Sociocultural Exchanges
Cultural Diffusion
Describe cultural traits in terms of language, customs, beliefs, dress, images, music, food and technology.
Cultural Trait
The spread/ transfer of cultural traits like language, customs, music, dress consumption of commodities and services.
Cultural Integration
Increasing interaction of people from different backgrounds
Cultural Imperialism
The promotion and imposition of the cultural traits of one nation state/culture upon others as a result of cultural diffusion via the media, education, TNCs, trade and tourism.
Homogenization
One size fit all as people in diverse places wear similar clothes, buy the same electronic goods and use the same language (outcome of cultural imperialism).
Glocalization
Recognizes how homogenous ideas/ trends can be interpreted and absorbed differently according to the viewpoints and traditions of particular groups.
Examples of Cultural Traits
Examine the diffusion of cultural traits resulting from the international movement of workers, tourists and commodities.
Movement of Workers
Consumerism and Culture
Describe the role of TNCs and the media in spreading consumer culture.
Consumerism
The growing consumption of goods
Consumer Culture
The link between personal consumption and material possessions and that of personal happiness.
Mass Media
Sections of the media that are designed to reach a mass audience. Satellite TV and the internet has allowed mass media to grow.
Brand
A distinguishing name or logo of a product.
Need
Something that you need to remain healthy.
Want
Something that you desire, but do not need for survival.
Advertising
The act of promoting a product of service
The growth of mass media is aided by improvements in communications and technology
TNCs are able to reach new markets
TNCs now advertise in a variety of ways:
Describe cultural traits in terms of language, customs, beliefs, dress, images, music, food and technology.
Cultural Trait
The spread/ transfer of cultural traits like language, customs, music, dress consumption of commodities and services.
Cultural Integration
Increasing interaction of people from different backgrounds
Cultural Imperialism
The promotion and imposition of the cultural traits of one nation state/culture upon others as a result of cultural diffusion via the media, education, TNCs, trade and tourism.
Homogenization
One size fit all as people in diverse places wear similar clothes, buy the same electronic goods and use the same language (outcome of cultural imperialism).
Glocalization
Recognizes how homogenous ideas/ trends can be interpreted and absorbed differently according to the viewpoints and traditions of particular groups.
Examples of Cultural Traits
- Religion
- Language
- Food
- Yoga
- Music
- Health
- Festival
- Tourism
- Clothing
- Technology
- National monuments
- Tourism migration
- Air transport
- TNC commodities
- Internet + technology
- Media, music, TV, football, movies
- Action of governments
Examine the diffusion of cultural traits resulting from the international movement of workers, tourists and commodities.
Movement of Workers
- USA has a large inflow of migrants from Latin America which results in a substantial increase in the proportion of Spanish speakers
- Due to the large amount of Polish people in UK, there is an increase in Polish goods and services
- Widen the range of the first language that is spoken at school
- In developing countries tourists frequently stay in specially designated enclaves with all the required facilities immediately on hand
- Tourists have little or no contact with local people and fail to experience the reality of life in the country they have chosen to visit.
- There may be a loss of locally owned land as tourism companies buy up large tracts in the most scenic and accessible locations
- Traditional values and practices may be abandoned by the local people
- People may be displaced to make way for tourist developments
- The structure of the local community changes
- Large companies and governments can abuse the human rights of the local people in the quest to maximize profits
- Alcoholism and drug abuse increase as drink and drugs become more available to satisfy the demands of foreign tourists
- Increase the obvious gap in wealth
- Increase of crime and prostitution sometimes involving children
- Visitor congestion at key locations may hinder the movement of local people
Consumerism and Culture
Describe the role of TNCs and the media in spreading consumer culture.
Consumerism
The growing consumption of goods
Consumer Culture
The link between personal consumption and material possessions and that of personal happiness.
Mass Media
Sections of the media that are designed to reach a mass audience. Satellite TV and the internet has allowed mass media to grow.
Brand
A distinguishing name or logo of a product.
Need
Something that you need to remain healthy.
Want
Something that you desire, but do not need for survival.
