Emilia Akulenko’s Weblog

Of course globalization has many impacts on local culture worldwide. One of the positive aspects is that there is a spreading of information, there is cultural exchange and this can lead to a cultural growth worldwide. But there also is another aspect of cultural globalization: many see globalization of culture as an Americanization of different cultures. A report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), showed that the world trade in goods with cultural content almost tripled between 1980 and 1991: from 67 billion dollars to 200 billion dollars. At the core of the entertainment industry – film, music and television – there is a growing dominance of US products. World Trade Organization rules do not allow countries to block imports on cultural grounds. One of the consequences of globalization will be the end of cultural diversity, and the triumph of a uni-polar culture serving the needs of transnational corporations. Hence the world drinks Coca-Cola, watches American movies and eats American junk food. American culture is undeniably dominated by monetary relationships and commercial values that are replacing traditional social relationships and human values. We are driving towards a world in which the verb to have is becoming by far more important that the verb to be.