The Westernization of the World Culture: The Internet Effect
Instructions:-
This is an extended referenced essay writing task that requires you to demonstrate your ability to develop a line of argument on a topic related to one of the topics covered in the Skills for Study 3 module.
In your essay, you should refer to a number of sources from the Skills for Study 3 Study Pack, but you MUST also refer to at least 5 other sources which you have found. You must ensure that the sources you use are academic and reliable, in particular ensure that Internet sources are accessed via a reputable academic database or an academic journal.
What you will be assessed on:
1. Establishing a clear purpose or thesis statement of your essay
2. Developing a line of argument, expanding and supporting the arguments with reasons and relevant examples
3. Identifying and evaluating counter arguments, opinions or solutions
4. Writing in an evaluative rather than descriptive manner
5. The extent and depth of your research of independently found sources
6. Incorporating others’ work effectively by quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing viewpoints and using in-text citations accurately
7. Compiling a complete, accurate, consistently referenced bibliography (standard Harvard system) at the end of your essay.
8. The clarity of expression used in your writing, especially register and style.
Before you start writing your essay you MUST write a plan of the essay. The plan must be typed and printed. Your tutor will inform you when you should submit the plan. Your tutor will review the plan and give you feedback. It is essential that you analyse your tutor’s feedback and follow their instructions and suggestions when you write the essay.
Task:
Write an Extended Essay answering one of the following questions. Foundation students must write 1750 words. Graduate Diploma students must write 2000 words.
Unit 1
“The growth in internet use has affected cultures around the world, leading to a westernised, homogenous world culture.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- Politics
- Business
- Youth culture
- Language
“Most internet users, both individuals and businesses, underestimate the risks of sharing personal information online. Legal and illegal access to personal information is leading to a huge rise in online and offline crime.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- E-commerce
- Social networking
- Identity theft
- Hacking
Unit 2
“It is not justifiable for a government to restrict tourist access to any area of their country. The government may wish to protect the local population or the natural environment from the effects of tourism, but the local population has the right to boost their economy through tourism.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor:
- Health
- Culture
- Economics
- Politics
“As well as entertainment, videogames can now be used for exercise, education, and training for many types of jobs. People who blame violence and lack of real social contact on videogames are simply part of an older generation who do not use or understand them.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- Physical/Mental Health
- Education/Training
- Society
- Business
Unit 3 “The public have accepted the use of biometric security systems (in banking and government ID cards, for example) using biometric data such as fingerprint scanners, iris scanners and facial recognition systems. However, use of DNA as a biometric identifier for businesses or governments will not be accepted by the public due to its use in police investigations and identifying genetically-inherited diseases.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- Health/life insurance
- Privacy
- Crime
- Fraud
“CCTV is considered by some to be a cheaper and more effective way of reducing urban crime than paying for police officers to patrol the streets. However, the public feel safer if police officers are on the streets and do not like their daily lives being recorded by so many cameras.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- Cost
- Society
- Privacy
- Terrorism
Unit 4 “The ‘tyranny or paradox of choice’ explains why people have difficulty in making complex choices. The amount of choice people have in the modern world is a huge cause of stress, one which our ancestors did not have.”
Using existing literature and data, critically evaluate this claim in relation to at least 2 of the following areas (or 2 areas approved by your tutor):
- Allocation of resources
- Consumerism
- Technology
- Risk
Solution
The Westernization of the World Culture: The Internet Effect Essay.
The technological advancement experienced in the last decades has revolutionized all aspects of life. The influence of technology on social, economic, and the political spheres across the world is significant. One significant technological innovation that continues to impact on communities around the globe is the Internet. Since the commencement of the Internet era, the use of the technology has shaped socio-economic and political interaction and integration considerably. The growing use of the Internet and the development of more efficient platforms that use the Internet continues to affect cultures around the world, resulting in Westernization and development of a more homogenous world culture. In the past two decades, the development of the social media and social networking sites has further advanced the development of the Internet as an effective tool for the promotion of the Western culture. An articulate discussion of the influence of the Internet on global politics, youth culture, and language shows its influence in Westernizing global culture.