Advertising
The act of promoting a product of service
The growth of mass media is aided by improvements in communications and technology
TNCs are able to reach new markets
TNCs now advertise in a variety of ways:
- Cinema
- TV
- Radio
- Magazine and Newspaper
- Internet – through Facebook and Google/ credit card search history
- Product placement
- Email (spam)
- Stadium arenas
- Billboards
- Flyers
Select two different branded commodities and examine the spatial and temporal pattern of adoption on a global scale.
Case Study – MTV
Timeline
1981
MTV: Music Television launched by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment in August. The first music video shown was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.
1984
The network produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show.
1985
A second music channel was introduced, VH1 (Video Hits One).
1985
Viacom bought Warner-Amex and took control of both MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon (also originally owned by Warner-Amex), re-branding the three as “MTV Networks”.
1990
New overseas MTV channels began to be set up.
1999
By now MTV Networks was the 6th largest global cable channel, worth $400m annually.
1999
MTV Networks shifted its focus to comedy shows like Jackass and soap operas such as Undressed.
2002
MTV Networks aired the very first episode of The Osbournes, based on the everyday life of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon, and their children Jack and Kelly.
2006
Total MTV Network sales reached US $1.3 billion, employing 1100 world-wide. Viacom-owned networks were now broadcasting 141 channels in 32 languages to 160 countries (from MTV Philippines to MTV Portugal).
2006
MTV Networks began talks with Google to investigate online music video distribution opportunities.
2007
MTV Arabia launched.
Adoption
Case Study – McDonald
Time Line
1937
Patrick McDonald opens a hamburger and drinks stand called "The Airdrome" on historic Route 66 (now Huntington Drive) near the Monrovia Airport in Monrovia, California.
1948
After noticing that almost all of their profits came from hamburgers, the brothers closed the restaurant for several months to remodel it and implement their innovative "Speedee Service System", a streamlined assembly line for hamburgers. The carhops are fired, and when the restaurant reopens it sells only hamburgers, milkshakes, and French Fries. At 15 cents, the burgers are about half as expensive as at standard diners, and they are served immediately. The restaurant is extremely successful, and its fame spreads by word of mouth.
1952
The brothers hire Southern California architect Stanley Clark Meston to design a replacement for the San Bernardino stand which is to have even greater efficiency and a more eye-catching appearance. Meston and his assistant Charles Fish deliver the Golden Arches design.
1952
The brothers begin to franchise their restaurant. The first franchisee is Neil Fox.
1953
Fox's McDonald's opens in May in Phoenix, Arizona at N. Central Ave and Indian School Road. It is the first to feature the Golden Arches design.
1953
The third McDonald's restaurant, franchised to Roger Williams and Burdette Landon, opens in Downey, California at the corner of Lakewood Blvd and Florence Avenue. Today it is the oldest McDonald's restaurant still in operation.
1963
McDonald's sells its one billionth hamburger.
1963
The 500th McDonald's restaurant opens in Toledo, Ohio
1967
The first McDonald's restaurant outside the United States opens in Richmond, British Columbia.
1970
McDonald's opens in Costa Rica, its third country after the United States and Canada.
1971
The first Asian McDonald's opens in July in Japan, in Tokyo's Ginza district.
1971
The first European McDonald's outlet opens, in Zaandam (near Amsterdam) in the Netherlands
1979
The first McDonald's in South America opens, in Brazil.
1984
The company is a main sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
1990
In October, the first McDonald's opens in mainland China, in the city and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
1992
The first McDonald's opens in Africa, in Casablanca, Morocco.
1996
The first Indian McDonald's opens.
2004
Happy Meal turns 25
2005
50th Anniversary
2009
20th Century Fox and McDonald's begins promotional partnership.
2012
McDonald's begins posting the calories count for items on the menus and menu boards in the drive-thru.
Case Study – MTV
Timeline
1981
MTV: Music Television launched by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment in August. The first music video shown was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.
1984
The network produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show.
1985
A second music channel was introduced, VH1 (Video Hits One).
1985
Viacom bought Warner-Amex and took control of both MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon (also originally owned by Warner-Amex), re-branding the three as “MTV Networks”.
1990
New overseas MTV channels began to be set up.
1999
By now MTV Networks was the 6th largest global cable channel, worth $400m annually.
1999
MTV Networks shifted its focus to comedy shows like Jackass and soap operas such as Undressed.
2002
MTV Networks aired the very first episode of The Osbournes, based on the everyday life of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon, and their children Jack and Kelly.
