The Globalisation of Culture through Media

Wednesday 16 November, 2016

Business of Media Summit
Speech by Michael Ebeid, SBS CEO & Managing Director

PDF Version here.

**CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY**

Good afternoon everyone.

In the globalised world we live in today, the media is often our window and access into global cultures, news and events.

I look forward to exploring this complex and constantly evolving subject with you today in this session. 

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet — the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and pay my respects to their Elders both past and present.

Historically, we’ve experienced cultures through trade partnerships and migration of people, where cultural differences were predominantly understood and perspectives were shaped by personal experiences. However, over the last half century we’ve seen an explosion of the globalisation of culture through media channels.

In 2016, we are living in a truly globalised age.

The rate of globalisation continues to increase at a rapid rate, where cultures, people, languages, news and goods are spread with immediacy and greater impact than ever before, aided by the growth of migration and our ever-changing global society.

The increasing pace of digitisation has enabled media to share cultural insights across the globe more freely than in our analogue world. These advances have resulted in a better informed and a more engaged society, where everyone has the ability to be a content creator, sharing their lives with the rest of the world in real time.
We are now experiencing world politics, acts of terror and unfolding world crises first hand, just as we are able to communicate with our loved ones in real time through FaceTime or Skype.

To put it simply, culture in 2016 has no borders — it has moved away from our personal experiences to be predominantly shared through a media lens and with absolute immediacy.

Media as a central driver of globalisation of culture

When we consider the media’s role in this globalised world, I think we’d all agree that we are central drivers, responding, facilitating and leading the sharing of cultures and stories. Media platforms have and will continue to shape our perspectives, how we identify and interact with others and how we understand our world view and global cultures.

For more than four decades, SBS as a creator and aggregator of content, has been committed to connecting communities, giving them a voice and fostering understanding of the many cultures that make up our diverse nation to all Australians.

It was great to hear our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, recently recognise the value of SBS on the world stage at the United Nations, when he said that we are the media organisation in Australia that is “interpreting and celebrating our multicultural society and the values of mutual respect to the whole society.”

Today, across our five TV channels, our 70 different language radio programs and our digital platforms, we continue to drive cultural understanding through distinctive innovative content, exploring and celebrating diversity through a breadth of programs and genres like no other media organisation.

Through NITV, we are not only able to capture and preserve Indigenous culture for future generations but also share these important cultural stories with non-Indigenous Australians and also to global audiences.

With a unique purpose driving all that we do, we explore subjects that present barriers to social inclusion. We tell stories that spark national conversations. We go beyond the headlines to reflect varied perspectives through comprehensive reporting.

Against the backdrop of a more connected world and a national context in which Australians are increasingly engaged and impacted by global events, our services are more relevant and valued than ever before, with audiences and engagement growing and higher than any time in our history.

Increasingly, through international broadcaster and distribution relationships, audiences now have unprecedented access to information they might not otherwise. SBS’s recently announced a content deal with VICE, a global youth media company, which further strengthens our position amongst younger audiences as a local destination for stories from across the globe – to help them better understand the world we live in.

New ways of storytelling

Through technological advancements in virtual reality and innovative 360° storytelling, media organisations have new opportunities to engage with audiences, immersing them in virtual worlds to share global cultures, promote better understanding and drive an emotional connection through shared experience.

Through SBS’s virtual reality app, we transport audiences to the very heart of Australia’s diverse communities — from traditional Indigenous ceremonies at the GARMA Festival to the colourful celebrations of Diwali, to first-hand experiences of being in the Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade.

If you haven’t tried it, download our VR app!