Cultural Homogenisation. Communications & Media Essay

CULTURAL HOMOGENISATION

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Cultural Homogenization

Cultural homogenization is understood as the reduction in cultural diversity by means of the diffusion and popularization of an extensive range of cultural symbols, including physical objects as well as values, ideas, and even customs (Melluish 2014, p. 540). It is facet of cultural globalization, and is sometimes called Americanization. This paper provides an exhaustive discussion of the concept of cultural homogenization. It compares different approaches by various authors in relation to the concept and draws relevant examples.

According to Cojocaru (2013, p.994), cultural homogenization is the process through which a dominant outside culture absorbs or transforms local cultures. Cultural homogenization could, theoretically, lead to the worldwide assimilation of a single culture and the breakdown of cultural obstacles (Melluish 2014, p. 541). It could impact a country’s national identity and culture, which would be eroded through the impact of global multinational media and cultural industries (Cojocaru 2013, p. 995).

The improvement in communication and economies at large facilitates cultural homogenization through global trade as multinational companies are able to offer goods and services in several continents (Cojocaru 2011, p. 991). Various multinational firms have facilitated the exchange of cultures to different continents through their range of products and services. Today, Disneyland is a global empire, with Euro Disneyland in Paris hoping to attract more tourists than the Swiss Alps, the British Museum, Sistine Chapel, and the Eiffel Tower combined, while the Disneyland in Tokyo draws in excess of 350,000 visitors each week (Mele & Vujnovic 2016, p. 23). People all over the globe are watching videos and listening to pop music which offers escape, excitement, as well as the feeling of connectedness to a larger world. The vast majority of the consumers of global cultural products are the youth (Mele & Vujnovic 2016, p. 24). In the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, just as in Singapore, Calcutta or in the villages of Lower Bavaria, people smoke Marlboro, wear blue jeans, and watch Dallas in their television sets (Hopper 2007, p. 88).

Different Authors’ Approaches to the Concept

Quite a few scholars have explored the topic of cultural homogenization in varying depths. Robert Holton, for instance, argues that globalization has resulted in cultural homogenization, making the global culture standardized around a Western pattern (Kang & Chang 2018, p. 779). This has resulted in the Western culture setting standards from language and commodities to religion and even politics (Kang & Chang 2018, p. 779). Roland Robertson is a leading writer in the sociology of globalization. This scholar emphasizes the encounter between the global and the local as part of a broader attempt to promote the cultural realm (Hopper 2007, p. 98). He goes further, suggesting that the global and local interpenetrate to ensure they are not discrete cultural entities, but a syncretic mix containing elements of both cultures. This can be seen through various institutions, religions, and national societies where they do not make sense of the global culture, but rather reproduce it within their own particular contexts, shaped by local cultural influences (Hopper 2007, p. 98).

Another equally influential scholar as regards the concept of cultural homogenization is Martin J. Gannon. According to him, cultural homogenization has several effects such as the rapid extinction of various languages (Gannon 2014, p. 4). He also argues that many cross-cultural differences are much more important than similarities. In many instances, they are based on the major factors influencing cultural values, including religion, geography, language, and historical development (Gannon 2014, p. 37).

Examples of the Cultural Homogenization Concept

The Film Industry/Hollywood

There are several examples through which the concept could be applied to underscore its usefulness. One particular example is certainly the film industry. Over the past 20 to 30 years, the whole world has been wired into television programs, news, movies, music in addition to other cultural products that mainly originate in America’s recording and film studios (Manoel 2010, p. 66). The impact of this homogenization on the rich cultural diversity of communities in different countries globally is huge, and its contours are clear (Melluish 2014, p. 542)....