Rethinking global media ethics for a ‘post-American’ world

In this chapter, Daya Thussu rethinks global media ethics for what calls a ‘Post-American’ world. In the era of digitized and globalized 24/7 media, the one-way vertical flow of media and communication from the West to the Rest has given way to multiple and horizontal flows, in which Asian countries (namely India and China) play an increasingly significant role. While the US-led Western domination of the global media and communication hard and software continues, new actors, harnessing the potential of digital globalization, have emerged in the past decade to challenge and contest the Western hegemony in the ‘post-American’ world. In this chapter, Thussu suggests that the change in communication environments warrants a re-evaluation of how we define the global media and its ethics. Thussu further contends that the notions of ethics based on Confucian ideas of ‘harmony’ and old Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (‘the world is one family’) are also potential alternatives to the Western definition of media ethics. The chapter ultimately asks about the possible implications that such digital connectivity will have for global media and communication flows, media ethics and broader communication agendas? His chapter suggests that the ascent of Asia contributes to further internationalizing of media and its study.