Globalization and its Impacts on Cultural Diversity
Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between individuals, groups, and governments from many nations. International trade, information technology, and investment all contribute to globalization. According to Cleveland, Rojas-Mendez, Laroche, and Papadopoulos (2016), globalization has a significant impact on human physical well-being, political systems, prosperity, and economic progress in societies all over the world. People and businesses have been trading goods across borders for thousands of years, regardless of the distances involved. This practice is known as globalization. Globalization has both positive and negative influences on the cultural diversity that can have far reaching impacts. There are various theories about globalization. Some of the theories advocate that globalization has positive impacts while other theories find globalization has non-advantageous.
Positive impacts
Technology is one of the elements that has been empowering many cultures because it allows self-representation and the sharing of information on an entirely new level. Technology gives a medium where the representation of images and show of the self-identity can provide the means in which axiom can be developed. The global media centers enable the cultures to spread because every culture representative can be in good position to promote awareness and give the public knowledge and the understanding regarding their identities and stories (In De, In Pyykkoönem, and In Singh, 2015). Technology particularly the digital and communication medias has made the world small village where people from various parts of the world can easily communicate and share ideas regarding cultures and mode of living. Learning is a continuous process thus technology helps in making learning about cultures because the world is made of millions of cultures that are necessary to be understood by people such as students. Technology enables the communication of culture's significant accounts and the commentaries on the matters that are important in preserving the culture and the acquisition of cultural ways thus enabling them to keep their diversities. Currently, the Internet plays an important role as far as globalization is concerned because many people are able to access the internet where they can easily interact with each other and through interaction, they can share great ideas regarding culture, invention, and economic development. Owning websites on the internet facilitates the media production companies to control their symbols, artifacts, and signs that are considered as cultural properties. Therefore, cultures can be in a good position to manage their images appropriately without being misrepresented as far as they are in control of their cultural properties. Mass media helps in revitalizing and restoring some cultures of the countries.
The network platforms have made social networking and exchange of information easy across nations. Examples of the social network platforms that play an important role in the current generation include Facebook and Twitter. Through social medias, people can have access to other people's lifestyle and behaviors thus can easily understand cultures of people across the world (In De, In Pyykkoönem, and In Singh, 2015). Having more information about other people's cultures can make people appreciate their cultures. For example, people in the United States can interact with people in other continents such as Africa and Asia where cultures are being preserved and respected. Learning to respect culture can make people realize the value of their cultures leading to preservation to avoid dilution that is brought by lack of cultural respect and valuation. Jerash Festival in Jordan is one of the examples of the festivals that brings many cultures together from various parts of the world to celebrate and honor the identity and national pride (Kraidy, 2017). During the Jerash festival, people can either attend or view via technological channels such as YouTube; hence they can have a chance to celebrate cultural and the artistic achievements thus increasing global awareness and promoting global cultural diversity.
Negative impacts
According to Stiglitz (2017), Western ideas are easily assimilated by third world nations thus leads to the dilution of the third world countries cultures. Diluted cultures are referred to as the lost cultures because a concentrated culture means a culture that has values, respect, and native originality. Globalization has led to relationships such as business relationships and religious relationships that make people or corporates share ideas. A weak culture can be easily diluted because adopting others' ideas and integrating to the native cultures can eventually erode the original culture. A good example is that in the past, Africans had their traditional cultures but due to colonization and globalization, many of the nations in Africa have emulated Western cultures due to the reason that Western cultures are the cultures attributed to civilization. "Whoever abandons his or her culture is a slave" is one of the African sayings that advocates that those Africans who emulate Western culture are cultural slaves because they are easily driven to cultures they do not really understand.
There are idols that are looked upon by many people in the world. An example of the idols are the superstars in the music industry and athletics. People tend to emulate their idols' lifestyles in the form of dressing, communicating, and handling issues. It is not a bad idea to have a role model or hero, but living personal cultures and adopting other people's cultures is not recommended because it embraces hypocrisy and straining among the emulators. In the past, there were no sagging of pants, but after the thug lives were emulated much youth, it increased the sagging cultures. Another culture that is being adopted by many young generations is the Electro Dance Music Culture (EDMC). According to Kavanaugh and Anderson (2008), EDMC has become popular due to the advancement of information technology, particularly the social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Many young people or youth in various parts of the world are participating in a number of activities that are organized by the EDMC due to curiosity and peer pressure. Many festivals have been organized by the EDMC in the United States and Europe, and the majority of the attendants and members are youth who have family cultures but they tend to deviate to new culture such as EDMC. EDMC has been alleged to involve bad activities such as substance abuse and sexual activities that are prohibited by major religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.