The Westernization of World Culture
According to the Internet World Stats (2017), the number of Internet users around the world has increased continuously over in the recent years. The percentage use of the technology and growth shows the possible impact of the Internet in integrating the global community. The Statistics show that the percentage of use of the Internet in Africa has grown by over 7 557.2% since 2000. In Asia, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, the Middle East, North America, and Australia/Oceania record a growth of 1539.4%, 506.1%, 2035.8%, 4220.9%, 196.1%, and 261.5% between 2000 and 2017. The continued growth over the last few years shows the continued influence of the Internet. While the West records a significantly high population of users, the higher number in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East shows the possibility of the influence of the Western technology on other world cultures. The impact of the Internet on politics, socio-economic aspects, and other areas of life is greatly enhanced by the emergence of smartphones, social networking sites, and the social media, in general (Kim, et al., 2016).
The Influence of the Internet of Global Politics
Westernization of the world political culture derives a major influence from the application of the Internet and the extensive use experienced in the recent past. The growing use of the internet shows the increasing influence of the tool. The Internet offers various platforms that are efficient and fast in sharing and disseminating information. As the contentious issue it is, politics forms a critical part of the global interaction and, therefore, its extensive discussion in the Internet platforms. In the recent past, there has been an increasing shift in governance and political leadership in different geographical regions. For instance, in the Middle East and most Arab-dominant countries, the increasing shift towards adopting and implementing democratic style of leadership can be attributed largely to the extensive use of the Internet. According to Akpınar (2016), for instance, the Arab Spring of 2011 was spurred and promoted by the Internet. Also known as the Democracy Spring, the revolutions included the struggle to adopt and implement democracy. The Spring shows the influence of the Western political culture on other political cultures around the world. The demonstrations in countries such as Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Tunisia among others focused on toppling dictatorial regimes and adopting the Western style of leadership, democracy (Akpınar, 2016; Moss, 2016).
According to Olukotun & Omotoso (2017), different countries in Africa have adopted a Western style of leadership/governance and continue to implement different political strategies and ideologies that show influence from the West. The continued adoption of democracy in Africa describes the influence of the Internet on African politics. Most countries have adopted and implemented democracy. Moreover, others have implemented it partially causing significant governance and political challenges. While this is the case, the influence of the Internet is evident in shaping governance and leadership in the continent. In the 2016 general elections in Uganda and Gabon, the internet played a significant role in shaping the campaigns (Maclean, 2016; Aljazeera, 2016). The great impact of the Internet was evident in that Uganda, which has implemented democracy partially under the leadership of a dictator (President Yoweri K. Museveni) had to shut down the Internet during and after the voting. The Museveni Administration seemed to have acknowledged the power of the Internet and social networking sites in influencing people. Most Ugandans are still pushing for democracy (Aljazeera, 2016; Olukotun & Omotoso, 2017). The growing struggle for democracy shows the ability of the Internet to westernize global politics. The case in Gabon where people continue to struggle to topple dictatorial regimes for full democracy.
According to Loubere (2010), the application of the assimilation theory shows the influence of the Western political culture in Asia, particularly China. As a socialist State, China has increasingly amalgamated and incorporated democratic ideologies in its leadership and governance. The assimilation of a foreign culture may include the adoption of the culture in whole or its partial implementation. China and other Asian countries have assimilated the political culture of the West into their governance and leadership styles. The growing use of the Internet exposes high percentages of Chinese to western cultures that influence perspectives, political thoughts, and ideas. By influencing people, the Internet shapes the politics in China, Japan, and other Asian countries (Loubere, 2010). Apart from influencing the development of democracy, the Internet has resulted in political development. Politicking in Asian countries takes almost a similar path as in Western countries.
The growth in Internet use presents the platform as effective for the promotion of political propaganda in Western politics. According to Castillo (2017), politicians in the West are increasingly using social networking sites to push propaganda in the post-truth world. Millions of people subscribe to various social networking sites in the US, the UK, France, and other Western countries. In the recently concluded US elections, the Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites played a major role in promoting propaganda and fake news in an effort to influence elections. The application of the Internet in spreading false news and propaganda around the world is causing a major concern (BBC News, 2017). Countries holding their elections this year such as Kenya and the UK have shown concern over the manipulation of the platforms to influence electorate’s decision-making. The increased interaction and political integration have caused a more homogenous political culture that shows the effect of the Western political culture.
