Growth of the internet affecting various cultures, leading to a western, homogenized world culture
Today, the world’s most prominent piece of technology is the internet. Present in every home, school, college and workplace of the developed world, the internet is also present in the developing parts of the world, and its influence and use are only multiplying with the passing days. The internet has brought convenience and expediency into the lives of its users, and it has changed the way people communicate and retrieve information. The internet has altered the way people maneuver their lives, and it has become so deeply ingrained in everyday tasks in the present day, that life is unimaginable without it. Perhaps people might not be able to function even properly without the internet. The biggest change brought about by the internet was the globalized impact it has had on the people of the world. The platform for conjoining with one another provided through the internet is social media. Social media has eliminated all kinds of distances, and people are able to interact and take a peek at the lives of people living thousands of miles away from them. (Wilson, 2006). This has attracted a large population of the youth of the world to use the internet and interact with one another in a quicker and denser medium. While this happens, people not only look at each other’s ways and lives; they share and tend to embrace them. The dominant culture will always succeed, and it is not a surprise that the world is most likely to follow it as. Today the world is copying and embracing the western culture, fashion, trends, language and lifestyle and the major cause for this is the internet. (Mesch, n.d). The internet is changing world cultures, molding them and shaping them according to western ideals and the population most affected by it is the youth. Change in youth culture and language is one of the biggest impacts of the internet. They are becoming more westernized, and the change is visible and obvious.
Culture is a term used to describe a set of people living in a particular area and region, sharing a common set of beliefs, values, customs, habits, dress and lifestyle habits, language, morals, law, art, food, knowledge and other everyday happenings which help to unite these people. Cultures are diverse and varied all over the world, and one culture of the world will always be different from another. This difference is what makes every set of people unique and diverse. However, this difference is being eliminated gradually, owing to the use of the internet. One of the major influences that the internet had in the world was the way it conveyed and spread information. Earlier, people had little access to knowledgeable works, and they felt they could not do much with their lives since they did not have the means to gain access to information. However, the internet opened up a portal to infinite information and knowledge that helped people immensely (Wilson, 2006). The West is the precursor in this area because they are behind the use of the internet on a large scale and to spread its influence worldwide. Western democracy is one aspect of their society and culture which the West is most proud of. Thus, they have made good use of it over the internet in the name of ‘freedom of speech’ and by posting videos, making websites and by portraying the western society as the ideal kind which has the most peaceful democratic setup of government. (Krotoski, 2011). This has spread across the internet like wildfire and when the youth belonging to countries with dictatorships and monarchies look at the progress and prosperity of countries in the west flourishing under democracy; it changes their world view as well. For example, the youth present in the Arab countries lives under the monarchy and they have no apparent idea of democracy until they watch western movies, video clips and communicate with people living in the West. This agitated the youth that also wanted their countries to become democratic and they demanded they also turn to democracy. The western world thus, inculcated ideals such as the western democratic world being free of oppression and giving certain rights to its people. This ideal readily attracted the youth of the country that demanded that their rights be given to them in this form. (Cariati, 2012).
This aspect of the internet is a major one, and it is important because it molds the political ideology of the people. The internet here can also serve as a culprit because as far as the culture of nations is concerned, every culture and its systems are indigenous. Therefore, it cannot be changed just so it meets the trends of the time. However, this is what the internet teaches and it mostly affects the hot-blooded youth of the time that wants to join the leading trends that are present in their time. It is true that every culture has its positives and negatives however these cannot be changed over a small period of time. This is what the youth need to understand. The west was born with such ideals and that forms their part of the culture. Culture cannot be changed only because a set of people want it to. (Wilson, 2006). Moreover, certain cultural trends are made according to the cultural aspects of the people of an area. For example, the Arabs have always had a monarchy, and they have enjoyed it because it is their cultural custom. Changing it through a revolution on the internet is not in the hands of the youth; however it forms an opinion in their minds. Nevertheless, they are subject to information on the internet, and it is never wrong to adopt something of a different culture which might prove beneficial to other people. For instance, every country acknowledges that democracy gives a voice to the people, and they can enjoy many privileges when they get a say in how they wish to be governed. It eases their lives and relaxes rigidity in governance. Hence, if others cultures wish to imitate and assimilate with the west, then it is not a huge problem. (Mesch, n.d).
