Globalization
The world is a lot smaller today due to technology. Over the
weekend I Facetimed my cousins in Ireland, in a matter of seconds we were
talking and looking at each other through our phones. Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest and blogs have not only made it easier for us to
communicate ideas and thoughts faster and more efficiently but it has
introduced us to other ways of living. We can now get inspiration from cultures
we didn’t even know existed ten years ago and that is a wonderful thing. As
Ryuko Kubota states “Globalization
implies increased local diversity influenced by human contact across
cultural boundaries as well as speedy exchange of
commoaities and information.” While
I stated that I think the world is getting smaller, meaning that within seconds
we can Google Earth places thousands of miles away and get much more
information about different cultures than ever before, Friendman says the world
is today is flat. He says that individuals can “stay in their own locale while
participating in a globally linked economic and information system.” These
ideas about globalization would be classified in the area of globalization as
universalization because it is spreading common objects and experiences to
everyone that is interested in seeing them. It can also be an example of
globalization as deterritorialization because with all of this sharing
eventually an object or an idea may not belong to just one culture now.
The circles of English have become more interchangeable because
the use of English in outer circle countries as well as immigrants moving into
inner circle countries. The world is not only just learning about each other’s
cultures through the internet but joining together in such a big way with
English. What happens to the other cultures while immigrating or learning
English, is there a big identity loss going on? We have talked a lot about
identity loss in class and how detrimental it can be. When looking at the
immigrant narratives we discussed that some of the immigrants felt a loss of
identity when learning English and they felt like they were losing a piece of
themselves that they did not want to lose. Imagine people going through this
identity loss without immigrating, is globalization going to feel like a loss
of self to the people learning English even thought they are living in the same
country as they always have? Is culture going to slowly tear away?
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