridity; it does not simply erase local culture.
- Mass media: print, radio, television and digital platforms; social media speeds mobilisation but also spreads misinformation.
- Digital divide: unequal access to devices, connectivity and digital skills.
- Social movements: organised collective challenges to authority; old movements often focused on labour and peasants, new movements on identity, environment, gender and human rights.
Worked example
A farmers’ protest spreads through WhatsApp groups and television coverage. Reasoning: digital media lowers communication costs and helps rapid coordination, but reach is uneven. Older members and poorer households may rely on face-to-face networks. Media visibility can pressure government, yet it can also simplify demands. Analyse both mobilisation and exclusion.
Traps that cost marks
Do not equate globalisation with westernisation only; flows are multidirectional. Do not assume social media automatically produces democracy. Do not define a social movement as any protest; it needs sustained collective organisation and a challenge to power. Avoid saying new movements ignore class entirely.