Globalization has led to the formation of trade treaties among the nations. The trade organization is made to aid the business between countries thus boosting economic development. Barriers between nations have been removed to facilitate the easy movement of products from one nation to another. However, globalization has been abused by many business stakeholders; for example, some of the business stakeholders are involved in human trafficking. Human trafficking is prohibited by legitimate cultures but some of the non-legitimate cultures tend to exploit underage children in production firms (Herting, 2011). For example, many children from third world countries are tricked by exploiters from developed nations by making lucrative promises such as academic scholarships and athletics sponsorships in developed countries, but they later dump the children in forced labor and forced sex in brothels. Therefore, even if globalization fosters trade, it has a major negative impact on vulnerable people such as poor families and entire developing nations.
Globalization makes other cultures dominate some cultures that are considered less powerful. The civilized nations such as the United States and some nations in Europe are looked upon by developing nations. Trade relationships between developed nations and developing nations have a big gap because developing countries import more products from developed nations, which means more food and clothing that are used in developing nations are from developed nations (Lum, Tehranian, and Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, 2006). Food and clothes are determinants of culture, thus it means the nations that import more food and clothes from other nations are cultural adopters because they consume foreign food than native food. For example, Africa was known as the continent whose inhabitants consume raw and unprocessed food, but currently, the food stores in Africa are filled with processed food just like in the United States. Africans are now consuming fast food, which was initially considered as Western food. Therefore, African cultures are gradually dominated by Western culture as far as eating and dressing are concerned. The change in African eating habits is a sign of being dominated by other nation's cultures.
Asia is characterized by Islamic, Hindu cultures, and religion. Currently, people across the world are capable of watching television programs from various parts of the world due to the digital television channels (Nayak, 2016). An Islamic woman can watch Opera Winfrey's program about women empowerment in society on matters such as career and leadership. According to the Muslim culture, women are supposed to stay home to perform household activities such as cooking, cleaning, taking care of children and husband, among other normal household actions (Stiglitz, 2017). Therefore, if a Muslim woman can watch Opera Winfrey Career and Leadership Program, she can likely demand her civil rights because the programs enlighten women about their rights and roles in society. Empowering a Muslim woman on matters relating to leadership and power is deviating her from the Muslim culture, hence it can eventually lead to conflict between Muslim women and men. Moreover, the Muslim men can feel disrespected because Muslim women are supposed to respect men in all situations. Thus globalization can lead to the destruction of relationships in communities such as Muslim communities.
Conclusion
Globalization is attributed to both positive and negative impacts on cultural diversities. It is upon communities and societies to make in-depth analysis regarding globalization to avoid being the victims of negative impacts. Since most of the victims of the negative impacts of globalization are the developing nations, it is recommended for the governments of the developing nations to protect their citizens against exploitation through the application of discouraging measures such as discouraging trade treaties that erode cultures. In relation to technology, people are required to act responsibly, particularly in social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, by avoiding the emulation of controversial cultures such as Electro Dance Music Culture. Therefore, governments and individuals should adopt beneficial habits and lifestyle as far as globalization is concerned.
References
Cleveland, M., Rojas-Méndez, J. I., Laroche, M., & Papadopoulos, N. (2016). Identity, culture, dispositions and behavior: A cross-national examination of globalization and culture change. Journal of Business Research, 69(3), 1090-1102.
Herting, S. (2011). Globalization: A threat to cultural diversity in Southern Ethiopia?. Hamburg: Diplomica-Verl.
In De, B. C., In Pyykkönen, M., & In Singh, J. P. (2015). Globalization, culture and development: The UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity.
Kavanaugh, P. R., & Anderson, T. L. (2008). Solidarity and drug use in the electronic dance music scene. The Sociological Quarterly, 49(1), 181-208.
Kraidy, M. (2017). Hybridity, or the cultural logic of globalization. Temple University Press.
Lum, B. J., Tehranian, M., & Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. (2006). Globalization & identity: Cultural diversity, religion, and citizenship. New Brunswick [N.J.: Transaction Publishers.
Nayak, A. (2016). Race, place and globalization: Youth cultures in a changing world. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Stiglitz, J. E. (2017). Globalization and its discontents. W. W. Norton & Company.
