COM 224T: mass media & societY
Travel Course to Cuba
I never thought I would have the opportunity to travel to Cuba, and so grateful that I did. I have travelled to a lot of countries previously, but my trip to Cuba was definitely different. The trip to Cuba really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Cuba is a beautiful country, rich in culture. I loved Cuba for its uniqueness, creativity and welcoming spirit. The people are very welcoming, although, it maybe difficult to get around if you do not speak Spanish. Being in Cuba, is like time travelling back to the 1950s and it was great to experience what the 1950s would have been like. a lot of people do not know much about Cuba, due to the lack of technology and communications, but in my opinion the lack of communication is that is what makes Cuba, Cuba. Therefore, this paper will examine what it was like being in Cuba and comparing it to the rest of the world. The internet plays a huge role in today’s society, and it is no secret that Cuba has zero connection to the outside world. Almost all Cubans hardly have access to the internet. This was definitely a culture shock for me. I have grown up around the internet and as a result, rely greatly on it. However, seeing a whole country operate without it was truly eye opening. It is easy to catch on the difference in the Cuban culture and American culture. The American younger generation these days are highly invested in technology, and have no time to actually go out and play or explore, whereas in Cuba, I saw children playing and interacting with one another on the streets. By playing in the streets as kids, you not only have a great time but you socialize and make friends with other children whereas, Americans stay at home and sit on their couch and watch television or play video games. The first video game came out in 1948, and since then it has evolved into a huge industry. Likewise, with day to day updates now gamers have the ability to not only play online, but to connect with people around the world via games, the “ability to play online has added a new dimension to others, less combat-oriented games too” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin). This allows players to connect and play against people from all over the world. Although, this may be seen as great as children can connect with others from around the world, it is not that same as playing outdoors with friends. By playing outdoors, you learn certain skills and interact with people differently. This may be a contribution to why Cubans are happier and friendlier than Americans.
Moreover, one disadvantage would be for companies that rely on the internet. The internet’s goal was to “build a new media, a new superhighway, to replace traditional media, the old highway system” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin 45). For example, On Cuba Magazine, which is an American magazine based in Cuba that is written in both Spanish and English and is sold in American supermarkets and is available on some flights. It was easy to identify that On Cuba was an American company based on the interior of their office and the up to date technology. It would be hard for these companies to research on issues without fast internet access. The internet is used for various things, one being the use of hearing feedback, “using internet technology to increase their access to and feedback from varied audiences” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin 73). This shows the difficulty companies like On Cuba must be facing as they can not easily access feedback from their target audiences, the American people. In addition, in today’s society, majority of reading is done via the internet. News outlets or magazine companies tend to stay up to date with their stories, however if On Cuba can not access internet how would they be able to do this. Thereby questioning how effective their work is. Furthermore, other Cuban companies may face similar difficulties. Commercial speech is about the right to circulate goods, services and images in the concrete marketplace of products” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin 405) and since “internet access and content remain severely restricted in Cuba, with only a very small percentage of Cubans, about 5%, enjoying web access at home” (Pedro). How do Cuban’s hear about a new product? According to Michael Serazio, “creative 20-something named Adrian is designing for Cuba’s capitalist tomorrow. Adrian’s firm offers a variety of standard advertising services: interior design, brand identity, video spots, business cards, and tarps and posters.” Even though, this may not be the best alternative to advertising, it still markets a product without the use of internet. Another disadvantage of not having access to internet, would be for students. Being a college student, I rely on internet daily. The internet, offers a “portal to view or read older media forms but also by requiring virtually all older media companies to establish an online presence. Today newspapers, magazines, book publishers, music companies, radio and TV stations, and film studios all have Web sites that offer online version of their product or Web services that enhance their original media form” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin 467). I remember my host family spoke about a student that they hosted that did a study aboard in Cuba, they said that she found it extremely difficult not being able to access internet in order to do her assignments. Therefore, the lack of internet could be a major drawback for students. Our visit to Radio Havana, was very interesting. It felt like we were walking into a time capsule. It was easy to point out the differences between Radio Havana and Telemundo. Telemundo had a faster pace vibe compared to Radio Havana. Telemundo also had up to date equipment and technology. During our visit to Radio Havana, my classmate Spencer and my professor were interviewed. Although, my professors interview was a little different. It felt more like an interrogation rather than an interview. They asked him, if he “saw any beggars on the road” or if he “saw any sorts of violence.” Despite the fact that these questions were out of norm, it made me realize another difference between Cuba and America, the number of violent crimes happening in the United States. Cuba is labelled as a communist country