Is there a defined cause for the recent rise in the popularity of gairaigo?


I was looking on the web for Japanese graphic design and found some pre-WWII
material. Then I saw some more recent advertisement material. Comparing the
two eras, I notice a difference that was beyond the visual style. In older
works it seems that kanji were used more often than in their modern
counterpart. Whereas katakana is used more generously in modern media than
kanji. An overwhelming amount of that katakana is gairaigo, which is almost
entirely based off of English.

For example,  
On [google translate](https://translate.google.com/#auto/ja/big), if one types
the word 'big' in the English section, two options appear to be the most
common translation in the Japanese section. One is ビッグ (biggu) while the other
one is 大きい (Ōkī). Both are clearly different when written down, but are
defined in English as the same word.  
  
What is the reason for its popularity and acceptance and why aren't kanji
compounds formed at the same rate as directly imported terms?




Between the late 19th century (fall of Tokugawa shogunate) and the mid 20th
century (WWII), Japanese people were rapidly learning countless new concepts
from Western countries, but they were also busy coining a new _kanji_ word for
each new concept they encountered. The new kanji words coined in this period
are called [和製漢語](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasei-kango) ("Japanese-coined
Chinese word"). Examples include 空港 ("airport"), 映画 ("movie"), 自然 ("nature")
and 野球 ("baseball"). So this is the main reason why you see less katakana
words in pre-WWII materials. See also: [What are the origins of the Chinese
derived words?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/47862/5010)

Aside from whether it's good or bad, Japanese people have almost stopped this
convention of creating new kanji words. I think this is simply because people
have become even more "Westernized" and less influenced by the Chinese
culture. This resulted in more and more katakana loanwords directly borrowed
from English.




Between the late 19th century (fall of Tokugawa shogunate) and the mid 20th
century (WWII), Japanese people were rapidly learning countless new concepts
from Western countries, but they were also busy coining a new _kanji_ word for
each new concept they encountered. The new kanji words coined in this period
are called [和製漢語](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasei-kango) ("Japanese-coined
Chinese word"). Examples include 空港 ("airport"), 映画 ("movie"), 自然 ("nature")
and 野球 ("baseball"). So this is the main reason why you see less katakana
words in pre-WWII materials. See also: [What are the origins of the Chinese
derived words?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/47862/5010)

Aside from whether it's good or bad, Japanese people have almost stopped this
convention of creating new kanji words. I think this is simply because people
have become even more "Westernized" and less influenced by the Chinese
culture. This resulted in more and more katakana loanwords directly borrowed
from English.

