THE INFLUENCE OF MASS MEDIA IN THE RISE AND CHANGE OF CULTURE

Mass media is one of the most significant agents of cultural change and it has now become an essential part of human society. Consequently, through its multifaceted channels occasioned by the technological revolution, it is now seen as influencing what people think and how to think about. Furthermore, it has redefined cultural ideologies and perceptions. Using McLuhan's and Cultural Imperialism's perspective to theoretically underpin it, this chapter thus traces how mass media has influenced cultural change in Africa by showing examples specific from Kenya. From this it is clear that mass media is rapidly changing the cultures of virtually all aspects of Kenyan society whenever it has come in contact with mass media. The chapter then concludes that Kenyan society is an example of African society experiencing the second phase of colonization through the mass media.

Keywords:

mass media, culture change, technological revolution, African cultures