Culture formation in the internet age

Online Access and Culture
Access to the Internet has been linked to a number of different influences over culture. As a new means of communication, the Internet has transformed how culture is disseminated around the world, but it has also had a significant influence on how culture is created. All told, the influence of the online access to culture is far-reaching, and there are few touchpoints of culture that have not been subject to the influence of the Internet. Yet, there is often a temptation to oversimplify the influence that the Internet has had on culture, and cultures. This paper will provide an overview of some of the most important among the complex interactions between online access and culture.
Autonomy
One of the major themes in the discussion of the influence of the Internet on culture is the outcome of greater autonomy. The Internet has become the world’s largest store of information, and the ability of many Internet users to freely access this information has had one of the greatest influences on culture in general. That said, there are billions of Internet users – such as those in the People’s Republic of China – that lack truly free access to the Internet. But beyond those, the widespread democratization of knowledge – or at least the potential thereof, has given life to old ideas, allows new ideas to flow more freely around the world, and allows people of all different backgrounds to learn about one another, and learn from one another (Castells, 2019).
Regulatory policy has influenced the degree to which this phenomenon has proliferated. In the earlier days of the Internet, hardwire access was essential, and therefore there were gaps in the pace at which Internet adoption occurred and therefore at which the Internet influenced culture. Nations with more liberal regulatory environments ended up being the ones that would have the most influence over the broader culture of the Internet, including the democratization of information and knowledge (Bauer, Berne & Maitland, 2002). Prior to the smartphone era, the digital divide was fairly easy to identify and meant that many people in poorer countries/cultures were slower adopters of the Internet, and therefore might still lag a bit today even in terms of their access to the benefits of online access on individual autonomy (Huizer, et al, 2017).
With access to much of the world’s knowledge at the fingertips of most of the world, the barriers that culture and language presented to the dissemination of information have rapidly been broken down, but perhaps at the cost of the dominance of English-language knowledge and culture. Yet, there is far greater potential for individual autonomy as a result of the Internet, and this particular influence on culture directly relates to the cultural values of the world’s major English-speaking nations.
Changes in Networking
Castells (2019) makes the point that networking has become the world’s most prevalent organizational form. This was always the case, but the manner in which networks developed has transformed substantially with the rise of online access. Networks that were once formed around geography/community bounds, family/clan bounds and specific circles where direct contact was necessary have been complemented and in some cases replaced by networks that form and exist solely online. As geography and one’s own culture are not especially necessary to the formation of networks, the world is moving towards greater exposure to cultural diversity, but also towards a model of greater cultural unification as well. The natural consequence of different cultures interacting with each other is to align these cultures more with each other. Conversely, the Internet can still be a tool by which one avoids such cultural integration, as evidenced by people who seek out confirmation bias more than anything else – using the internet to connect with others with similar values, even if those people are not close by geographically or culturally (Voiskounsky, 1998). There is nothing inherently strange about these two trends co-existing, but which group of people ends up being the larger and more influential will say a lot about the long-term impact of online access on culture.
Cultural industries have also been significantly affected by online access. Those who profit from control over creative content obviously have been challenged by online access and the democratization of information that comes with it (DiMaggio, 2014). But for those seeking greater audiences for their self-expression, the Internet has become a powerful force. Cultural artifacts – visual art, music, performance, written works – are all easier to create and distribute because of online access, and the marketing of cultural industry products is much easier because of the way in which the Internet has facilitated the removal of much of the barriers to marketing in general.
Conclusion
The Internet has reduced much of the friction that came with geographies and cultural boundaries. While there are still some boundaries – language, regulatory environments and in some instances access to the Internet – online access has transformed the way that cultures are developed, into a more global culture. This culture is still dominated by the influence of the early adopters of the Internet, but ultimately there is a move towards a more unified culture. That said, the Internet also provides people with the opportunity to step further outside of the cultural norms in their own area, by way of allowing them to connect with people in other geographies. How this will play out in the long run remains unknown, but online access is transforming culture, by way of replacing the more traditional geographical boundaries of cultural formation with ones rooted more in networking and free communication of information, knowledge and values.

References
Bauer, J., Berne, M. & Maitland, C. (2002) Internet access in the European Union and in the United States. Telematics and Information. Vol. 19 (2) 117-137.
Castells, M. (2019) The impact of the Internet on society: A global perspective. Open Mind BBVA. Retrieved February 10, 2020 from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/the-impact-of-the-internet-on-society-a-global-perspective/
DiMaggio, P. (2014) The Internet and cultural industries. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved February 10, 2020 from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/531341/the-internet-and-the-cultural-industries/
Huizer, E., Shah, S., Arroyo, J., Okorafor, U. & MacKinnon, R. (2017) A brave new world: How the Internet affects societies. Chatham House. Retrieved February 11, 2020 from https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MeetingSummary.BraveNewWorld.pdf
Voiskounsky, A. (1998) Internet: Culture diversity and unification. Proceedings on Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology. Retrieved February 11, 2020 from https://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac/catac98/pdf/07_voiskounsky.pdf