Студентки дебюти

Student debuts

DOI: 10.55206/VNXM2692

Irem Kati

Trakya University, Turkey

E-mail: iremkati@trakya.edu.tr

Abstract: The essay attempts to identify the dimensions of European identity in general, and to relate them to European values and communities. The focus is on seeking answers to questions related to communication, communication effects, cross-cultural communication.

Keywords: European values, European identity, the media, cross-cultural communication.

Introduction

First of all, what is Communication? In its most general sense, communication is defined as “the process of exchanging information between the source and the receiver, transferring information and giving a common meaning to the message”. People communicate with those around them in order to lead a healthy and happy life in the social environment. In addition, communication is necessary in order to meet one’s spiritual – bodily needs. Communication is indispensable in order to be able to operate the laws and rules of nature in a healthy way and to live successfully in the struggle for survival.

Theoretical observation

A communication process that cannot be established or works incorrectly between two units prevents the flow of information, meaning, emotion and thought exchange. The EU must actively communicate. Language is very important to communicate through image or behavior. It has little contact with EU citizens, so there is little direct contact. We will address the shortcomings and weaknesses of EU communication and strategies to improve them. When it comes to communication, not only our social communication with people, but also the communication that a country establishes with its citizens is very important and is is usually achieved through the media. The media play a very important role for developing European identity. This is how people can become aware of what is happening in Europe. They especially follow politics and economics in this way. In this article, we will look for answers by considering some of the communication-related problems of the European Union and we will touch on the role of the media in developing European Identity.

Research

How do Europeans manage to communicate within the context of cultural differences within themselves and in their foreign and development policies?

“This question was at the center of a public event organized on behalf of ECDPM with BOZAR, Pro-Intercultural, External Cultural Relations/More Europe and EUNIC Global in December 2016. Coincidentally, the event, a continuation of the “Cultural Preparation Action in EU External Action”, took place a few weeks after the Paris terror attacks and the Brussels quarantine, when Europeans pondered local models of integration of different cultures and religions.” [1]

Intercultural contacts are not enough in an age of migration flows, violent conflict and pervasive populism, managing relationships with those we think are “not like us” is crucial. Milton Bennett, кeynote speaker at the event said that cultural differences between people tend to increase and there are no signs that values will evolve into a global cultural citizenship. Bennett also argued that Europeans should do better at dealing with “otherness.“ Erasmus and Erasmus+ exchange programs help reduce prejudices, but they do not change the power relations between cultures. Intercultural contact is not enough, he said. Intercultural communication is also important for international political success. Policy makers tend to talk about each other rather than each other in global governance systems due to the lack of cross-cultural exchange.

How Can the EU Improve Cross-Cultural Communication?

 Intercultural experiences and expertise from in-house programs such as ERASMUS, Youth in Action and SALTO can be a learning resource for those working in external relations. It is necessary to draw on experience through research and information circulation in the EU and abroad. Working with “champions” or “European cultural ambassadors” with intercultural skills is a possible way for Europe to build a new relationship with others.

Bringing artists, policy makers and scientists together – as was done at BOZAR last December – is a useful way to create common meaning and foster a candid discussion about prejudices and perceptions that can help Europeans communicate in the context of cultural differences in their home countries. [2]

How Does the EU Communicate Its Values to Its Citizens? What should be done?

Communication in this context is understood as pursuing the following three objectives: firstly, to inform about the EU, secondly to encourage the work of EU institutions and thirdly to involve citizens in building a closer Europe. Strengths and weaknesses of communication policies should be determined. Suggestions should be made to improve communication with European citizens and studies should be carried out. [3]

The various communication studies carried out by Europe should be evaluated.

