The influence of global media in the identity construction of Albanian youth

Abstract

How we make sense of the world and how we construct meaning for ourselves in our daily environment, is one of the main reasons why people are so fascinated with the role of the media in society. This is mainly because of the symbolic importance of media texts and media images. The use of symbolic forms in the creation of the symbolic meaning (of which the media are an important example) is part of the human condition although it is especially evidenced in youth. This study investigates the meanings that students of Elbasan University take from global media as part of their ongoing attempts to make sense of their lives and the gender, social and other identities they inhabit. The research focus is part of a wider interest amongst media scholars and culture critics in the relationship between media texts and their audiences. The article will extend in the discussion of text/audience relationships by placing it within the context of the contemporary economic and cultural processes of globalisation. Most theorists agree that in assessing the impact of global media on local audiences it is important to keep in mind the complex processes of interaction between the spheres of culture, politics, technology, and economy. With a view to generating empirical data with respect to this research focus, the research process was designed, combining quantitative and qualitative methods.