Globalization refers to the “growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information”. It can be defined “process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide” [Source]. Since it extends to many aspects of life, does globalization affect culture?
How does Globalization Influence our Daily Lives Today?
Globalization can be seen as the “way that people around the world have become more connected politically, economically, and socially” [Source], so our lives are now intertwined, which tends to influence our daily lives. For instance, global trends in fashion and dressing are ever-changing, as evidenced by how the youths carry themselves around with the introduction of Jordan’s shoes, haircuts and skinny jeans. Social life does not come out of a vacuum but largely depends on what is ‘trending’, which happens almost every day. For example, Twitter is always buzzing with #harshtag movements which range from advocating for women’s rights to politics or animal rights, and at this moment, it is all about the Russia-Ukraine war. It is normal to wake up to a new movement daily and then run with it as the order of the day, no questions asked. A closer look at trends on Tik Tok shows how globalization has managed to change the social life of people on all ends of the world because all races and nationalities do tik Tok challenges.
So, globalization is now feeding us the daily bread of how to live out a particular day.
What are some Examples of Global Culture?
Global culture points to a “set of shared experiences, norms, symbols and ideas that unite people globally” [Source]. Examples of global culture include electronic communications in terms of telephones, e-mails, fax machines, and mass media on television, radio and films. The internet is another example of global culture, which has become part of our daily lives. The United Nations is a leading factor in global culture as it tries to establish equality among world nations [Source].
How does Globalization Affect Culture Positively?
Globalization does enact some positivity when it comes to culture across the globe. It has managed to create universal beliefs that can be acceptable in almost all communities, including the emancipation of women and allowing them to assume leadership roles. Also, human rights are propagated through globalization as all cultures or religions that oppress people are condemned. Many cultures were based on archaic beliefs and traditional methods, but globalization brought in technological aspects, which lessened the burden of humanity on interacting or working. Globalization carries logical thinking and an innovative stance that breaks away from traditional cultures that seemed to be pinned on the past and did not question the status quo. The most notable positive side of globalization has been the effort to create a global village where people can coexist with each other, and ‘tolerance’ dominates. The world has been so divided in terms of race, cultures, beliefs, religions, among others, but globalization is exerting efforts in showing that humanity achieves more if it forms a united front rather than observing geographical boundaries or other dividing factors.
How does Globalization Affect Culture Negatively?
Globalization is no saint when it comes to bringing harm to cultures across the globe, and it has been blamed for bringing more damage than good in some parts of the world. Through globalization, multinational corporations created a consumer culture, where there was the exploitation of workers and markets and influencing societal values [Source]. The world does not run on equality, so the global village has dominated cultures, leading to the extinction of other minority cultures and languages. Also, dominant cultures are creating robot-like humans who lack diversity. Hence the world will soon be filled with photocopies of dominant cultures.
Furthermore, dominant cultures are few, and they usually come from the West, which means it is no longer ‘Globalization’ but ‘Westernization’ of the world.
Is Globalization a Danger to Local Cultures?
Globalization is indeed a danger to local cultures, especially those cultures which belong to powerless nations or minority groups. The global landscape has a hierarchy, and only those high ranked cultures tend to survive by trashing other less dominant cultures. It is no secret that the West has a lot of influence on the globe, which makes all the other people followers/admirers of the West. A few permanently own the yardstick of being ‘cultured’ or ‘civilised’, and they tend to judge those who fail to meet their ‘standards’, thus, local cultures are looked down upon globally.
Also, mass media, the internet, propaganda and some forms of education have been influential in turning local people against their local cultures, which they now regard as primitive. Global standards and internationalized entities will always topple any local cultures, especially considering the younger generation, which is distanced from its roots and is not willing to be associated with its forefathers’ cultures. Having a weak culture at home will bring global cultures, and local cultures will likely become extinct [Source].
What is an example of Cultural Diffusion?
Cultural diffusion refers to the “spreading out and merging of pieces from different cultures” [Source]. An example of cultural diffusion is the popularity of Chinese food across the globe or the presence of cell phones and smartphones in many communities [Source].
What are the Positive and Negative Effects of Globalization?
Globalization has promoted quality as corporates and companies work hard to produce products or deliver services that have international standards expected worldwide. The global village created by globalization has instilled tolerance and broken certain social barriers to some extent. Also, globalization can unite the people, especially in world crises such as the coronavirus pandemic and the current Russia-Ukraine war.
The downside of globalization includes the shunning of local products as people now need international products seen as perfect. Also, exported services undermine local values and have diminished local cultures and traditions. Globalization has failed to bring equality, so the minority groups are still being oppressed and forced to meet international standards, but they do not have the resources to do so. It is also a tool to propel imperialism in which superpowers are gaining resources from developing countries.
Does Globalization Destroy Ethnic Cultures?
Globalization is known to prey on weak cultures and dominates them to the extent of completely removing them, which is true for ethnic cultures. Ethnic cultures are common among minority groups, especially those who are still developing themselves, so globalization can indeed destroy ethnic cultures to the last thread [Source]. As long as a culture is not recognised on the so-called ‘international standards’, it will die together with those who follow it.
How does Globalization Affect Language?
Globalization affects language just like it affects our daily lives and local cultures. It is argued that language is the carrier of culture; thus, if people have a language, they have a culture. Globalization formed a global village where certain languages are dominant, and the most notable one is the English language in its various forms. As aforementioned, Westernization and Imperialism can be used as synonyms of globalization because poor or developing countries are being dominated in the name of ‘globalization’.
