[Assignment1] What Is Globalization? - KIM JINA

(1) Summary

Globalization is a term referring to the process of individuals and social groups increasingly leading their lives in a single world due to increased cross-border exchanges in various areas of society, such as politics, economy, and culture.

Today, we can say that our society is an era of 'globalization'. It is a word that is used a lot, and can be easily accessed from students' textbooks to various media and media outlets. As people around the world actively communicate beyond time and space constraints due to the development of technology, it is easy to find the appearance of globalization in our lives. K-pop topped the Billboard charts, and foreign food can be enjoyed in Korea even if you can't go abroad due to the Corona 19. That much, "globalization" can be seen as a word that suggests the direction of modern society.

However, there are many positions and opinions about globalization due to differences in views and cultures around the world. Scholars say there are many ideas for globalization, not just one. If you look at it largely in positives and negatives, I think that positives bring development to mankind by strengthening competition with the unified global market. They are optimistic about the consequences of globalization and argue that they can enjoy the prosperity of the world community through mutual trade between countries. On the other hand, negatives, first of all, think that the progress of globalization brings about global economic domination and consequent inequality between countries. And as anti-globalization movements frequently took place in many countries in the late 1990s, they said they needed to pay attention to the economic inequality caused by globalization. Third, they argue that as globalization progresses, interdependencies among countries are gradually increasing, while the unique cultural characteristics of each country are gradually disappearing.

There is a third view, a compromise, that has both the positions mentioned above. Stressing that dichotomy on globalization should be reconsidered, they argue that a balanced understanding of globalization is needed. From the standpoint of compromise theory, globalization is a crisis that strengthens inequality and an opportunity to improve the quality of life. They value judgments based on factual judgments.

The limitation of the globalization process is that many believe that the biggest characteristic of globalization is interconnection. Those who think this way do not care about the combination of subjective and cultural factors. It is worth paying attention not only to "interconnectivity" but also to the characteristics of "global consciousness" (worldly shared sense). Indeed, some disciplines, including political scientists and economists, regard "connectivity" as an essential feature of globalization, while cultural historians and sociologists focused more on "global consciousness." From the perspective of globalization theory, it can be considered very foolish not to fully recognize the cultural aspect of globalization. The two characteristics of globalization should be studied equally.

Sociologists define globalization as having three main perspectives: economy, politics and culture. An example of globalization from an economic perspective is a multinational corporation that operates or manufactures across countries and is not affected nationally or politically. Examples that we commonly know are Nike and Adidas, and Samsung and Hyundai are typical in Korea. The political globalization is the development of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, where there is a difference between the positions of developed and developing countries. Developed countries oppose development for the sake of the Earth's environment, but Brazil insists on developing it to promote the nation's development. Finally, there are various examples of globalization in the cultural aspect. A new culture is created by combining the cultures of various countries. There is an example, Korean chicken.

Among them, the cultural perspective has become increasingly noteworthy due to concerns about economic globalization, with "McDonaldization" being mentioned as a representative example. It means that fast food culture, which symbolizes efficiency and Americanization, forms the dominant characteristic of modern society. In order to generate economic benefits, multinational companies do not spread uniformly, and the concept of "localization" that transforms products and culture to suit the local market also emerges. For example, the menu using beef has changed in India. A domestic example is McDonald's Korea's development of a menu called Bulgogi Burger using Korea's Bulgogi.

The problems of the origin of globalization are still being discussed by scholars. Globalization is composed of four major aspects of human life: culture, society, politics and economy, and certain aspects are more prominent depending on place and time. It is impossible to define globalization clearly in essence. We should analyze globalization in many ways and be able to make correct comments.

(2) A new learning, an interest

I could learn more about various positions on globalization. The concept of globalization that I have learned so far has emphasized the negative side, so I have considered globalization a negative one. But on another side, I realized that the benefits of globalization also clearly exist. I also found it difficult to define globalization clearly as something.

One of the interesting parts of the text was "McDonaldization." When I was in high school before, I once discussed McDonald's with my friends in class. We investigated and talked about the social changes made by McDonald's, and I noticed the negative changes made by McDonald's. Behind McDonald's, we could see people have to work like a means to maximize efficiency, speed and profit. After the discussion, I knew that multinational companies like McDonald's could change social culture a lot, and I felt that studying now is an extension. I think this culture, which reflects the image of a modern society that should quickly buy and eat food and live a busy life, clearly shows the society's pursuit of loss of humanity and maximization of efficiency. 

The second part is that we should be careful not to bias the characteristics of globalization. It is a sad fact that scholars are divided by culture and focused only on certain areas. As the author of the text referred to it as the limit of the globalization process, I think it is necessary to focus not only on "connectivity" but also on "global consciousness". There are still various differences in globalization due to differences in views and cultures around the world. In order for globalization to move in a more correct direction, it is necessary to listen to various opinions and explore what needs to be improved. I felt that I needed to look at the problem from various perspectives through the text.

(3) Question and discussion implications

While writing, I looked at what globalization is prevalent in our society today. There were several examples of recent globalization. Among them, I wanted to pay attention to the content of the Billboard chart. Billboard, which started in American music magazines and became an indicator of the flow of pop music around the world in recognition of its public confidence, is closely related to Korea's globalization. Many K-pop singers, who are currently spreading Korea's status worldwide through the Korean Wave, also prove to be gaining worldwide popularity through their entry into the Billboard charts. Typical examples include BTS, BLACKPINK, and SuperM. SuperM topped the Billboard 200 chart with their debut song, while BTS topped the Billboard Hot100 chart with a new song.

But is Billboard really fair? Some pop culture experts say that American culture has often dominated global pop culture. From the past to the present, many countries, including Europe and Korea, have been under constant controversy over Americanization. I think, Perhaps K-POP, which represents Korea's globalization now, could lose its meaning to promote Korea to the world and fade away. Of course, it is good news that Korean pop songs and singers are gaining worldwide popularity. However, sometimes we can see that the entire lyrics are written in English or broadcast only in English-speaking countries such as the United States, to enter the Billboard chart. It is questionable whether this is the right look.

These images reminded me of the 'McDonaldization' mentioned above. George Reacher saw McDonaldization as a kind of Americanization, not just a spread of fast food culture. The Americanization has sharply changed the world's food culture and lifestyle, and McDonald's has shown this image of Americanization. 

I consider it's worth noting whether Billboard is changing popular culture (music) around the world. Is it right for songs with each country's charms to be judged by Billboard's score? I would like to discuss whether it is right to receive poor reviews for failing to get on the Billboard chart.

In my opinion, the harmony of various cultures, and on the contrary, the individuality of each culture, brings greater development to the pop culture world. Personally, I feel a lot of regret because I feel that the existing attractions of many popular music are fading away. 

 

Will Billboard's being an indicator of popular music really bring the right direction to the pop culture world? Perhaps even in the music market, the U.S. Billboard is unifying popular culture in the world? I think we need to think about this.