Blog Assignment 2 - Cultural Globalization / Minjeong Lee

1. Summary

Globalization is multidimensional and occurs immediately in various areas such as political, economic, technological development, cultural and environmental change. In general, globalization refers to the radical changing and dense network of interconnections and interdependencies that characterize material, social, economic and cultural life in the modern world. There is unprecedented interdependence and connectivity in modern society. So now society can't operate normally with just one society. Many fields already deeply have connected worldwide, such as social media, environmental issues, music and movies.

In the course of globalization, the capitalist system can distort our understanding of culture. In fact, there are wrong examples of globalization, such as cultural imperialism, Americanization, Westernization and global capitalism. We need to distinguish them clearly and take them critically.

One of the common assumptions about the globalization process is that it will form a single culture. This is because a single global culture can eventually see a unified effect in many areas. There is no country in modern society that does not accept the impact of globalization. But because developed countries lead globalization, developing countries are marginalized in the process. It's kind of a totalitarian culture.

Cultural identity refers to the differentiation, institutionalization, and social regulation of the nature of modern life, but globalization does not undermine cultural identity. Rather, globalization is the most important factor in creating and spreading cultural identity. We need to respect individual cultural identities, cultural spontaneity, and the integrity of sovereignty.

2. New/Interesting things I learned

Globalization is a double-edged sword. On the positive side of globalization, societies develop together by sharing culture with each other and buying and selling goods. However, such as the "Americanization" and "cultural imperialism" mentioned in the text, there is a tendency to belittle existing cultures and to regard only new ones as superior. Which country in the world sells iPhones the most expensive? It's Korea. As there is a prejudice that Apple in the U.S. is better at making smartphones than Samsung in South Korea, people buy them no matter how expensive they are. Then, which country gives and receives spam as a holiday gift? This is also Korea. Spam is a low-grade canned ham originally distributed to U.S. soldiers, but it is especially expensive and popular in South Korea. In this way, iPhone and spam show the negative side of globalization.

3. Discussion Point

What is the relation between culture and globalization? I think culture is the most visible part of globalization. In addition, globalization is the first and fastest in the field of culture.

A few years ago in Korea, Japanese-related culture began to be considered "hip-and-trendy." This has led to the creation of traditional Japanese buildings in central Seoul and significantly increased sales in Korea by Japanese companies such as ‘Muji’ and ‘Kissme’. However, this trend is not right at a time when historical conflicts with Japan persist. Even as the "No Japan" movement is underway, there is still a tendency among young people to value Japanese culture. The examples of cultural globalization are generally seen as a way for powerful countries to unilaterally spread culture to weaker countries. Please let me know in the comments if there are any other cases.