Question

Is cultural homogenization the same as Americanization? Can you name some examples that support this claim? On the other hand, can you think of aspects of American culture that do not enjoy international appeal?

Answer 1

• The sheer massive presence of Western cultural goods throughout the world makes the case for inevitable cultural homogenization, or more specifically, ‘Americanization’, a probable one. Developments in global communications have made the exchange of goods and ideas near instantaneous and unimaginably easy.
• Example of homogenization:-
• From the inescapable presence of McDonalds and Hollywood movie posters, to the Western clothing brands with social prestige and the World Bank’s dictation of plans and patterns of development throughout the world, the limitless amount of evidence of American-led cultural commodity domination makes “the case for seeing cultural globalization as ‘Americanization', a persuasive one.
• Commercial television and feature films are inventions of American origin, and thus any television culture, irrespective of its content and influence, can be viewed as a cultural homogenization of sorts: that of a television culture.
• Non-example of homogenization-
• Although often cited as an example of Americanization, Coca-cola, for example, is attributed with an array of meanings and uses within particular cultures distinct from the manufacturer’s original intention. In Russia, Coke can smooth skin, in Haiti it can revive the dead, and in Barbados it can turn copper into silver.
• This shows that the horde of evidence of global consumption of American commodities is not necessarily evidence of cultural imperialism and homogenization. When applied to television, this idea suggests that whatever the cultural origins of the programme, the audience will interpret them within the context of their own culture, as “media artefacts do not always result in; cultural assimilation,but instead only highlight the differences between cultures.
• I think the American sense of humour of roasting people does not enjoy international appeal especially in India,wherein people get easily hurt through offensive and personal comments.People in India cannot abuse or even make a small comment aganist their president or prime minister like how Americans do it.