Информационное неравенство на Ближнем и Среднем Востоке: мифы и реальность

Abstract

The issues of information and communication potential of the developing countries is one of the pressing international problems as the XXI century is an era of a new type of disparity — the information disparity. The author stresses the obvious necessity of the study of the problem from a diversified angle. The article explores not so much the problem of the informationally rich North and poor South, but also the possibilities and restrictions of "Western" propaganda in the region. The author reveals the potential of such communication media as: the radio, television and Internet on the basis of quantitative data of 20 countries of the region. The author comes to unexpected conclusions regarding development factors of information and communication potential of the region states. The most interesting conclusion is that the economic factor is not always the determining one. The author makes a valuable statement concerning the influence of the "Western" propaganda and introduces a new notion of "the ratio of extensive influence of a certain communication type".