There are many factors that play a role in European Communications. Democratic processes also depend on the performance of the media, the state of the economy and the cultural historical context of the Member States (MS) are also important. The combination of these factors determines the expectations of citizens towards the EU. In some Member States, communication promotes positive attitudes towards the EU, while in others, positive communication about the EU can have the opposite effect, as citizens may reject pro-European messages. The role of Communication in the European Union is becoming very important. It has adapted a series of strategic documents that define policy objectives to encourage the work of the EU, as well as to engage citizens more and more in building a closer Europe. (The key words that guided these documents were: ‘dialogue with citizens’, ‘interaction’, ‘localisation’, ‘active citizenship’ and ‘communication in partnership’. Over the years, the EU has implemented a wide range of advanced communication services and tools.) [4]

What are the goals of communication efforts?

To inform about EU institutions and to encourage the work of EU institutions, to guide citizens to build an even closer Europe and to involve them in further developing a sense of citizenship are a few. Of course, the media plays an important role in Communication with Europe. The media inform citizens about the European issue. Therefore, it has an important function. (Although the media in Europe is essentially national, different studies prove that they cover European issues. The media play a key role in improving our knowledge of Europe. A strong European media environment is a prerequisite for the formation of a collective European identity.) [5]

What is the Role of the Media in European Identity?

 First of all, what comes to mind when we say identity? The modern interpretation of identity questions traditional views of what identity formation really is. In this respect, identity is a social construct formed along the continuum of “different degrees of choice and attribution.” For Bauman, identity is “the name given to the escape whose trail is obscure.” After that, identity formation is constructed through some processes. The challenge, therefore, is to understand how identity formation occurs in the contemporary world. The cultural and media aspect is the most important element in the formation of European identity. It is important to determine how big the role of mass media in the formation of European Identity is. Conditions in Europe are constantly changing. In this context, Kellner defines various features of media culture. The radio, television, film and other products of the cultural industries provide models of what it means to be male or female, successful or unsuccessful, strong or weak. Media culture also provides the materials on which many people construct their sense of class, ethnicity and race, nationality, sexuality, ‘us’ and ‘they’. Media culture provides the necessary materials for creating identities that enable individuals to locate themselves in contemporary techno-capitalist societies. [6] The spread of mass media in the twentieth century encouraged scientific research in various fields and researchers tried to answer whether the phenomenon of mass communication changed knowledge, culture and social life styles. The media speaks to the immediate environment. The media maintain pluralism as they try to bridge the gap between nations and Europe and make their people aware of their second identity. This is widely visible through the media. [7]

The media define a collective identity. If the role of the media is important in the formation of identity, we need to look at studies and research that bear the traces of conflicting views on the coverage of European issues in the media, especially in the presence of the European public sphere. Scholars agree that the media is the central institution of the modern public sphere, but disagree on their role in the formation of the European public sphere. To conclude what the role of the media in constructing European identity is, we also need to highlight some of the negative aspects of European audiovisual concepts that need to be reconceptualized. In Europe, the lack of high-quality programs is clear. Investigative journalism and a program for minorities is underrepresented in public and commercial channels. The news often has a magazine character, especially in commercial channels. As a result, audiences often do not find the information they need for democratic decision-making. The European Union should establish an independent agency to monitor media markets and media concentration at EU and global level. Although there are approximately 6500 TV channels, 1,809 regional and local channels, 269 entertainment channels31 in Europe, the report states that in reality the television market is very dense in terms of ownership structure and audience participation. In most countries, a few channels attracted the largest number of viewers. Consolidation is what defines the media industry in Europe. This process means that the media industry in Europe is crushed by the media conglomerate. There has been no change in the top ten since 2003, and there is concern that the economic crisis has intensified current processes and that the big and powerful will be easier to survive than small local media. Political pressure on regulators and public electronic media is widespread. [8]

