Cultural globalization refers to the transmission of ideas, meanings and values across national borders. This process is marked by the common consumption of cultures that have been diffused by the Internet, popular culture, and international travel. The circulation of cultures enables individuals to partake in extended social relations outside the borders. The creation and expansion of such social relations is not merely observed on a material level. Cultural globalization involves the formation of shared norms and knowledge with which people associate their individual and collective cultural identities, and increasing interconnectedness among different populations and cultures.
Cultural globalization is manifested in sports, business, cuisine, religions and languages. For example, soccer, which has its roots in Britain in the 19th century, has become the world’s favorite game on televisions and local soccer fields. This diffusion denotes the understanding of shared rules for the game, and cultural interconnections that players and fans form with their common interests and values. Such consciousness is heightened by events such as the World Cup, and estimated 909.6 million viewers watched the final of the 2010 tournament, cheering for the players from Spain and the Netherlands in their own languages.
Another visible aspect of cultural globalization is the diffusion of certain cuisines such as American fast food chains. McDonald’s is the world’s largest global food service corporation with more than 34,000 chains serving approximately 69 million people in 119 countries each day. Big Macs are uniform in size and content in all countries, and consumers are able to enjoy the same burgers and nuggets regardless of their locations. The Big Mac index, an informal measure of purchasing power parity among world currencies, is universally acknowledged due to the same experience and knowledge of McDonald’s. Consumers, regardless of their nationalities, have developed a spreading taste for hamburgers, through the far-flung networks they are constantly in contact with, and they increasingly follow most of the already well-trodden paths in history.
With the rapid social and economic development, globalization comes not to be a unfamiliar word to everyone on the planet. Though we are living in the affection of globalization, yet it is hard to discern the advantages and disadvantages of it sometimes.
Young people are always identified as the most benefiters in this trend. However, it not always true. Take the thriving development of Internet for an example. On one hand, through the wonder of telecommunication, we are indeed droved closer than before. We can do shopping without step out the door. On the other hand, a good many people admit that they are too much addicted to it to maintain face-to-face contact with their friends and colleagues.
Hence it is imperative to us to take this trend in a reasonable way. In my view, as a consequence of successful joint efforts, government support and awareness of the teenagers, the future of globalization looks brighter than before.
标签：不限,globalization,片段