The Internet and the World Youth Culture and Language
The Internet has revolutionized social interaction around the world. The increasing use of the Internet continues to shape social integration and global youth culture. The increasing use of the technology in Africa, for instance, has caused the Westernization of the African youth culture. The influence of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram among others in influencing aspects of culture such as how people dress and interact with others. Social networking sites are used by more than a billion people connected as friends and followers. The ability of the sites to disseminate the information posted throughout the world fast and conveniently makes them critical communication tools. As users interact, they influence other users’ way of life (Wilson, 2006). While the youth are the majority users of the platforms, their focus on fashion and entertainment has influenced the development of homogeneity of culture mostly leaning on the West. For instance, the majority of youth in Africa are shifting from traditional and local cultures and adopting Western cultures.
Moreover, the youth look up to global celebrities. Most of the global celebrities with significant influence on the social media and other platforms on the Internet are either from the West or have completely adopted the Western culture. The youth from numerous areas around the globe view the celebrities as their role models, which affects their perceptions concerning their native cultures. Most youths emulate and adopt the cultures of the celebrities. For instance, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Justin Bieber, Beyoncé Knowles, and Ariana Grande are some of the most followed people on Instagram and the other social networking sites (Keong, 2017). All these celebrities are from the West and use the platforms to promote the Western culture in terms of fashion and style. While they have followers from all over the world, their influence on the African, Middle Eastern, and Asian youth is impactful. As the followers seek to dress and conduct themselves as their role models, the adoption, and growth of the Western culture increases, causing a homogenous youth culture (Kim, et al., 2016).
Apart from the influence of the social networking sites, the Internet led to the growth and development of the entertainment industry, mainly the music and movie industries. The world youth subscribe to these two industries in numbers from entertainment. While the celebrities, musicians and actors/actresses influence youth culture in a major way, the content of the music and movies serves an even greater role in promoting cultures. The most dominant production houses are in the West and promote Western cultures that influence the entire world significantly (Smith, 2016). The Internet has enhanced the influence of the US, UK, and Australian film industries over the world. Most movies watched in the remotest areas in Africa are productions from the major production houses in Western countries. These films advance Western culture and push the audience to embracing it while shunning their own cultures. Over the years, the trend has resulted in the development of a global homogenous youth culture. There is an even growing adoption and use of the Internet, which also translates to the increased acceptance and conformity to the Western culture in the future (Koc & Ferneding, 2013).
Further, the Internet has revolutionized the language culture, creating an almost homogenous communication culture (Helm, 2009). The Internet caused a shift from the use of paper to the use of different applications and sites for communication. Texting and other technological tools such as Twitter, and WhatsApp among others require the mastery of short communication. These have resulted in the development of a set of new acronyms used around the globe to disseminate information. For instance, LOL, SMH, TL, AMA, B2B, B4, BFF, BRB, and BTW for laughing out loud, shaking my head, timeline, ask me anything, business to business, before, best friends forever, be right back, and by the way among others are commonly used in the face of increased Internet use. These words have emerged in the Internet era and continue to thrive due to the extensive use of the social media. Their influence on language culture is significant considering that they are English acronyms applied across numerous languages by Internet users who use English as their second language and other non-users of the language. These acronyms among other words show the influence of the Internet in developing a homogenous language culture.
Conclusion
Since the commencement of the Internet era world culture has changed significantly. The Internet and its tools have enhanced globalization, social, political, and economic interaction ad integration and impacted global cultures in a major way. The Internet has increased the flow of political cultures around the world. Most countries around the world are adopting the Western style of governance and leadership, mainly democracy. Most countries uninterested in adopting the political culture have assimilated or amalgamated democracy into communism as in China, dictatorship as in different countries in Africa and the Middle East, while others have incorporated the political culture in different forms of governance. The influence of the West politics on others cultures around the world is significant. The notable influence is the advancement, adoption, and implementation of democracy in different countries shows the influence of the Internet in promoting Western political culture and creating a more homogenous global political culture.
Most importantly, the influence of the
Internet in promoting West’s youth and language culture and developing a more
comprehensive global culture is undeniable. Different technological tools such
as the social media form effective platforms for the dissemination of
information. Social networking sites, for instance, spread information around
the world in seconds impacting on millions of lives around the world. The
extensive use of the sites makes them efficient tools for the promotion of the
Western culture. Most youth subscribe to the West’s youth culture and language.
The homogeneity in culture achieved in the world shows the impact of the
Internet.
Bibliography
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Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39840803
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