Social and cultural implications of globalization

Globalization is a multidimensional process. Although it is often understood primarily in economic terms, linked to the establishment of an interlocking global economy, its social and cultural implications are no less important. Human societies, for instance, have traditionally had clear territorial foundations. People knew and interacted with others within their community and, to a lesser extent, with people from neighbouring communities. In short, geography and distance mattered. Globalization, however, has led to the rise of ‘supraterritoriality’ or ‘deterritorialization’ (Scholte 2005), through which the constraints traditionally imposed by geography and distance have been substantially overcome. This process has occurred, most obviously, through improvements in the technologies of communication and transport. However, not only have mobile telephones, the Internet and air travel revolutionized our understanding of space, they have also transformed our notion of time, particularly through seemingly instantaneous information flows. In this light, David Harvey (1990, 2009) associated globalization with the phenomenon of ‘time/space compression’, meaning that, for the first time, human interaction could take place outside the restrictions of both space and time. Time/space compression alters people’s experience of the world in a variety of ways. For instance, it means that the speed of life is increasing, as, quite simply, events, transactions and travel happen more quickly.

           The process of cultural globalization (see p. 147) has sometimes been seen to be yet more significant. In this view, the essence of globalization is the process whereby cultural differences between nations and regions are tending to be ‘flattened out’. Such an approach to globalization links it to cultural homogenization, as cultural diversity is weakened or destroyed in a world in which we all watch the same television programmes, buy the same commodities, eat the same food, support the same sports stars, follow the antics of the same ‘global celebrities’, and so on. The chief factors fuelling cultural globalization have been the growth of TNCs, and especially global media corporations (such as AOL-Time Warner, News Corporation, Viacom, Disney, Vivendi Universal and Bertelsmann AG), the increasing popularity of international travel and tourism, and, of course, the information and communications revolution.

           Many commentators portray cultural globalization as a ‘top-down’ process, the establishment of a single global system that imprints itself on all parts of the world; in effect, a global monoculture. From this perspective, cultural globalization amounts to a form of cultural imperialism, emphasizing that cultural flows are between unequal partners and are used as a means through which powerful states exert domination over weaker states. Some therefore portray cultural globalization as ‘westernization’ or, more specifically, as ‘Americanization’. The image of globalization as homogenization is at best a partial one, however. Globalization often goes hand in hand with localization, regionalization and multiculturalism (see p. 174). The fear or threat of homogenization, especially when it is perceived to be imposed ‘from above’, or ‘from outside’, provokes cultural and political resistance. This can be seen in the resurgence of interest in declining languages and minority cultures as well as in the spread of religious fundamentalism. Nevertheless, the two main ingredients of cultural globalization have been the spread of consumerism (see p. 149) and the growth of individualism (see p. 150).

  Consumerism goes global

Cultural globalization has most commonly been associated with the worldwide advance of a culture of consumer capitalism, sometimes seen as ‘turboconsumerism’. One aspect of this has been what is called ‘Coca Colonization’, a process first highlighted by French communists in the 1950s. Coca Colonization refers, on one level, to the emergence of global goods and global brands (Coca Cola being a prime example) that have come to dominate economic markets in more and more parts of the world, creating an image of bland uniformity. However, at a deeper level, it also captures the psychological and emotional power that these brands have come to acquire through highly sophisticated marketing and advertising, allowing them to become symbols of freedom, youthfulness, vitality, happiness and so on. It is therefore a manifestation of what Marxists have called commodity fetishism. Consumerism has become one of the key targets of modern anti-corporate criticism, highlighted by Naomi Klein, amongst others, and it has been particularly emphasized by the green movement, as discussed in Chapter 16.

           In one of the most influential accounts of trends in global consumerism, Benjamin Barber (2003) portrayed the emerging world as a ‘McWorld’. McWorld is tied together by technology, ecology, communications and commerce, creating a ‘shimmering scenario of integration and uniformity’ in which people everywhere are mesmerized by ‘fast music, fast computers, fast food – with MTV, McIntosh and McDonald’s pressing nations into one commercially homogeneous theme park’. Alongside and reflecting such developments has been the increasing standardization of business organizations and practices, commonly referred to as ‘McDonaldization’. Underpinning the emergence of McWorld has been the seemingly relentless spread of materialist values, based on the notion of an intrinsic link between wealth and happiness. For many, these trends have a markedly western, and more specifically American character. The ‘westernization’ model of cultural globalization derives from the fact that the West (see p. 26) is the home of consumer capitalism and industrial society, and is backed up by the belief that the ethic of material self-seeking is a specifically western value, stemming as it does from western liberalism. The ‘Americanization’ model of cultural globalization reflects the disproportionate extent to which the goods and images that dominate modern commerce and the media derive from the USA, meaning that the world is being taken over not just by consumer capitalism but by a very particular US model of consumer capitalism.

              The trends associated with cultural globalization have by no means been universally condemned, however. For many, the advent of consumer culture and access to a wider range of goods and cultural products have broadened opportunities and provided an alternative to the narrow parochialism of traditional societies. Cultural globalization may, for instance, be compared favourably with insular nationalism. However, most interpretations of cultural globalization have been critical or pessimistic. At least three main lines of attack have been adopted. First, cultural globalization has been seen to serve the interests of economic or political domination. In this view, cultural globalization has been driven by the dominant interests in the new globalized economy – TNCs, the West generally and the USA in particular – and its role has been to shape values, appetites and lifestyles so as to ensure market penetration and the ascendancy of global capitalism. Second, cultural homogenization has been condemned as an assault on local, regional and national distinctiveness. A world in which everything looks the same and everyone thinks and acts in the same way is a world without a sense of rootedness and belonging. Third, consumerism and materialism have been condemned as a form of captivity, a form of manipulation that distorts values and denies happiness.