By: Jasper Jose
Before the interconnected world of today, nations often used war and conflict to spread their influence and exert their dominance over others. Now, however, globalization has shifted this power dynamic. Rather than military might, it’s cultural influence that shapes the world. The ever-growing, merciless spread of dominant cultures, such as the USA, has brought into question whether or not we are losing our cultural identities.
The idea of globalization is not new. The concept of an interdependent, worldwide web of civilizations has been around for about a century. Influential economist and sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein developed the “World-Systems Theory,” where societies operate in a hierarchical system, with some countries (core nations) dominating others through economic and cultural means.
Of course, what better example to observe this phenomenon than our neighbor to the south, the good ol’ US of A. Think of the music, movies, TV shows we consume that come from the States, or the food, stores, and artists we give our money to. Even our language and modern colloquialisms have been predicated by American mannerisms and slang! Many Canadian youths borrow the very words we speak from Americans. This isn’t just observed in Canada; in many countries, young people are adopting American pop culture, from wearing clothes seen in Hollywood films to idolizing American celebrities. While these trends promote a sense of global connectivity, they also raise concerns about cultural homogenization. Local traditions, languages, and customs in many countries are being overshadowed by the global appeal of Americanized culture. Recently, in the Philippines, there has been a rise in children who can’t even speak Filipino, their parents opting for them to merely understand the language rather than speak it.
Ultimately, globalization has changed the way we interact with the world. A hundred years ago, you and I probably would never have personally seen the world at its fullest. A thousand, neither of us would even conceive of our respective cultures. There are many positives to globalization, as the world is better than it ever was, but the preservation of smaller cultures should be paramount.