It’s forty years since the advent of the famous ‘Information Age’ in Sri Lanka. When it was introduced in the late 70s, we had outrageous optimism to dire pessimism about its consequences. There were critical analyses from Marxists, neo-liberals and many others. We had more words on the subject than any human being could possibly absorb.
At a recent group meeting of marketing graduates I made a presentation on ‘Modern thinking on Ethical Marketing,’ After the presentation, one of the graduates posed a question whether the rich culture of Sri Lanka could survive the adverse effects of the Information Age. “By the Information Age,” he added, “I mean, particularly the age brought about by the new technologies of computation and computer mediated communication, and also television, film, radio, and all of the new media.”
Sri Lankan culture
I explained to him that the answer to his question depended on what we understand by the term ‘culture’. Culture, in most sociologists’ opinion, is the way of life of a group of people through which they humanize and socialize nature. It implies a world-view, a value system and a network of social relationships.
Sri Lanka, too, has a long-established culture. It has been influenced by the heritage of Theravada Buddhism passed on from India. At the same time, South Indian cultural influences are especially pronounced in the northernmost parts of the country. The history of colonial occupation has also left a mark on Sri Lanka’s cultural identity, with Portuguese, Dutch, and British elements having intermingled with the various traditional facets of Lankan culture.
Any culture is analysed in terms of three dimensions. At the first level, it relates to nature and to life. The way people live harmoniously and how they utilize nature’s resources conservatively. They are proud of the region they live in, the geographical conditions around them, the country’s past and its heritage, the belief system and values. All these constitute their culture.
The second level relates to symbols and rituals which help to structure social relationships, build community and celebrate it.
The third level is the quest for the ultimate meaning that offers goals and motivations. Religions and ideologies provide answers to this quest. These three levels provide an identity to a social group and distinguish it from other groups.
Culture does change for different reasons, such as economic and socio-political circumstances. Or may be, with other cultures brought into contact through commercial or political relations.
Adverse effects
With this basic understanding of the meaning of culture, we can now answer the question. The Information Age has an impact on culture at all three levels.
It affects the use of consumer goods, e.g. McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC may be popular in the USA; but in Sri Lanka, only the few rich can afford them. The same Information Age allows for cuisines of various nations to be explored by our own people across the country, such as the Thai, Chinese, Indian and Mexican restaurants sprouting across the country over the past twenty years.
At the second level of social relationships, concerns are often raised about the impact of the Information Age on workers, working conditions, income and social protection. Beyond the world of work, there are other natural (family), traditional (cultural) and associative groups and therefore social relationships stay as they are.
As for the third level, a connected world allows us to explore different religions and spiritual paths that were previously out of reach. You could be sitting in Matara and exploring Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism or various African/native American religions. In the past, the choices would have been limited to what the local spiritual teachers taught and the local publishers printed.
Better voice
The Information Age gives a voice to people of various cultures. In the past, we would have had to rely on the New York Times or the BBC to develop our opinions, and they would be the majority opinions - slanted towards one culture. Now, we have the option of diverse voices heard as the major filters [publishing houses and newspaper editors] are getting replaced by more democratic forms.
At the same time, the Internet has enabled the homogenizing force of English as the world’s common language, enabling speakers of various languages to get connected and build common content [eg., various regional Wikipedia] like never before. Fifty years ago, there were no encyclopaedias in all the regional languages. Most were in English. Now, we have a diverse set of language in the Wikipedia that allows knowledge creation in many languages.
Considering these factors, we can say that the homogenization brought about by the Information Age is superficial and limited to the material level of the consumer goods used by people and a certain consumer culture artificially promoted by the media. It does not affect how people relate to each other and how they find meaning and purpose in life. It leaves largely untouched the freedom of the subjects in the creating and changing culture, both as individual and as groups.
Thus we are getting multi-cultural and slowly grasping the diversity of human culture
Information Age
In the new era of the Information Age, people become more concerned about the uniqueness, particularly, of their own culture. Since people construct their identities through their cultures, they will defend them. Hence, the Information Age brings much more awareness of cultural identity than before.
In terms of science and technology, or in terms of economic development, it may reflect some kind of theory of convergence. If we look at it negatively, it may lead to hegemonic control. Hopefully, the Information Age may lead to a sense of ‘togetherness’.