What is the relation between culture and globalization? / Han Jiseung

 What is the relation between culture and globalization?

[Summary]

First of all, "globalization" is an explanation of the flow of almost everything that characterizes modern life and the network that crosses its periphery and international boundaries. This increase in connectivity is an important aspect of our lives and we live in a much more connected world than ever before. 

Among the various dimensions that affect this globalization, the economic domain is often emphasized. This is also why many people interpret cultural globalization as 'cultural imperialism' or 'Americanization'.

So what is culture then? In this article, the most satisfying answer is 'creating meaning in life'. And 'narrative' becomes the purpose of culture. Cultural meaning and interpretation constantly motivate and direct people to make certain choices and actions individually and collectively. Therefore, understanding how culture-based "local" behavior can result in globalization is a useful way to understand the impact of culture on globalization.

People often assume that globalization will lead to a global culture. However, increasing global connectivity does not necessarily mean that the world will be connected in a broad sense.  Nevertheless, some Westerners imagine that globalization leads to global culture, which stems from the assumption that it means the threat of loss of non-Western cultural traditions by some kind of Western capitalism.

We live local lives, but globalization is rapidly changing the experience of this locality. One way to identify these changes is in the concept of 'de-territorialization'. This means the loss of a natural relationship of culture to geographic and social territories. Culture is no longer bound by the constraints of the local environment.

The development of media and communication technology has become an important task in analyzing global culture in modern society. Remote mediaization, faster communication speeds, huge and complex databases, etc. are historically new and should be evaluated as important.

[Interesting Point]

It was an opportunity to think about what our emotions, social relationships, and cultural values will mean in the long run by immediate access to the speed of information exchange and the size of media that are becoming huge in modern times. I always used to learn only the past approach to interpreting culture, but I thought I needed more modern thinking.

[Discussion]

Let's think about the impact of Western cultural products and economic influences on our culture. In the case of Korea (or in the case of your country), how did Western cultural products affect the continuity of local cultures? I'd like to hear your experiences and opinions.