Globalisation and Culture

What is Globalisation?

Increasing interconnectedness of all the countries in the world

High Culture

Artistic, intellectual, and literary products

• traditional viewed by the elite for their perceived superior quality, intellectual depth, and lasting merit-

Examples of High Culture

• Opera

• Classical Music

• Fine Art

Folk Culture

Traditional, locally based practices

• passed down through generations within a specific community, defining its unique idenity

Examples of Folk Culture

• Music

• Crafts

• Rituals

• Christmas

Popular Culture

Rapid, global spread of mainstream lifestyle trends, entertainment, and media, creating a shared, standardised culture across national borders

Examples of Popular Culture

• McDonaldisation

• TV

• Music

• Trends

Globalisation of Popular Culture - Strinati

Media today is a global industry that promotes other global industries

Globalisation of Popular Culture - McLuhan

Existence of the “global village” means that people around the world can communicate instantaneously and be able to access the same content

Globalisation of Popular Culture - Ritzer

Companies and brands now operate on a global scale

• promoting a global culture and the consumerist lifestyle that goes with that

• homogenisation - our norms and values are global rather than national

Impact of Globalisation - Postmodernism

Globalisation is generally a good thing - allowed more choice/diversity in lifestyles and identity

• people are now more socially, politically and culturally aware

Impact of Globalisation - Cultural Imperialism/Cultural Marxism

Mass media has created a “dumbed down” mass culture which encourages conformity and lack of critical thinking

• spread of global media has led to the Americanisation of culture (cultural imperialism) e.g. global culture largely = American culture