America is a cultural hotspot. From music to movies, television to books, the U.S. is one heck of an international trend-setter. Since the dawn of mass media culture and communication America has migrated to every corner of the globe in one way or another. This “Americanization” of other countries and cultures is on a rampant uprising. Just about every country on earth has a McDonald’s, most have a Subway, and yet still others are beginning to see the rise of more and more Arby’s- and this is just the fast food aspect of the U.S. How much further does this influence go?
One of the obvious places in which to look for America’s influence is in pop culture, more specifically music. American music artists now have to make themselves accessible the world over if they wish to compete with the other artists who have already established themselves in the industry. Take for instance Lady Gaga, who is possibly the most well known pop singer in the world. She performs not only in America, but in places like Japan and Brazil as well.
The American film industry almost has a monopoly on the worlds movie enterprise. If a movie does not come from Hollywood, most people, at least here in America anyway, regard it as unworthy of viewership. The rise of Bollywood has given hope to all of the small time, or non American film producers who wish to compete with the big guys, but there is still this feeling that to make it in film one must make it to Hollywood.
One of the more drastic examples of Americanization can be found in China. The United States has quite a stake invested in China between actual monetary investments and labor production. Because of this increasing invasion of western culture, more and more Chinese citizens feel the need to look more “western”. They are actually getting surgery done to make their eyes more round and therefore more American. This is destruction of culture in a whole new way. Changing the way one dresses, the food one eats, or the music one listens to is normal and can be expected when introduced to a new culture, but to change the way one looks- that might be going a bit too far.
Will this deluge of American culture on the world ever end, or will it continue until the whole world is just a reflection of the United States? Is it possible that Americanization could completely destroy other cultures in the world, and if so, how can we stop this? As fantastic as America is, maybe it is best if we keep our culture here, and let others come to us, rather than forcing out customs on others.