The Impact of the Internet on Westernisation - Coursework Example

Student name Professor's name Unit Code Date The Impact of the Internet on Westernisation Introduction The internet, without a doubt, is the most significant technological development of the 20th century and with the advent of wireless technology, its explosion has transformed the world into a global village. The internet was initially reserved for military and government research institutions, but from late 1994, it was expanded to perform a multitude of functions worldwide. In a matter of years, the internet has consolidated itself as the most powerful communication platform that has come to define how humans conduct business, politics, and communication (Michaelsen 10). The Internet has globalised communication and is the single source of information for millions of people. Over 3.7 billion people use the internet on a daily basis, mainly through social networking sites (Gapsiso 207). Mobile technology has also made it easy to access the internet from virtually every corner of the world. The internet has not only changed human social networks, the understanding of human interaction, the meaning of the global community, but also the capability to forge new ways of incorporating offline experiences into the cyberspace. Thus, the impact of the internet on human lives is immense. Access to the web requires very little investment, meaning that almost everyone who can read and write can use the world-wide web. Indeed, the adoption and integration of the Internet into daily lives has promoted Westernisation; hence, one can conclude that the growth in Internet use has affected cultures around the world, leading to a Westernised, homogenous world culture. Youth Culture The World Wide Web has made the globe a single electronic village (Al-Khaddam 17) with the youth being the single largest consumer of social networking, leading to a higher degree of cultural integration. The growth of the internet has exemplified youth culture as youths from all around the world can interact on a single platform, sharing experiences, ideas, and common problems they face. However, Al-Khaddam argues that the internet has proliferated cultural invasion by promoting the Western lifestyle. By nature, humans grow through social interaction that occurs in a social setting. The cyberspace is the new social setting, and many youths are spending time on their mobile devices interacting with peers online than they do on face-to-face communication (Gapsiso 207). The impact of the internet is most felt in countries such as China where Western lifestyle was hitherto frowned upon. The current generation, being the first to grow up with access to the internet was particularly able to demonstrate their nationalism and love for Western fast food through MSN messenger during the 2008 Olympics. By placing the red heart symbol against their MSN names and that of their country, young Chinese showed the world their pride in their country despite also loving certain aspects of the Western lifestyle (Jiang 52). Youth is a period of inquisitiveness and learning. Many youths are engaged in creating online content and expanding relationships outside their family or geographical ties. The internet first gained social usage in America before spreading to other parts of the world; thus, the social media has helped spread American culture to the entire universe. As other regions of the world joined the cyberspace, the existing content was mainly Western, and the youths acquired and internalised this content. The social media is dominated by American music, language, and clothing, meaning that the internet has influenced the young people by promoting Westernisation (Sawyer 2). The modern youth culture is superficially dominated by slang, fashion, musical tastes, and objectionable hairstyles. Youth is a period characterised by self-expression, and they have a communication platform right at their fingertips which allow them to connect with their peers on a global scale. Hence, they get to learn and share with individuals going through similar social, psychological and biological changes. The internet has become a place characterised by freedom of expression, and it gives the youth an opportunity to express and explore their identities and social relations (Sawyer 2). The virtual spaces and communities created in the cyberspace provide the youth with a sense of belonging free from the constraints of physical life. It also offers them an ability to create an online persona and express themselves in ways they may not be able to do offline (Gapsiso 206). Adolescents, for example, are faced with an identity crisis, and a cyberspace platform offers them a belonging away from the dominant social ideologies. As a result, the Western lifestyle seems to capture the youth the most with the increased growth of the internet. Many websites publish their content in English, forcing other users to either translate the content or learn English to understand the content (Goggin and McLelland 185). This content also promotes Western ideologies and the overwhelming advantages associated with the Western way of life. This influences the way the youth perceive the West as social paradises and countries of absolute freedom where private life is free from external disruption. Such perceptions are hugely appealing to the young people and shift their views of the world in comparison to the experiences they go through in their countries. Consequently, the youth embrace all aspects of the Western culture, including dressing, music, and language (Goggin & McLelland 187). Evidently, the young people from other areas of the world have hugely adopted the pop culture such as hip-hop music, which is seen as an urban legend in the West. In addition, the internet introduces the youth to the Western ethical and moral values; hence corrupting their minds from their cultural values. Politics The internet has increased global political participation by making it easy for people to express their political views (Farrell 41). The World Wide Web has brought politics to a new horizon that was initially not perceivable. The internet enables people from various regions to influence political decision simply by sending an email or a tweet. Any world leader nowadays affords the ability to have official social network sites, particularly Facebook and Twitter. For example, during President Obama's reign, he once tweeted that "Democracy is not a spectator sport". This means that for democracy to truly be effective, the masses must be active participants in the political processes of their respective countries. The cyberspace also enlightens the citizens of authoritarian states of the comparatively better lifestyles associated with democracies, and therefore, they can begin to champion for