Development And Proliferation Of The European Union

Due to their permeability, national boundaries (symbolic, not physical) have been constantly reconstructed, reshaped and remodelled in order to accommodate the endless flows of information coming from foreign sources, thus allowing the formation of a global society which is no longer defined by ideological, historical or geographical boundaries. This can lead to a phenomenon which can be best described as a â€Å"borderless world† (Allen Hamnett, 1995, cited in Chan and McIntyre, 2002, xv), with prime examples being the European Union, which promotes the values of freedom, equality and unity between its citizens, and, more specifically, the Schengen Area, whose member states have abolished passport and border controls between them altogether.†¦show more content†¦Transnational agents penetrate the symbolic boundaries of a state by means of mediated communication, satellite and cultural flows, therefore making the nation-states vulnerable in the face of globalization, and consequently, lose their autonomous power (Chan and McIntyre, 2002, xvii). The interconnectedness created by globalization results not only in diversity among cultures, but also in the hybridization of those cultures that now coexist under the veil of â€Å"The Golden Digital Époque†. When one considers the field of international communication, or cross-cultural communication, and the interconnectedness that comes with it, the first culture determinant that comes to mind is â€Å"language†. Language is a crucial factor in the development of worldwide communication, the process of â€Å"glocalization† notwithstanding, because it enables its audience to understand the message conveyed in a way that is common to all. Nowadays, the majority of international news or media products are produced in an English cultural milieu on the grounds that the language is taught in schools all around the world from an early age and is regarded as a foreign language of international circulation - BBC, CNN, Fox News Channel are among the channels which convey international and local news in their own language and which