On the other hand, there is a change in youth culture directly in terms of the way the youth all over the world begins to copy and imitate the west. The west is known for its popular, trendy culture which offers individuality and freedom to the individual meanwhile giving them their own identity. Western culture is categorized by its music, clothing, fashion, freedom, and the ability to be and to do anything one could wish for. The most important and popular part of the culture is the films and movies which are imitated by the people of the west themselves, and this is what makes them appear glamorous and irresistible to the world. The West offers a portal of freedom and leisure through its various activities, festivals, games and other cultural trends that they readily attract the youth that watches them. Many people all over the world are present on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other such media which can connect people anywhere in any part of the world. This makes them keen observers of the western world, and they are liable to get influenced by and copying trends of the west which appeal to them. (Furedi, 2014). For example, many Chinese and Japanese youth are currently greatly impressed by the west, and they not only copy the clothing and hair of the western youth they are inspired by, but they also tend to copy their lifestyle such as openly attending bars and clubs and taking drugs and getting addicted to alcoholism. (Mclaughin, 2014). This is actually against their acquired cultural norms, but they still go ahead with it because it is an amalgamation of cultures that the internet brings to them, and this change is inevitable. Even the youth of other countries such as the Middle Eastern and South Asian countries been greatly influenced by the western culture and have changed their ways completely. For instance, many Asian youth has changed the way they dress and wish to purchase American apparel online because the internet offers them this advantage. This sense of modernism, freedom and limitless freedom of self-expression makes youth assimilate with Western culture with much ease and rapidity.
On the one hand, this is considered a good move because the world is shrinking, the west is powerful, and the people need to unite and come together because this is what the internet tries to do-it brings people together. Where this is a positive thing for the west, it becomes a negative for the east and other areas of the world. This is because when such assimilation occurs, people tend to forget, ignore and deject their own cultural values and traditions. Many youths are not even willing to wear their traditional clothes, and they are always looking for ways to create a western fusion with clothing. (Furedi, 2014). The internet has even made modern fashion designers living in various parts of the world tune their fashion sense according to the standards of the west. This is because the internet is the main source through which people observe the work done by the designers and since western fashion is the ‘in thing’ then designers tend to pursue fashion trends which are mainly western. This makes them forget their own fashion trends and today many Emirati and Asian men and women are mostly interested in western fashion trends, hair, makeup, and clothing which influences their day to day life. This is what they will pass on to their generations, and if it keeps up, then their original cultural values can be lost. On the other hand, this really depends on the people themselves. Many people don’t change, and this is attributed to their own likes and dislikes. And even if they do plan to change, then it is a personal decision. Many young people do stick to their cultural norms but switch to western ideals only casually. (Furedi, 2014).
The next major impact the internet has is on the use of language. The west has already established its hegemony over the world in the form of English, and this traces back to the British era where the world was mostly in the form of British colonies. (Canaan, 2006). However moving forward from that the internet was then ruled by Americans who openly changed the way people would communicate with one another and soon people all around the globe chose English as their second language which was the main medium of communication on the internet. A western language thus became a major language among the internet users. The youth especially took a liking to English and not only was English a language for communication; it became symbolic of an association between the people over the internet. In many places, apart from a few, social media websites and other websites as well offer the use of native languages for usage but the people generally prefer English over other languages owing to ease of communication and because of the fact that English gives people a sense of western modernity. The internet is also responsible for birthing the use of slang language and abbreviations which get incorporated into speech very easily. When people use this language over the internet, it produces an even more homogenized and closely knitted circle of people who are informed about certain issues on the internet. (Krotoski, 2011).
This is problematic for many cultures where people give a backseat to their own language and prefer to use English over it. It alienates these people from their own culture and values and language is their identity. When language is forgotten, it can lead to detachment and a sense of aloofness from one’s own roots. This is true of many cultures and countries where English is being treated as the native language, and people speak it with fluency. Yet, as far as this is true, it is also a fact that people who speak English as a native language do know their native language and communicate in their mother tongue when they are amongst their own people. English does not harm them as much as one thinks. It does not threaten their cultural norms. It is only used as a medium of conversation because it is convenient.
Hence, it can be said that the west has definitely influenced the world, and many cultures have assimilated with it. The youth has favored western democracy, clothing, and even language. This is because of the globalized effect and impact of the western civilization and its charms which appeal to the world. The internet being a creation of the west spreads western influence all around, and various cultures of the world are under its sway.
Work Cited
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Cariati, L. Racquel. 2012. “Reflection: The Internet youth culture.” Wordpress. Available from
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Furedi, Frank. 2014. “How the internet and social media are changing culture.” Aspen Institute
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Krotoski, Alecks. 2011. “Youth culture: teenage kicks in the digital age.” The Guardian.
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Mclaughin, Kathleen. 2012. “Why China’s youth find western culture attractive.” Pbs.org.
Available from <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world-jan-june12-china_02-13/> [Accessed 25 Mar 2016].
Mesch, S. Gustavo. N.d. “The Internet and Youth Culture.” IASC. Available from <
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