Advances in technology, transportation, and education have aided globalization, as people everywhere become interconnected. Technological. economic, and political globalization in turn cause cultural diffusion because of the exchange of things, ideas, and beliefs. Some forms of cultural diffusion include: religious, social, and intellectual.
People everywhere gather around food as a social activity. One of the most global examples of social cultural diffusion is the sushi bar. The Japanese tradition of eating sashimi (raw fish slices) is very old. In Edo, which is the former name of Tokyo, the Edo style sushi was invented around 1827. Sushi was originally inexpensive and sold in the streets. It was meant to be a fast food made only with the best quality seafood. To prevent the sashimi from spoiling, sushi rice was made with vinegar. It was an instant success.
About 150 years later, in the 1970's, Japanese businessmen began to travel to California on a regular basis as trade grew between both countries. Japanese restaurants, or sushi bars, emerged to cater to the Japanese businessmen traveling to California. However, these restaurants found it was very difficult to attract an American clientele because raw fish was not culturally appealing to American customers. It took a hybrid called 'fusion-style sushi' to convince Americans to try sushi.
The new invention was the now famous California Roll, made with ground, steamed white fish in crab juice or 'imitation crab meat'. Since traditional sushi was only made from the highest quality seafood, offering 'imitation crab meat' was sort of a taboo for the Japanese. For this reason, the 'California Roll' could only be invented at sushi bars in the U.S. and for American customers. It was the Westernization of the Edo-style sushi from Japan. A few decades later, sushi bars have emerged all over the world and the 'California Roll' is still the product that most people try on their first visit to a sushi bar anywhere outside of Japan.
About 150 years later, in the 1970's, Japanese businessmen began to travel to California on a regular basis as trade grew between both countries. Japanese restaurants, or sushi bars, emerged to cater to the Japanese businessmen traveling to California. However, these restaurants found it was very difficult to attract an American clientele because raw fish was not culturally appealing to American customers. It took a hybrid called 'fusion-style sushi' to convince Americans to try sushi.
The new invention was the now famous California Roll, made with ground, steamed white fish in crab juice or 'imitation crab meat'. Since traditional sushi was only made from the highest quality seafood, offering 'imitation crab meat' was sort of a taboo for the Japanese. For this reason, the 'California Roll' could only be invented at sushi bars in the U.S. and for American customers. It was the Westernization of the Edo-style sushi from Japan. A few decades later, sushi bars have emerged all over the world and the 'California Roll' is still the product that most people try on their first visit to a sushi bar anywhere outside of Japan.
Modern political globalization had its roots with the League of Nations, which later became the United Nations. Ever since, many regional international organizations have emerged. In 1975, the Group of 6 or G-6 was created. It included France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1976, it became the Group of 7 or G-7, when Canada joined. After the USSR ceased to exist, Russia also joined in 1997. The summit became known as the Group of 8 or G-8, even though the President of the European Commission also attends the summit in representation of the European Union.
The G-8 meets every year at a summit hosted by one of the leaders, who take turns as president of the summit. Besides serving as host, the president of the summit sets the agenda for the meeting. These leaders discuss important issues, and brainstorm to find solutions to pressing problems. These summits have political consequences for many nations because the influence of these leaders is felt globally.
The G-8 meets every year at a summit hosted by one of the leaders, who take turns as president of the summit. Besides serving as host, the president of the summit sets the agenda for the meeting. These leaders discuss important issues, and brainstorm to find solutions to pressing problems. These summits have political consequences for many nations because the influence of these leaders is felt globally.
|
Religious cultural diffusion is the spread of religious beliefs and influence to others beyond its original group. New social media allows religious leaders to easily send messages directly to millions of people in different countries. These leaders no longer depend on outsiders or the Media to broadcast their message. This has created a wide audience globally for leaders, such as Pope Francis, who uses social media to send daily messages. For example, Pope Francis has 4,029,311 followers on Twitter. He has an average of 2,984 new followers added daily, and his @Pontifex account is ranked #342 worldwide. |
Technological globalization is the most aggressive in the XXI century. New devices are constantly coming into the global market to compete with previous technologies. The most mobile device so far, the cell phone, has been upgraded into the most widely available device in the world, the smartphone. The first smartphone, known as 'Simon', was invented by IBM and BellSouth in 1993. Two decades later, smartphones are common in almost every country.
Before cell phones, people in many countries did not have phones because phone lines were very expensive and there was no phone line access in many areas. Prepaid cell phones became the primary means of telecommunications globally because phone lines were not needed. Later, smartphones became common as tools for audio and video communications, due to their features, such as camera, photo storage, video, calendar, access to the internet, email, GPS, address book, and texting. Being the most mobile devices available that can perform so many functions, smartphone use continues to spread to even the most remote areas of the world.
Economic globalization has grown exponentially in the past century, as products are imported and exported all over the world. Coca Cola is probably the most global product on the planet.
Coca Cola was developed by Dr. John Pemberton in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1887, the formula was sold to Asa Candler for $2,300. Between 1890 and 1900, sales of Coca Cola increased 4000%. It was sold as a syrup to licensed independent bottling companies in the U.S. and Canada. Since Coca Cola became an international sensation very quickly, it has always used an international theme in advertising. Today, it is virtually impossible to travel somewhere without finding Coca Cola is already available there. Since 2012, when Coca Cola began distribution in Burma, it has been available in every country in the world except for Cuba and North Korea. |
|
Credits:
http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-of-sushi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443Vy3I0gJs
https://twitter.com/Pontifex
http://www.it.northwestern.edu/telephone/mobile/smartphones.html
http://o.canada.com/news/russia-dropped-from-g-8-over-crimea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQ-FeoEvTI
plpnetwork.com
http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-of-sushi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443Vy3I0gJs
https://twitter.com/Pontifex
http://www.it.northwestern.edu/telephone/mobile/smartphones.html
http://o.canada.com/news/russia-dropped-from-g-8-over-crimea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQ-FeoEvTI
plpnetwork.com