CHANGE

Appiah states that “societies without change aren’t authentic”. Today, some of these changes are attributed to the rapidly growing global network which deposits whirlwinds of information worlds away from its source. The question at hand is “what kind of impact does this ‘foreign’ information have on an individual?” As Appiah mentions, information consumed by individuals is absorbed differently depending on the context in which it is consumed. It would be unfair and condescending to assume that consumption of certain information can completely persuade an individual to think one way or another. To add to Appiah’s list of examples, a group of Native Americans were interviewed about their perceptions of old Western films in which the natives where often depicted as the villains. Surprisingly, they seemed to enjoy the films and when asked who they related to most in the film they uniformly chose the heroic Cowboy. This is further proof that the media is no magic bullet. Individuals will consume and digest information in a fashion that adjusts and molds to their particular context. If they can’t make it fit their context, then they will discard it.

This doesn’t mean that consumption of information has no impact on the choices the individuals make. Yes, individuals will likely question the differences between their culture and the one brought to them by way of a distant media. But does this have to be something which is feared? Perhaps exposure to other cultures will allow consumers of information to engage their own culture more fully by allowing them to compare and contrast; ultimately making more informed decisions about the steps they choose to take in order to promote their own culture. Today there is a widespread controversy concerning hijab wearing. Women in Turkey, where the headdress is banned, protest against it by wearing transparent versions into public buildings and educational institutions. On the other hand, there are women in more conservative Muslim states where the wearing of hijab is either legally mandatory or strongly emphasized, who choose to sport the modern hijab. The modern hijab is similar to the traditional head covering except all of the face and part of the hair is exposed. Which culture should we preserve? Full hijab, modern hijab, or no hijab at all? The only right answer is none at all. It is up to the individual to make choices which will impact the future of the culture. Yes, the future, because the culture will change.

Future of music