2006
Total MTV Network sales reached US $1.3 billion, employing 1100 world-wide. Viacom-owned networks were now broadcasting 141 channels in 32 languages to 160 countries (from MTV Philippines to MTV Portugal).
2006
MTV Networks began talks with Google to investigate online music video distribution opportunities.
2007
MTV Arabia launched.
Adoption
- Has a 360 degree strategy of providing service in a local setting
- Setting up MTV Base in Africa in 2005 to 50 million viewers across 48 countries.
- Channel campaigns against:
- Racism
- Environmental pollution
- Promoting AIDS awareness to encourage young adults to be conscious on social issues.
- Respecting audience’s culture and brings out shows presented by local stars.
- There will be the promotion of local artists where it outweighs the western videos and such.
- MTV tries to develop new music acts using fresh talent (bigger success with local people)
- MTV Arabia and the Middle-East (wealthy and young (⅔ of Arab world is younger than 30 - many fans of cutting-edge music) and MTV specializes in hip-hop which these groups like the most.
- Resistance
- Weakens the national local/ culture through imperialism.
- Rejected by India in favor the Bollywood channels
Case Study – McDonald
Time Line
1937
Patrick McDonald opens a hamburger and drinks stand called "The Airdrome" on historic Route 66 (now Huntington Drive) near the Monrovia Airport in Monrovia, California.
1948
After noticing that almost all of their profits came from hamburgers, the brothers closed the restaurant for several months to remodel it and implement their innovative "Speedee Service System", a streamlined assembly line for hamburgers. The carhops are fired, and when the restaurant reopens it sells only hamburgers, milkshakes, and French Fries. At 15 cents, the burgers are about half as expensive as at standard diners, and they are served immediately. The restaurant is extremely successful, and its fame spreads by word of mouth.
1952
The brothers hire Southern California architect Stanley Clark Meston to design a replacement for the San Bernardino stand which is to have even greater efficiency and a more eye-catching appearance. Meston and his assistant Charles Fish deliver the Golden Arches design.
1952
The brothers begin to franchise their restaurant. The first franchisee is Neil Fox.
1953
Fox's McDonald's opens in May in Phoenix, Arizona at N. Central Ave and Indian School Road. It is the first to feature the Golden Arches design.
1953
The third McDonald's restaurant, franchised to Roger Williams and Burdette Landon, opens in Downey, California at the corner of Lakewood Blvd and Florence Avenue. Today it is the oldest McDonald's restaurant still in operation.
1963
McDonald's sells its one billionth hamburger.
1963
The 500th McDonald's restaurant opens in Toledo, Ohio
1967
The first McDonald's restaurant outside the United States opens in Richmond, British Columbia.
1970
McDonald's opens in Costa Rica, its third country after the United States and Canada.
1971
The first Asian McDonald's opens in July in Japan, in Tokyo's Ginza district.
1971
The first European McDonald's outlet opens, in Zaandam (near Amsterdam) in the Netherlands
1979
The first McDonald's in South America opens, in Brazil.
1984
The company is a main sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
1990
In October, the first McDonald's opens in mainland China, in the city and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
1992
The first McDonald's opens in Africa, in Casablanca, Morocco.
1996
The first Indian McDonald's opens.
2004
Happy Meal turns 25
2005
50th Anniversary
2009
20th Century Fox and McDonald's begins promotional partnership.
2012
McDonald's begins posting the calories count for items on the menus and menu boards in the drive-thru.
Facts
Sociocultural Integration
Examine the role of Diasporas in preserving culture in one country and the adoption of minority traits by host societies.
Any groups that has been dispersed outside its original homeland. Diasporas can develop through voluntary migration or forced migration.
Irish Diaspora
Examine the impact of cultural diffusion on one indigenous and remote society through the influence of international interactions
Case Study – Moken People
Cultural Traits
Examine the ways in which international interactions may result in the homogenization and dilution of culture.
Advantages of Cultural Imperialism
Case Study – Bhutan
Long Response Structure:
Introduction
Body 1 – Adopt
Body 1 – Language
- 31,000 restaurants worldwide in 118 countries and 1.4 million employees.