and that label comes with a picture of violence whereas, Cuba is the complete opposite of this. I believe that America has more crime and violence compared to Cuba. Furthermore, our visit to Granma Newspaper, which is the “the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba” (Oppmann), was also very interesting. It was nice to see how these newspaper companies function without up to date technology. However, like before, the newspaper company in Cuba can easily be compared to the newspaper companies in America. For instance, online journalism has entirely transformed the industry. “Rather than subscribing to a traditional paper, many readers now begin their day on their iPad, smartphones or computer scanning a wide variety of news Web sites, including those of print papers, cable news channels, newsmagazines, bloggers, and online only news organizations” (Campbell, Fabos and Martin 290). These alternative options are taking over the traditional newspapers. These forms of sources speed up the news cycle as it is continuously updated. Therefore, readers are constantly informed with news. Whereas, for Cuban’s they would have to wait till the next paper is printed and sent out the next day, “mainstream media was slow to cover” (290). Thereby questioning the efficiency of these newspapers. American “newsrooms are integrating their digital and print operations, and asking their journalist to tweet breaking news that links back to newspaper websites” (290). Thus, showing how important and crucial the internet is for this technological era. Recently, over the past year, the internet the situation in Cuba has changed “with the appearance of more than 40 government approved Wi-Fi hotspots around the capital, Havana, and other major cities” (Pedro). It was easy to identify where the Wi-Fi spots were, as they were crowded with people who were just looking down on their phones. This shows how many Cubans use the internet. However, “the Cuban government blames the country's poor internet access on the US trade embargo, which they say has obstructed the introduction of new network technology and prevented them from accumulating funds to buy equipment from other nations, according to The Associated Press. Cuba estimates that the embargo has cost it $753.69 billion since the US implemented it in 1960” (Jacobs). Even so, many believe that the lack of internet in Cuba is due to the fact that the government wants to obstruct Cubans from connecting with the outside world. Although, we learnt that the Cuban government officials however, have 24/7 internet access. Thereby questioning whether the Americans are merely to blame for the Cubans internet restricted internet access or the Cuban government. Despite the fact that Cubans have restricted internet access, they have found a way around it. “It’s called “El Paquete,” or The Package, and has become the primary way Cubans receive American media, news and entertainment. The way it works is pretty simple. Once a week someone comes to your house, drops off a hard-drive fully loaded with new content. The client then has 24-hours to download everything, or whatever particularly interests them. The next day, the delivery guy comes back, picks it up along with your payment” (Fazekas). This therefore shows that Cubans do want to stay in contact with the outside world. However, you would have to be either middle class or up in order to afford this good. The “El Paquette” was the most interesting thing we learnt while in Cuba., we also learnt that it is a government official that downloads and then shares it with the rest of the Cubans. It was amazing to see the length Cuban’s go in order to receive American media, news and entertainment. According to Fazekas, “Cubans say there has always been an alternative means of obtaining media, and has become the largest private employer on the island. But it remains very publicly “underground,” as it is illegal, but allows Cubans who don’t have access to the Internet the ability to connect. While the government is increasing Internet connectivity and reducing the price across the island, it still remains limited, and for many prohibitively expensive.” Therefore, questioning why there is this restriction in internet in the first place. It seems like majority would like to stay in contact with the outside world, so why is the Cuban government restricting it? Regardless of all the disadvantages of not having internet access, there are some advantages too. For instance, when we had dinner with our host families, we were engaged in conversations, rather than constantly looking at our phones. Secondly, staying disconnected from the internet, it felt like time was going by much slower than usual. Thirdly, I felt like Cubans were engaged in other activities rather than just sitting at home on their laptops, for instance, teenagers would go to the Malecon and interact with one another. Even on nights out, it was nice to see everyone dancing and interacting with each other, rather than trying to Snapchat everything. In addition, the food in Cuba was much better than some foods in America, in my opinion Lastly, Cuba is not as commercialized like America is. There are zero billboards, hardly any chain stores like Mc Donald’s. Although, it is nice not to see billboards plastered everyone, it must be difficult for some companies to promote their products. Overall, our trip to Cuba was a memorable trip. We learnt so much about their way of life and culture. It will be a trip I will always remember. Being disconnected from the outside world was difficult, it really opened my eyes to a lot of things, and made my trip different and unique. Works Cited Fazekas, David, and Serena Marshall. "The Package (El Paquete) Is Illegal But It's Cuba's No. 1 Employer." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 03 May 2017. Jacobs, Harrison. "Here's What Internet Is like in Cuba." Business Insider. Business Insider, 04 Jan. 2017. Web. 02 May 2017. Oppmann, Patrick. "Surprising Find in a Cuban Newspaper: US Election Notice." CNN. Cable News Network, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017. Pedro, Emilio San. "Cuba Internet Access Still Severely Restricted." BBC News. BBC, 21 Mar. 2016. Web. 02 May 2017. Serazio, Michael. "Guerrilla Marketing: How Cubans Work Around a National Ban on Advertising." N.p., n.d. Web.
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