Globalization American Cultural Products have an Impact on Other Cultures

About the American Culture

How the American Culture Affects Products Globally

Influences of Culture on One Another

American Culture in China

American Culture in Korea

Major American Cultural Values

Globalization has created a completely new way of life for billions of people. It has provided people with new technologies and alternative ways of consuming everything, from products to music and films to literature and even language. In other words, globalization has impacted entire cultures in various countries (Friedman, 2005). The trend has been aided by the creation of the ability to purchase life changing goods for consumers; providing many varieties of consumable items at reasonably low prices on an international market has spread different cultures.

Understanding the impact of globalization on the regional and national cultures requires the understanding of the process and the meaning of globalization. While the term globalization originates from the global exchange of business and trade, the resultant effect of globalization can now be seen in almost every aspect of people's everyday lives (Stiglitz, 2006). The process that is created and aided by trade, immigration, and the exchange of information and ideas that affect and influence one another's cultures and that has the tendency to make the cultural alike is termed as globalization.

On the other hand, the culture of a country or a region can be defined as the way humans and such human groups behave and the patterns of their behavior they exhibit. It also resides in the way they speak and act and the various products resultant from the human behavior in the form of artifacts. Culture and its development are often dependent on the ability of a human being to capture and assimilate knowledge and learning and then transmitting that knowledge to the generations that follow them. Therefore culture is also often referred to as the personality of a society (Moschella & Weaver, n.d.).

The term globalization is also used when people generally visualize the worldwide trade and international business world. This is trend is definitely a part of globalization. The rapid advancements in technology in communication, media and transportation have made it possible for companies to transcend the political boundaries of production and offer new products in new markets. Therefore Globalization is defined as the worldwide exchange of goods and services irrespective of the national boundaries.

Globalization became a common term during the 1980s and has become even more ubiquitous after the 1990s. The four basic principles of globalization, as identified by the International Monetary Fund, are trade and transactions of goods and services, movements of investments and capital for business from one country to another, migration and movement of people and their labor between countries as well as the dissemination of knowledge worldwide (Moschella & Weaver, n.d.). Activities like business and work, economics, and the natural environment are all affected by globalization and consequently these forces also have an effect on globalization.

This exchange of products has made it possible for companies to start and set up businesses in new countries and regions which make different varieties of consumer products available to more people around the globe. This intrusion of new products and consumer items into new cultures can also foster new behaviors or habits resulting from the use of such products (Friedman, 2005). Having access to new products can have an impact on someone's daily habits and routines. Thus when any new products that are introduced into a society they can begin to influence the culture; sometimes minimally at first until it eventually gets integrated into the daily life and routine of the users in the society.

This habit of using and integrating new products into the daily lives of consumers' eventually small changes in the behavior of the consumer consistent with the particular genre of products (Bhagwati, 2004). Such products can be consumer usable products as well as artistic products like films, songs and books. Creative products ultimately get assimilated into the culture of the society and influence the culture of the society through the change in behavior of the people using the products. While such cultural influences can be considered to be good by some, not everyone views cultural changes beneficial to the users and to the society in general (Stiglitz, 2006).

The rise and advancement of technology has widened the scope and reach of globalization. This means that more and more people can now be reached and influenced through the process...

Therefore developments in hardware and software have begun to influence the way individuals, communities and nations are united through the process of enhanced communication capabilities. For example, people can now talk about global products and global brands as well as cultural items such as films, music, and literature. The process of globalization has also been greatly enhanced by the rapid and phenomenal growth of the internet and the communicating devices (Scriven, 2015). Cultural boundaries between societies and nations are being broken down and there is greater exchange and acceptance of each other's ideas and views in the societies.
In this paper we would discuss how the process of globalization has made it possible for the American culture to spread and influence the cultures of other countries. To illustrate this trend, a discussion about how the American culture has impacted the Chinese and the Korean cultures will be used. These two cultures have definitely been affected by the globalization and the rapid spread of American products, food and artistic products (Bhagwati, 2004).

About the American Culture

The American culture is essentially a large melting pot where different cultures have united to form a new culture. There have been waves of immigration in the United States where cultures of several continents and societies have left their influence creating unique blend that has now come to be known as the American culture. The American culture is diverse and unique and began with the European conquest of the continent. The influence of the European cultures on the inhabitants of the sparsely populated indigenous people of the country represents the first outside culture that entered the country. In the fields of language, arts and political institutions, there is a predominant influence of the European culture, style, and values.

However other popular cultural influences can be found elsewhere. For example, the daily diets of the people in the United States were also partly shaped and influenced by the cultures and tastes of the people from Asia, Africa and other places in North America (Cismas, 2015). Thus this mixture of influences in the early formation of the American civilization has created an unusual mixture of patterns and forms that are a result of the forging and coming together of the people from many cultures and populations. This has also given the culture a level of complexity and the uniquely casual personal style of the people of America that becomes evident in American everywhere around the world.

The diverse mixing of the cultures has also given the American culture a unique characteristic of tolerance that was achieved through years of struggle within the American society and which has resulted in a homogenous culture and a society that is governed by general uniform societal norms. This diversification has left a deep impact on the American culture. According to the estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 300 languages that are spoken in the United States that include English, Spanish, Indo-European languages and languages of the Asian and Pacific Islands.

There are also people of varying religions in America with Christianity being the predominant religion. The varying climate of the country has also brought in varying clothing styles with the predominantly casual style being the one preferred by most Americans. Such style has come to become identified and known as the unique cultural trait of the country. The American culture is also identified by the type of food that the people eat. Food like hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meat loaf are typical American food that is recognized as part of the American culture the world over.

Mass media is the predominant art form that defines American culture. The country is the global leader in mass media productions like television and films and is among the largest producer of such mass entertainment in the world (Cismas, 2015). Music is another art form that has unique American cultural traits like the jazz, country and western, rock 'n' roll and hip hop among others. American culture is also defined by the sports that the people play. Sports like basketball, American football and baseball are known around the world to be unique of the American culture. All the above have developed and have been given shape by the people from diverse populations who have settled down in the country over the years and help form the unique culture of America.

How the American Culture Affects Products Globally

Perhaps the greatest influence that the American culture has had on the rest of the world is in the way American products and the style of using them has impacted and influenced and often changed behaviors…