Globalization and Communication: reclaiming culture?

Communication technology has made the term globalization even less of a phenomenon, and more of cultural norm; but has the emergence of new technology allowed people to return to their cultural roots and away from the McDonaldization?

Thussu examines communication theory that emerged post World War II. The reading recounts how modernization theory was criticized by Southern scholars as “the chief beneficiaries of modernization programmes were not the 'traditional' rural poor in the South, but Western media and communication companies, which had expanded into the Third World, ostensibly in the name of modernization and development, but in fact in search of new consumers for their products.” I agree with this sentiment, as the creators of the modernization theory seemed to over simplify each countries culture, socio-economic, and political structures. I believe the emergence and adoptions communication technologies such as the Internet and cell phones created a more egalitarian approach to communications.

Thussu discusses the view of Ritzer who believes that globalization is actually “Americanization” and argues that globalization is not achieved because it does not have a 'multidimensional relationship among many nations'. Thussu explores the opposition to this perception, but was not able to predict the way the Internet would transform globalization.
 
A recent Gallup Poll found that mobile telephone subscriptions have grown faster in Africa than in any other region in the world since 2003, and that nearly 151 million people have cell phones in the 17 countries they surveyed.  This technology has the ability to develop in ways that reflect the culture and address country specific problems. An example is the Kenyan company Ushahidi, a open source software that collects local reports for interactive mapping. It was used during 2007 post-election violence in Kenya to collect reports of violence, mostly via text message, when traditional media was failing to report on the upheaval.

U.S. based companies are beginning to cater to markets that want to use their interface in a localized way. Google has developed Google Swahili, which allows user to access Google services in the East African language. Joe Mucheru, Google Lead for sub-Saharan Africa commented “We want to make the Internet more relevant and useful to East Africans”. 
It is largely true that the modernization theory has created consumers of Westernized technology, but the Internet creates a way for countries to develop the technology to reflect their culture, and interests.