Due to this, citizens from poor communities tend to be influenced by these dominant forces and end up adopting/praising foreign languages. For example, social media platforms like Tik Tok and Twitter have a certain style of speech that all users use, especially in trending movements. Also, globalization has infiltrated tertiary education, and you can find that graduates seem to have the same speech style all over the world, and this is because most of them would have been enrolled at a university in the West. All the new words, slang and shorthand are brought out by globalization, eradicating indigenous languages. It is noted that “with globalization allowing languages and their cultures to spread and dominate on a global scale, it also leads to the extinction of other languages and cultures” [Source]
Can Globalization contribute to Language Proficiency
Globalization can contribute to language proficiency, especially for those who follow global trends loyally. Also, globalization is more centred on communicating with people from all over the world, so one must improve proficiency in a particular language to interact with others. English, Chinese, Spanish and French are among the dominating languages, and globalisation has aided their usage.
Are Globalization and Religion Interconnected?
When it comes to the link between globalization and religion, one can argue that globalization has aided religion across the globe. “Globalization allows for religions previously isolated from one another to now have regular and unavoidable contact” [Source]. In answering this question, it is posited that “Obviously. Religion influences belief and Human Psychology and thus Religion greatly influences Globalization” [Source].
Can a Country Survive without Globalization?
The shared view is that a country can survive without globalization, but that will bring unbearable economic conditions leading to poor and struggling to fend for its people [Source]. Because of the interconnection in the world, it will be hard to live in isolation from all the other countries.
Can Globalization be Stopped?
On questioning whether globalization can be stopped, World Economic Forum quotes its president Borge Brenda who said, “Globalization cannot be stopped, but it can be improved. It should be more inclusive, sustainable and job-creating” [Source]. Indeed, globalization is a significant movement that cannot stop because nations have adjusted to relying on each other and using the world web to aid each other’s livelihood.
Can Globalization and Nationalism Co-exist
Nationalism and globalization can coexist in an open world as this reduces dependency upon superpowers [Source]. Globalization is inclined more on economics, and nationalism is centred on politics, so these two can collaborate peacefully [Source], but this largely depends on how people handle them in their locality.
Difference between Globalization and Integration
The difference between globalization and integration is that globalization is more inclined to internalization of entities while integration can be a universal aspect but not on an international level. Also, different countries can adopt integration policies such as human rights laws, but it does not inflict the global aspect. Globalization tends to operate on a larger scale than integration, which can happen in continents or close-by nations.
Do Globalization and Regionalization Converge?
Globalization focuses on global trends, and regionalization is more concentrated on regional issues. These two are different concepts, but regional issues might be on a much wider scale which can be international. Given the current regions, which are sub-global such as Europe, North-eastern North America, one can argue that globalization and regionalization converge and coexist [Source].
Does Globalization lead to Cultural Imperialism?
Globalization is described as imperialism by some scholars [Source]. This is because globalization created a global village that lacks equality and equity, therefore, all ‘minority’ things were absorbed by dominating cultures. Due to this, cultural imperialism was enhanced by globalization.
How Companies deal with Globalization
For companies, globalization is more of a blessing than a curse since business has been booming for major corporations. It brought more markets and customers and led to more branches in foreign countries [Source]. This brings foreign currency into many countries, with international companies operating on a global scale. The only downside is seen with small companies that big companies have stumped out due to globalization as they fail to compete by producing products with international standards.
How Globalization Influences Religion
When it comes to religion, globalization has a huge effect on religious belief systems across the globe. Because of dominating cultures and religions, a conflict was created between minority and majority religious groups, leading to the abandonment of indigenous religions [Source]. Unification of nations through globalisation is eradicating indigenous beliefs as people chase after the so-called ‘international’ things, including fashion, religion, media and lifestyles, so globalization is paving the way for well-known religions to spread worldwide while indigenous ones die.
Is Globalization an Opportunity or Threat?
According to the International Monetary Fund, the four basic aspects of globalization are:
- Trade and transactions.
- Capital and investment movements.
- Migrations and movement of people.
- The Dissemination of knowledge [Source].
These aspects have aided development globally, which means globalization is an opportunity for humanity. Globalization is no saint, but humans benefit significantly in the global village.
Are Globalization and Americanization the same
Theory analysts argue that globalization and Americanisation are not the same because globalization is a “multi-direction trend” whereas Americanisation is a “single-direction trend” [Source]. However, due to the domination of the American style in the global village, one would argue that globalization and Americanisation are the same. Most of the exported stuff comes from Europe, specifically America, so Americanisation is alive in our contemporary world. More so, the Americans have vast resources to export their commodities to the world and ‘ruling’ globalization. A closer analysis of globalization trends shows that many cultures contribute something, but one cannot deny that Americans have the lion’s share of what is being fed.
Are Globalization and Internationalization the same
Internationalization is a “corporate strategy that involves making products and services as adaptable as possible, so they can easily enter different national markets” [Source], and Globalization is the “process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide” [Source]. These two are not the same because globalization functions globally, and internalization is the “process of making product content adaptable so that it can be easily localized in multiple languages”. Also, internalization is part of globalization, so it is a tool used to achieve globalization [Source].
Are Globalization and Westernization the same
Westernization entails how ‘Western’ standards are propagated as the ‘best’ standards, while globalization focuses on creating internationally recognised standards applicable to everyone. From this perspective, globalization and westernization are not the same.
But westernization dominates globalization since the West has superpowers that can export their standards to the rest of the world. The West has become a yardstick with which all other nations have to measure themselves. This is seen as another form of imperialism, especially in developing countries that suffered colonisation. The global village does not give minority groups of people a chance to export their commodities, so they are forced to import ‘international’ things and abandon their local commodities.
Drawing a line between globalization and westernization is very easy in theory, but the practicality of it seems like a mammoth task because the west is regarded as an example of both civilisation and international standards.