- Serves nearly 58 million customers each day and brand value worth $66.575 billion
- 1 in 8 Americans has worked in McDonald’s at some point in their lives
- A third of all cows reared in the USA are needed to produce the company’s burgers
- 8% of the US potato crop is used for the fries
- “American Dream” to eat fries and drink coke
- Chinese people eat more meat than they did before McDonalds arrived in China
- McDonalisation has occurred to many diets so countries are adopting this American fast food culture leaving their diet behind.
- Offers delivery services
- Change in language of menus/signs
- In India, 98% of McDonald’s ingredients and paper products are sourced locally
- Generated McAloo Tikki burger, Chicken Kabab burger and the Maharajah Mac in India
- The Sichuan spicy menu known as the “Chinese Mac” was popular during the Beijing Olympic games
- Japan has a EBI Filet –O, a shrimp burger
- Adapt pricing with a county’s GDP
- Homogenization of the “American Dream” to the world
- Bolivia rejected McDonald’s for its own food
Sociocultural Integration
Examine the role of Diasporas in preserving culture in one country and the adoption of minority traits by host societies.
Any groups that has been dispersed outside its original homeland. Diasporas can develop through voluntary migration or forced migration.
Irish Diaspora
- Estimated that there are 80 million Irish migrants
- There are over 40 million in the US alone
- Migrated due to the great famine during the 1840s
- 1 million people were estimated to have migrated during that time
- Significant Irish diaspora are in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Mexico and Argentina
- Irish pubs are prevalent around the world.
- Guinness is available in nearly every country
- Leprechauns and four leaf cloves are often considered to be lucky
- Irish music, U2 and Sinead O’Connor
- St Patrick’s Day parades in many countries
Examine the impact of cultural diffusion on one indigenous and remote society through the influence of international interactions
Case Study – Moken People
Cultural Traits
- Semi-nomadic people that live in a group of approximately 800 islands in the Andaman Sea that is claimed both by Burma and Thailand.
- The Moken are born, live and die on their boats called kabangs
- Ten years ago, some 2,500 Moken still led the traditional seafaring and spiritual life in this archipelago. That number is slowly diminishing and is now at perhaps 1,000.
- They use plastic goggles nowadays but they used to fashion goggles out of pieces of wood and sea glass, from bottles found in the sea.
- Hunt with harpoons, hooks and hands rather than fishing nets and lines
- Only live on land during the monsoon season
- Their diving skills are passed on from generation to generation
- Make their own boats from rainforest logs and vines. The boats are called “kabang”.
- They barter with Malay and Chinese traders they encounter (shells, sea snails, and oysters)
- Exploited and harassed throughout history by the British, Japanese, Thai, and Burmese military
- forced to pay taxes
- driven away by illegal fisherman
- forced to work in mines and on farms
- prohibited from vital trading areas
- jailed for lacking permits
- turned into opium addicts by merchants to keep them dependent
- Tourism comes before their cultural priorities
- Kicked off their own land in order to make way for big hotels with privatized beaches → sea gypsy families sued by private landowners
- Over the last two years, more than 30 sea gypsies have been arrested and charged under the National Parks Act for illegal possession of protected animals.
- As the military presence increases throughout the islands, the Moken are unable to move freely in search of spouses.
- Without room to roam, they cannot find the traders who provide rice—the staple Moken food—and fuel for their motors.
- The Myanmar government, following Thailand's lead, has tried to settle the Moken permanently in a national park as a tourist attraction.
- They were hired as fishermen, but what they were catching was different to before - loss of culture, had to learn new methods of fishing
- Tourism introduced alcohol into the areas where the Moken people live, where some have become dependent on it - consumption sometimes leads to violence
- Sea gypsies are highly dependent on shallow waters for their primary hunting grounds, but as many areas are being declared national parks, they aren’t allowed to hunt in those areas for food, making finding food increasingly difficult.
- Have to pay for electricity, water and school bills - things that they did not need to pay for before
- Mokens are sometimes restricted/barred from local fishing areas and from traveling to areas with their boat.
- Sea gypsies prevented from entering their sacred grounds where they hold rituals. Walls and and enclosements built
- Nyawi Island - Soldiers are harassing the Moken and Burmese there, and the Burmese government has mandated a Moken festival for tourists - this upsets the spirits.