democratisation (Best and Wade 256). This way, the internet has facilitated Western political ideologies in many countries. For example, the Arab spring, which was a revolt against oppressive dictatorial regimes would not have been effective without the internet. While statistical evidence suggests a correlation between access to the internet and democracy, it could be that democratic countries allow widespread access to the web (Farrell 43). Nevertheless, during the Arab Spring, social media sites, particularly Facebook and Twitter played a critical role in the mobilisation of people and spreading the information. Access to online tools made it substantially cheaper to organise protests in both Tunisia and Egypt. Even the Egyptian government at some point resorted to responding to the protestors through online platforms (Farrell 45). The Tunisian people lacked a means of expressing their political views because of fear of the secret police, but with the spread of the internet, they could create online personas and talk openly. Soon, many people realised that they shared a common dislike for the authoritarian regime (Farrell 45). Thus, it can be argued that cyberspace provided an alternative free space for offline activities. In essence, where there is no internet censorship, it is easy to protest against a political agenda by simply tweeting about it. The internet has eliminated barriers such as bureaucratic processes and security clearances one would need to gain access to certain government offices (Michaelsen 14). The cyberspace, through platforms such as news websites and weblogs, can create alternative public spheres. This has led to the diversification of communication media in countries that have authoritarian regimes. In the cyberspace, journalists banned by publishers, civil society activists, and dissidents find several ways to air their opinions and provide information. During the Iraqi war, the internet played a critical role in the course of the war during a time of propaganda and biased news presentation from the main media. Independent journalists put their news and opinions online, enabling the free proliferation of news and information (Louw 161) Therefore, the online media take the place of forums for voices that might not be represented in traditional media and function as a subaltern public sphere. Consequently, this dissemination of suppressed political critique and information creates an atmosphere of transparency into the decisions and acts of the ruling class and expedites the development of divergent political views (Michaelsen 16). By creating free political spheres, the Internet plays a crucial role in the adverse of a strong civil society. In addition, it offers access to political resources, and in so doing increases political participation (Best and Wade 255). Best and Wade further argue that the internet facilitates the globalisation of markets and in so doing forces governments to open their communication borders. The result is the free flow of information, which allows not only the passage of commercial information, but also liberal views. Thus, citizens can easily know when their governments abuse power, and therefore, cast their governments as illegitimate, untrustworthy, violent, or dishonest, which can have negative effects in the international community (Best and Wade 256). Business The proliferation of the internet has also led to Westernisation of world business environments (Michaelsen 41). Through the internet, businesses can learn and adopt business concepts, philosophies, laws and practices widely practised in the west. The internet plays a crucial role as it allows easy access to information and knowledge from the West, especially among countries that speak English. For example, most businesses have adopted the capitalist concept which was advocated for by the United States during cold war era. Traditionally communist states such as China are increasingly becoming liberal and capitalist (Redfern and Crawford 218). Social media and e-commerce have strongly influenced Chinese shopping experience, in particular among the youth who mainly shop for western brands and shun local brands. A study conducted by Nielsen survey showed that 60% luxury shoppers research on what they want online before going to the shop (Olivier). While the internet cannot solely take credit for this shift, it plays a significant role by opening markets and competition to various business models, forcing companies to switch to models that favour the markets in which they operate. In China, for example, the Western form of advertising that makes use of celebrities, words, and language is evident in various business adverts. In fact, as Redfern and Crawford (218) argue, printed magazines often contain Western language, Western individual/group appeals, Western models, as well as Western setting/décor. Businesses are using the internet to learn things that the government had previously hindered access to. A study done in Japan revealed that the English language is increasingly being used in advertising as well as Western celebrities, women and sex elements (Redfern and Crawford 218). This shows the proliferation of Western business elements into the East. Conclusion Westernisation involves the encroachment of Western values into other parts of the world, thereby, replacing traditional values. While Westernisation has been an ongoing process, the advent and spread of the Internet has been critical to the globalisation of Western values. The areas mostly affected are politics, youth culture, and business. Even countries, such as China, that have strict internet censorship have not been able to thwart the spread of Westernisation. A decade ago, it was almost impossible to find a local restaurant in China serving American fast foods. However, the arrival of McDonald's and other American brands has seen a sharp rise in the American food culture in China. The internet has also opened up the political space in Eastern countries such as Egypt and Tunisia and most recently, Yemen and Syria. Dissident voices that were hitherto silenced by the mainstream or rather traditional media, now find an independent, unbiased sphere to be heard. This has increased the democratic space in these countries and even if democracy has might not yet be practised, the internet has helped open platform and is increasingly playing a role in enforcing democratic ideals. The expansion of platforms such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, MSN Messenger, and other online social media podia, has increased access to business, political, and cultural information and exchange in these areas. Hence, it is evident that the internet has played a critical role in the invasion of Western culture worldwide, creating a Westernised, homogenous world culture. Works Cited Read More