Essay about Global Homogenization

Global homogenization is taking over the world right in front of us. Western lifestyle and values have reached every point on Earth. In industrialized countries, people want all the glamourized mainstream things such as Hollywood blockbuster DVDs, American television, the latest music, Nike sneakers, Michael Jordan shirts, and more. Local fashion designers, actors, artisans, artists, and more are losing their jobs due to bankruptcy. They’re not able to compete with such huge western-based companies. This has become a huge economic issue for so many countries. The dwindle of artisanship is taking over local businesses. Poorer countries are going to try and mimic what the Western world is doing and lose their individual uniqueness. Globalization has ended up with these Multinational and transnational companies operating in many different countries. Western-based Indulgence in anything outside of your country is something that is fun and unique.  But now due to the exponential growth of globalization, indulging in something from the western world has lost its uniqueness and wow factor. This can really affect identity. Identities are very complex and are forming and shaping all the time. Getting exposed too much to the Western world can begin to take over one’s individual identity. When we encounter new cultural values repeatedly, people’s identities change. Everywhere people look they’ll see more of a Westernized world. The clothes they buy, the art they see, the movies they watch, will all be Westernized. Waking up and seeing all of these different lifestyles and values can begin to take over your identity. It’s easy for someone’s identity to change when consuming in Westernized products. When artisans start to see Westernized culture starts to take off and become popular within their country, they will start to mimic it because they see the profit they can make from it. Consumers will be surrounded by so much westernized culture and be in awe of it at the beginning because it’s new/unique to them. Eventually, they’ll be seeing it around them so much it’ll shape their identity. This can truly affect people’s collective identity. It’ll make them feel like the Western world is the majority of their identity. It’ll take away from their true identity and shape them in a way where so much of North American and more already is. These countries are going to start trying to “fit in” with the Western world. 

Corporate culture from North America is tearing down local skills, artisans, values, and traditions. Globalization is such a huge threat to cultural identity. It’s drowning out traditions, languages, cultures, lifestyles, and more. Globalization can re-cast the world in the mold of the capitalist North and West. Many multinational corporations have an influence and promote Western culture.