The lifestyles of many people in different corners of the world are becoming increasingly similar. The contemporary world economy is characterized by the globalization of production and trade. Distribution of the same kinds of products all across the globe has a great impact on global culture. We can all watch American movies, drive German cars and drink Brazilian coffee, no matter where we live. People in different countries are surrounded by the same brands. This promotes similar consumer preferences, similar fashion trends and often a similar cultural outlook.
Is colonization back?
A closer look at the product packages in the aforementioned fridge reveals that many of these items were brought to this fridge by just a few economic giants, like Kraft Foods or Nestlé. These global brands are often accused of being “Trojan horses”, colonizing local industries and cultures. The majority of these transnational companies (TNCs) are based in developed countries of the western world, and words such as“Coca-Colonization” or “McDonaldization” reflect a common fear that the western culture is too dominating, and molds all the other unique cultures of the world into one grey homogenized mass.
Struggle for uniqueness
Homogenization tendencies are naturally being contested. The resistance is expressed through cultural polarization—the re-assertion of local identities through focusing on the local aspects of economy and culture. The war against the “Coca-Colonization” led to the appearance of the so-called “alternative colas”. One of the most famous is Mecca-Cola. It is aimed at Muslim customers and is supposed to fight the monopoly of global brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.
Kosher McDonald’s?
However, here is a way to find a certain level of compromise between the opposing tendencies of homogenization and polarization; a phenomenon called “glocalization”. It promotes the idea of adapting to the local cultures, where tailoring and advertisement of products take local “consumer traditions” into consideration. Paradoxically, interjection of global brands into local cultures produces heterogeneity as global brands take on a variety of local flavours. McDonald’s, an icon of globalization, might be assumed to be the same everywhere in the world—this is true and false at the same time. Indeed, all McDonald’s restaurants have a certain unmistakable image, but upon closer inspection there is clearly a set of differences from country to country. Israel has both kosher and non-kosher McDonald’s. In Japan,, McDonald’s serves both tea and Teriyaki, and Indian McDonald’s does not serve beef and pork at all. These examples of glocalization clearly show the process working in both directions: McDonald’s globalizes local communities, who in turn localize McDonald’s by forcing it to take into consideration local tastes and traditions.
Homogenization, polarization and glocalization seem to be the three main consequences of cultural globalization. Could glocalization be the golden mean that will help preserve cultural distinctions? Or is it just a small concession made by global corporations in the process of colonizing economies and cultures?
What do you think?
07 February 2013
