Globalization

I spent last summer traipsing through Italy, and although it was fun to convince myself that I was becoming the ultimate globetrotter, I can now see that I was simply deluding myself. There I was, prepared to explore a new country, and armed with my SPF 75+(I’m quite pastey and I need to protect my freckles) I was ready to become cultured and worldly. It was on my journey that I realized that even though I was in a different country, it still felt familiar to me. When I walked down a Roman street corner I saw a McDonald’s and other major businesses. I also saw many tourists eating at the McDonald’s instead of exploring and experiencing Italian cuisine. Globalization has made it possible to go to a different country yet still encounter major companies from advanced industrialized societies. Globalization is the spread and deepening of global interconnectedness. While it is wonderful to think that the world is becoming more interconnected and more capable to be exposed to different ways of life and customs, this is not always what occurs. Instead of many cultures being exposed and appreciated, the main culture being exposed is that of the societies who dominate the global economy. Since advanced industrial societies are very influential and powerful, developing countries have had no choice but to be exposed and sometimes assimilate to the cultures of those societies.  

Economic and cultural globalization is likely to have the most positive consequences on advanced industrial societies rather than developing countries. Economic globalization has its most positive effects on advanced industrial societies because globalization has historically favored those societies over developing countries. Companies in advanced industrial societies often prey on developing countries for their cheap labor costs, and these companies benefit from having their products produced at a cheaper price. The companies from advanced industrial societies wouldn’t be as successful if they hired workers from their own country because they would have to pay them a higher wage. This benefits the companies that don’t have to spend as much money to pay their workers, but it doesn’t benefit the workers in developing countries. The workers aren’t benefitting more from working for companies from advanced industrial societies, and the presence of these companies changes the culture of the developing countries. The presence of major companies from advanced industrial societies eradicates local businesses because the local businesses aren’t able to compete. The major companies are established in the global economy because they have high productivity at low prices, and local businesses simply don’t have the resources to have such high production rates and also sell their products at the same cheap price. This is because the major companies from advanced industrialized societies have access to the materials and the huge workforce that local businesses don’t.

I appreciate the diversity of different cultures, and it concerns me to see certain values spreading around the world. There are some values that I’m proud of, such as independence and freedom of speech. However, the cultures of advanced industrialized societies often champion superiority and industrialization. While these values can be seen as positive to some, it wouldn’t be a positive change to see the world become more homogenized. This will happen if globalization continues at the same pace and trajectory as it currently is. The problem isn’t that we are being exposed to different cultures; the problem is that the main cultures being exposed are those of the advanced industrial societies. If the culture of advanced industrial societies is the only culture spreading, there will be a homogenization of the world.