The Effects of Globalization Are People becoming more similar? Nowadays globalization and its impact on cultural identity is an issue that is often discussed by sociologists. Through the mass media and advanced information technology we can be connected with parts of the world we cannot reach physically. An example is the Internet which has become increasingly important in accessing information as well as in interaction with people from all over the world. There are two possible consequences to this development. The first one is that the world is becoming smaller in a sense that people are becoming more similar. The second one is that by being regularly confronted with other cultures and habits, people become aware of the differences between cultures and subsequently of their own identity and uniqueness. Different definitions of globalization have to be taken into account when evaluating its effects. According to Rantanen (2005), the process of globalization is responsible for the worldwide development of economic, political and social relations across time and space since it is possible to stay in contact with people from other parts of the world through the Internet. As Baylis and Smith (2001) point out, this leads to an increasing interconnectedness which results in events in one part of the world seriously affecting people and societies in other countries and continents. The effects on cultural identity, however, are also deeply rooted in mass media because they play an important role in producing and representing cultures and its values. The influence of mass media can be perceived in many parts of our social life such as clothes, housing, education, entertainment and transportation. Becker (2004) has researched on the impact of mass media on teenage girls from the Fiji Islands who have never before had access to television. Before the experiment, they had not known much about the western ideal of a thin body shape. Yet, after having shown them American television programmes for several months, it was noticeable how their ideals and perception of themselves gradually changed. After some time they thought that their body shape was not thin enough if they wanted to become as successful and employable as the women they had seen on television. The outcome of this research clearly shows how foreign ideals can be carried to other parts of the world and influence people`s ideals and perception of themselves. The same process of spreading cultural ideals can be observed in fashion. In Europe, for example, clothes from the United States are often considered up to date and fashionable. This ideal is also partly rooted in the mass media since Becker's research has shown that clothes and other beauty ideals can be spread through television. Since American television programmes and films are very popular in Europe, different aspects of American culture such as fashion are also well- known among Europeans. However, others argue that it is the differences between cultures and the uniqueness of the own culture that we become aware of due to increasing contact with people from other parts of the world. Advanced information technology leads to increasing interconnectedness and cultural exchange between people with different cultural backgrounds. So apart from people becoming more similar, another possible conclusion is that by comparing cultures and their values, one will subsequently identify those values that are different to the ones learned during childhood. Children automatically adopt ideals, habits and a perception of what is right or wrong from the cultural environment in which they grow up. They are told by their parents from the beginning on what is considered good behaviour. So a person might only become aware of some of these principles and cultural rules of behaviour when having contact with someone with a different cultural background. Since cultural values are learned and are thus often considered natural, one might not be actively aware of them until having seen someone behaving in another way. This process is currently often debated in the context of migration. Advances in transportation, telecommunication and international business transactions have made it easier for people to travel and to move to other countries. Migrants often have problems finding a way to preserve their own culture and language and subsequently integrating into the host culture. The process of adapting behaviour and values from the host culture is called acculturation. This implies that migrants have to reconstruct and reconsider their identity. Migration in general does not only have influences on the identity of the migrant. Multiculturalism also leads to increasing awareness of the culture and identity of the host country which can be illustrated by the following expample: in Spain it is considered a sign of politeness to appear late at a meeting whereas in countries such as Germany or the Netherlands punctuality is highly valued and considered as a sign of respect. Thus, if a Spanish person is invited to a meeting in Germany, he or she has to be aware of the fact that being unpunctual is impolite. Germans, however, might not notice that punctuality is highly valued in their culture until having been in Spain. Differences between cultures can be discovered by comparing own ideals with the ideals from a person with a different cultural background. This, again, happens more often nowadays than for example one century ago. As Beckers research and the example with punctuality as a value show, there is evidence for both theories on the impact of globalisation on cultural identity. There is a dialectic going on between globalism, which implies the theory that people around the world are becoming more similar in their ideals and values, and nationalism, which deals with the protection of cultural beliefs, values, norms and social practices. These two processes are called homogenization and fragmentation and there is evidence for the existence of both, namely engagement and isolationism or globalism and nationalism respectively. References Baylis, John and Smith, Steve (eds) (2001) The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, Oxford: Oxford University Press Becker, An (2004) Television, disordered eating and young women in Fiji: negotiating body image and identity during rapid social change, Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 28: 533-559 Rantanen, Terhi (2005) The Media and Globalization, Gateshead: SAGE, pp. 1-18