Globalization
rates according to the proponents have been increasing at unprecedented rates
in the last couple of decades due to increases in technological use.
Globalization refers to the increasing ease by which people from different
countries or continents can connect with each other to do business (Investorwords,
2011). The effects of globalization have been different on different
individuals depending on their economic status. The developed countries are
pro-globalization since it creates competition in the world while for the underdeveloped
countries, they will be disadvantaged since they do not have the capacity to
function in the interconnected world. Globalization can result to the increase
in foreign goods in the local cultures thus changing the local cultures a great
deal. The essay seeks to establish how and when cultural items become glocal; a
hybrid of global and local.
The
glocalization of cultures is contributed to by the activities of multinational
companies. These companies’ influence on the cultures is to make it homogenous,
but they achieve the one way homogenization where the American culture becomes dominant.
The increasing presence of American companies abroad has impacted in some way
on the cultures of the people where the company came to operate. The United
States has forced their cultures on people who have to rely on their companies
for the products they offer. Food is part of culture in most countries but this
is quickly changing in that there is an increasing level of the consumption of
the American foods. The eroding of the Italian food cultures has been created
by the US fast food outlets. An example is the Starbucks where coffee is served
in the restaurant with similar standards while the people wanted to have
exclusive experiences. The American culture of buying coffee as a take away to
be consumed in the office is quickly eroding the Italian culture where coffee
was taken as a leisure activity in the coffee shop. The people in Italy are
forced to abandon their local cultures to embrace the American way. The effects
of other multinational companies in different countries have been different,
but in most cases the American culture has come out dominant (The Levin
Institute SUNY, 2011)
The
effect of imported films and movies has also contributed to the glocalization
of cultures. According to Legrain (2003) the film industry is under the knuckle
of Hollywood. Most of the movies being watched currently in most parts of the
world traces their origins to America. Although there have been arguments that
the movie directors and actors are non Americans, this to e only acts as a
“cosmetic coat” to make the films more appealing to the world audience. Legrain
went further to state that foreign influences which include cultures can be
taken up by local people and this can change their cultures forever for
instance since the mostly available movies are the ones which originate from
the United States, a France national
will have no otherwise but to consume what is readily available to him. His
being French will be eroded by the acts that he exposes himself to. He will
start to see the world from the view point of the American makers of the film
(The Levin Institute SUNY, 2011).
The
rise in the use of technology mostly the internet has also contributed to the
glocalization of culture. The Economist (2011) paints a gloom picture on the effect
of technological advancement the small village in Southern India. The villagers
whom most of them were poor did not appreciate the importance the technology
played in their lives. Although I have to acknowledge from the outset that
there are significant positive contributions of technology to the local
populace such as the prices of crops at the go, vacancies notifications and
also advice on health, it has impacted to assert the globalization that erodes
the traditional cultures. The people who have embraced the technology for
instance the youth are significantly losing their ways of life to the effects
of the global culture. Through the internet connections the youth have an
increased access to music mostly produced in the west. The Hip culture which
seems to idolize sex, wife battery and explicitness is affecting the Indian
culture of decency. The youth come to identify with this new source of
entertainment abandoning the traditional Indian music. The Bhangra music which
most Indians now listen to due to the effects of the internet is a fusion
between western music and the traditional one (Roy, 2010)
To a
great extent, globalization has been like the synonym of American. Due to the
high market power that America boasts of they are able to have a significant
effect on how people from other localities behave thus impacting on their
cultures. Their financial capability enables them to engage in mass production
ensuring them surpluses that are exported. The continued use of these goods be
them food, movies or music contributes to the Americanization of other cultures
(The Levin Institute SUNY, 2011).
References
Investorwords (2011). Globalization:
Definition Retrieved August 22, 2011, from
http://www.investorwords.com/2182/globalization.html
Legrain, P. (2003). In Defense of Globalization: Why Cultural Exchange is Still an
Overwhelming Force for Good Globalization. Retrieved August 22, 2011, from
http://www.international-economy.com/TIE_Su03_Legrain.pdf
The Economist (2011). Behind the Digital Divide. Retrieved
August 22, 2011, from http://www.economist.com/node/3714058
The Levin Institute SUNY (2011). Globalization. Retrieved August 22,
2011, from http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/File/Culture/cultall2010.pdf
Roy, A. (2010). Bhangra moves : from Ludhiana to London and beyond. Farnham ;
Burlington, VT : Ashgate.
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