Abstract:

The work brings to the limelight the multiple correlations between globalization and recent changes in education, as well as the contradictory effects of state-of-the-art information technologies on the process of socialization and cultural formation of the young generation. The shaping of children in the context of information society is decisively influenced by the new media habitat and the entire complex called media culture. This influence is unanimously recognized, although theoreticians and educators hold different views toward it: some speak highly about it; others put it to the pillory. Social and human sciences have not had enough time to study the profound and lasting effects that state-of-the-art technologies and media hold on the educational process. Globalization’s influence on the emergence of new life styles and values is interesting to study but difficult to control and to predict. The theoretical debate has not been accompanied by a similar focus on research, and equally important, the connection between globalization, mass media and a changing in the educational field has not been explicitly made. It is about a recent phenomenon, not older than a few decades, and the research dedicated to these topics is just at the beginning; however, it will grow in the following years because education has become a central issue of contemporary societies. In view of these opinions, I developed the thesis that the changes in the field of education should be put into a close expressive correlation with the characteristic processes of present-day world: transition to post-industrial civilisation, revolution in the domain of information technologies, multiplication of links among societies, states and regions. Education is nowadays under the combined pressure of these factors. The work focuses on the fact that the latest communication technologies provide support to the intercultural education of the young generation, to the knowledge and acceptance of other cultures and ways of life, to the over-passing of ethno- centered attitudes. This is of interest especially in the context of Romania’s integration into the European Union, which entails a major revision of traditional/local values. The access to new communication technologies and the acquisition of skills in their use have become basic prerequisites for the successful insertion of the young people onto the emerging labor market. This is the reason why parents who purchase a new computer to their children believe they did right for their education. However, there is also the reverse of the coin. Researches in the field of neuro-psychology have shown that the excessive use by the children and teenagers of these new technologies can have negative influences on their mental and emotional development. Whatever the content of the messages they transmit, these electronic means of communication cause serious dysfunctions in the way the brain operates, create a special type of dependency, delay the formation of cognitive abilities in children, diminish their concentration and learning capacity. Recent studies draw an alarm signal regarding these new educational vulnerabilities, different from the social ones.

Keywords:

globalization, mass media, intercultural education, the virtual experience, educational vulnerabilities.