Al Jazeera Effect Forcing Leaders To Plan New Virtual World |
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DUBAI - The time has come for political leaders to develop a contingency plan on how to reshape the virtual world as new global media that never existed before the 21st century, are uniting people and reshaping world politics across the globe.
Philip M. Seib, professor of Journalism and author of 'Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World Politics', told Khaleej Times that these global media have made traditional borders irrelevant and unify peoples through Internet, satellite television and blogs with particular focus on the Middle East.
"The battle for hearts and minds in the Middle East is being fought not on the streets of Baghdad, but on the newscasts and talk shows of Al Jazeera. Years back, China's news embargo on the bird flu became useless as 126 million text messages crossed global borders. This phenomenon is the 'Al Jazeera Effect'," he stressed.
Prof. Seib stressed that it is no longer possible to control the Al Jazeera Effect as the power behind media in all forms have made a powerful media, and that media are no longer just the media. "They have a larger popular base than ever before and, as a result, have unprecedented impact on international politics."
He said that the Middle East's virtual 'ummah' and the Muslims in the US and Europe may belong to different cultures and speak different languages, but they are connected and made cohesive daily by the new global media.
By Lily B. Libo-on
© Khaleej Times 2008
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