Conclusion

In summary, we assume that media power has positive and negative aspects. It is therefore quite clear that a common European identity did not develop in vacuum. Europe can become better in democratic communication within itself and studies and projects should be done for this. It should also develop its own intercultural communication. Communication should not be based only on official and political channels but should be expanded using other platforms that can gain the trust of citizens, especially those who reject the reasoning of EU institutions. Using credible national-level actors to deliver the EU’s messages may be the only way to dispel the distrust felt by many citizens who reject the reasoning of EU institutions. These can be respected persons or organizations in politics, commerce, culture or sport. Continuing to confront problems and finding the right places, actors and messages is crucial to communicating facts and views on policy issues at the national level. Ensuring that the neutral and objective character of EU institutions is respected when we refer to the influence of the media and that there is an appropriate balance in terms of the emotional aspect of the message. Institutions should not come to the fore with news that are subjective or do not do justice to the impartial and objective character of the institution; however, they should be better aware of how news is produced and better use their room for maneuver to frame messages. It is recommended that EU institutions make further efforts to facilitate journalists to report on the Union, taking into account the following: a. Institutions should better adapt their press releases to the specific context of countries or groups of citizens, not by changing the message but by better contextualizing it (for example, by organizing their press units into national tables, as the AP has already done for the organization of its own organisation).

Note: The student essay was written as a contribution to the project: Transform4Europe – T4E: The European University for Knowledge Entrepreneurs – T4E.

 

References

[1] Source – https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2014/529080/ IPOL_STU%282014%29529080_EN.pdf. Retrieved on 01.08.2022.

[2] Melnyk, N., & Kapeliushna, T. (2020). Providing and implementation of intercultural communication in european documents. Studies in Comparative Education, (2).

[3] Stroeker, N., van der Graaf, A., & Buiskool, B. J. (2014). Communicating Europe to its Citizens: State of Affairs and Prospects.

[4] Reljić, D. (2006). Media, Civil Society and the Quest for Transparency and Accountability of the. Civil Society and the Security Sector: Concepts and Practices in New Democracies, 71.

[5] Kellner, D. (2003). Media culture: Cultural studies, identity and politics between the modern and the post-modern. London: Master e-book.

[6] Olausson, U. (06. 06 2010). Von Towards a European identity? The news media and the case of climate change: SAGE Journals.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10. 1177/0267323110363652. Retrieved on 01.08.2022.

[7] Reljić, D. (2006). Media, Civil Society and the Quest for Transparency and Accountability of the. Civil Society and the Security Sector: Concepts and Practices in New Democracies, 71.

[8] Bens, E. D. (06. 06 2022). Von The Inflow of American Television Fiction on European Broadcasting Channels Revisited: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/ 0267323101016001003. Retrieved on 01.08.2022.

Bibliography

Bens, E. D. (06. 06 2022). Von The Inflow of American Television Fiction on European Broadcasting Channels SAGE Journals.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/ 0267323101016001003. Retrieved on 01.08.2022.

Kapeliushna, T. (2020). PROVIDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN EUROPEAN DOCUMENTS. Studies in Comparative Education.

Kellner, D. (2003). Media culture: Cultural studies, identity and politics between the modern and the post-modern. London: Master e-book.

Melnyk, N., & Kapeliushna, T. (2020). Providing and implementation of intercultural communication in european documents. Studies in Comparative Education, (2). Natasha Stroeker, A. v.-J. (2014). Communicating ‘Europe’ to itscitizens: state of affairs and prospects. Policy department b: structural and cohesion policies.

Olausson, U. (06. 06 2010). Von Towards a European identity? The news media and the case of climate change: SAGE Journals.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/ 0267323110363652. Retrieved on 01.08.2022.

Reljić, D. (2006). Media, Civil Society and the Quest for Transparency and Accountability of the. Civil Society and the Security Sector: Concepts and Practices in New Democracies, 71.

Simeunovic, N. (2009). The role of media in European identity formation: understanding the complexity of. CEU Political Science Journal.

Stroeker, N., van der Graaf, A., & Buiskool, B. J. (2014). Communicating Europe to its Citizens: State of Affairs and Prospects.

 

Manuscript was submitted: 03.09.2022.

Double Blind Peer Reviews: from 04.09.2022 till 19.10.2022.

Accepted: 11.11.2022.

Брой 54 на сп. „Реторика и комуникации“, януари 2023 г. се издава с финансовата помощ на Фонд научни изследвания, договор № КП-06-НП4/72 от 16 декември 2022 г.

Issue 54 of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal (January 2023) is published with the financial support of the Scientific Research Fund, Contract No. KP-06-NP4/72 of December 16, 2022.