Health and Development Communication in the Digital Age: Examining Societal Disparities Through New Media

Abstract

  Asia and Africa have long had, at least textually, a tenuous historical, cultural, and linguistic relationship. But interactions and cooperation between these two largest continents are much less than those between them and the other regions of the world. The rich potential in the socio-cultural similarity of Asia and Africa will thus remain an exciting context for multidimensional research endeavours across myriad fields. The early hope for mainstream media as an engine of development quickly gave way, however, to the emergence of transnational media and later privatisation, leading to what has come to be known as a phase of rapid commercialisation. This evolution distorted priorities, shifting them from resolving local problems to profit-oriented schemes. This resulted in marginalised communities experiencing further alienation, as they were locked out of the media, which widened the already existing disparity in society. Although the emergence of new media seems like an effective way out, as it is decentralised and unregulated, its effects cannot be fully realised due to various barriers to entry, such as cost and accessibility. Hence, the main thrust of this research will be to analyse the discrepancies between the utilisation of new media and its ability to meet society's demands. In this context, one of the main elements of this research will be the examination of how the new media can function as a mechanism for resolving the discrepancy between the existence of something in reality and its depiction in the media. This can be done by conducting a theoretical analysis which is grounded in a critical perspective on the relationship between new media and society...