- Officials and regulations do not take into account their different concept of ‘land rights’
- Their ties with the Thai government has impacted the Moken people positively as the government helped build new houses up after the tsunami in 2004
- Over the longer term, within three years, it was proposed that special cultural zones for ethnic groups, including sea gypsies, be created.
- Because of their indigenous technical knowledge of the ocean, they were able to survive the 2004 tsunami as they evacuated before the tsunami reached
- More opportunities for trade with foreign countries - the market was widened
- Cabinet proposed land security measures for the sea gypsies’ → land right verification, relaxed regulations from fishing in protected areas, provision of healthcare, education and ID, and promote culture.
- Mercy center teacher gave vaccinations and took care of hygiene → less children are dying from of lack of food, treatable sickness, and preventable vaccines (malaria and diarrhoea are the main problems)
Examine the ways in which international interactions may result in the homogenization and dilution of culture.
Advantages of Cultural Imperialism
- There may be a greater variety of commodities available
- It may mean new technologies are introduced
- Language skills may increase
- Economic development may take places as trade increases between two location
- Places around the world become increasingly homogenized
- Local cultures are lost or diluted
- Local businesses may be forced out of business as they cannot compete with large international TNCs
- Economic and political exploitation such as resources may be stripped
Case Study – Bhutan
- Population of 700,000
- Prevent fissures between modernity and tradition opening out —> preserve culture and keep it distinct and safe
- Government passed a heritage site bill to protect cultural traditions and monuments
- Promotes the Gross National Happiness Index
- TV and internet finally allowed in during the late 1990s, but restricted what people could look at
- First TV channel operated in 1999, but restricted outside channels from broadcasting within the country
- Children must follow the national dress code when attending school
- Preservation of culture hasn’t limited them to extensive development and well-being of its community
- Bhutan only allows 100,000 tourists to visit the country in 2012
- Tourists has to pay $200 to $250 every day in order to stay in Bhutan, this allows much more organized tours to happen instead of backpackers which will decrease tourism cultural impact
Long Response Structure:
Introduction
- Define homogenization/ cultural imperialism that can result in dilution or loss of cultural traits
- International interactions will aid this process – via media, language and brands
- But evidence suggests instead of homogenization and dilution some cultures adapt or sometimes even reject them altogether
Body 1 – Adopt
- The power of influence of TNCs in media and brands can lead to homogenization
- English as the lingua franca causes minority languages to disappear
- Branding can lead to homogenization of clothing, food which sells “American dream”
- Impact on indigenous groups such as the Moken people, can talk about zooification
- Diffusion of cultural traits does not necessarily lead to dilution of culture, but rather a fusion of cultures as the receiving culture adapts to outside influences, known as glocalisation
- Creative industries create fusion movies, music and food: creating hybrid cultures
- McDonalds adapt to the local taste
- MTV plays more local artists
- Could argue that glocalisation is a tactic of TNCs to exert further market control which could lead to homogenization of product
- Despite the power of TNCs to drive homogenization of culture, government policy or local activism/ nationalism can resist these cultural influences to maintain indigenous cultural traits
- Explore Bhutan case study
- China restrict the speed of cultural influence with ban on Google, Facebook and Youtube
Body 1 – Language
- The homogenization of culture can be seen via the cultural trait of language, dominance of English
- Disappearing of minority languages
- Introduction of Globalish, a reduced form on English
- Resistance to the dominance of English due to nationalism such as the Catalan
- Revival of languages such as Hebrew and Welsh
- The role of TNCs that produce commodities in expanding their market and investing heavily in branding is a form of homogenization of culture
- McDonalisation of world diet
- McDonald’s adapting to the local market
- Bolivia’s rejection to McDonalds
- The rise of fusion food to occur
- Counter-homogenization mention of Kung-Fu as a brand and tea as a cultural effect
- The power of the global media networks largely in the hands of a few TNCs make homogenization of culture inevitable
- 24 hour news networks, internet, social networking sites and other forms of telecommunications imposes western traits such as music and clothing
- Bhutan case study could be argued against
- MTV in India failed due to the excess love for Bollywood
- The power of TNCs in terms of the wealth and global spread, greater than nation states, would suggest that homogenization and dilution of culture is almost inevitable.
- Shown through examples that the responses to cultural influences does not always lead to homogenization.
- It can lead to a new fusion of cultures, or even a resistance thus making the indigenous cultures gain new strength in the face of adversity.