Globalization invades my own identity! (by Meiling W.)
Posted by wumeiling on October 14, 2007
According to Manfred B. Steger, globalization refers to a multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant. While identity is the way we may choose to represent ourselves and act out our thoughts, beliefs and emotions in the social world (Giles and Middleton, 1999, p. 32). Facilitated by the internet and other new technologies, media plays a crucial role to accelerate the development of globalization which causes individualism, consumerism and different religious discourses circulate more free and widely choices than ever before.
According to Gorden Mathews, he suggests that ‘our choices in home décor, in food and clothing, in what we read, watch, and listen to in music, art and popular culture’ all help to fashion our identities ( Adrian H., Martin H., and John K., 2006, p. 70-74). Cultural supermarket as a metaphor bears resemblance to material supermarket. It implies the relationship between the consumption and identity. My identity is not the objects I consume, instead, it is the assigned meaning of objects I consume. The following consuming behaviors are constructing my identity due to the processes of globalization. Globalization plays an important role in fostering Hong Kong to be the “Americanization of the world”; there are diffusion of Anglo-American values and consumer goods. McDonald is a good example. “McDonaldization” describes the wide range social cultural processes by which the principles of the fast food restaurant dominate in Hong Kong. I regard consuming “M記”as one of my identity as the advertisements of McDonald “I’m lovin’ it!” which promotes the young style, trendy, sweet. While I am eating McDonald, there is symbolic meaning to be young.
As far as Americanization is concerned, I am thinking of Disneyland in Hong Kong.
Disneyland is originally located in USA, nowadays it develops in Hong Kong as well since Hong Kong becomes a famous tourist spot. It is quite different from our local theme park, Ocean Park. Disneyland creates a dreamland image for me. I have found a dedication from its web site, that is, “To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideas, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” I love Disneyland not because of how amazing the adventure it provides or how exciting auto-mechanized games it has. Rather, it is the image provides internalized meaning to my identity. I want to be the young who are always full of joy and bear the hope for my future while I am living in this evil society where I always encounter social, economic and political problems. As for the beverages, I love Starbucks Coffee. Again, it is brought in from America. Drinking coffee in Starbucks is totally different from consuming coffee in any restaurants or even buying from supermarkets. Starbucks promote the“TASTE”of personality. They targeted the middle class and people own lifestyle and life chances. I seldom found some housewives or construction workers having coffee in Starbucks. Perhaps, the style created by Starbucks does not appropriate to them. Rather, it is best suit for me. Starbucks is a coffee shop provides different taste of coffee. For instance, Espresso Shot, Cappuccino, Caffe Latte, and some new series of categories such as Frappuccnio (星樂冰)accompanies with different taste. All implies that Starbucks enables me to develop my own tasty, as well as I am being mold into one who have demands towards my life.
As Mathews said, the information within the cultural supermarket can be divided into two areas, which are realm of use and region of origin. From the above analysis, for the realm of use, my choice of eating habit and entertainment in terms of playing may have greater insignificance for constructing my sense of cultural identity than other areas such as clothing. As for the region of origin, the forces of “cultural imperialism”, that is, the Americanization exits in Hong Kong. It means that the spread of American popular culture seems to dominate. We are witnessing the rise of an increasingly homogenized popular culture undergone by a Western “culture industry” based in America and Hollywood. As my consumption behavior is greatly influenced by America. Is it true to say that globalization hindering constructing my identity? Not really. It is because through the decision making, I can build up my own identity. Say, I can choose Café de coral fast-food instead of eating McDonald; I can choose to drink milk instead of Starbuck Coffee. Most importantly, it’s not the object itself; it is what the objects mean to me. I still construct my identity. There is no deny that the globalization of languages; the impact of materialism and consumption value generates more homogenized popular culture. Like, McDonaldization. The impersonal, routine operations of “rational” fast-service establishments actually undermine expression forms of cultural diversity, meaning that the McDonaldization of the world equals to the imposition of uniform standards that obscure human creativity and dehumanize social relations.
References
Adrian H., Martin H., and John K. Intercultural communication: An advanced resource book. New York: Routledge, 2006.
Giles, J, and Middleton, T. Study culture: A practical introduction. Blackwell Publisher, 1999.
