Globalization is the process where different countries around the world are becoming closer in several areas. It influences people, immigration, employment, ideas, and knowledge.
Globalization has been happening for millennia, but how it is done has changed in different eras. For example, from the 2nd century BC to the 18th century, the trade routes of the Silk Road let merchants to carry goods and also travelers from China to make a journey to Europe, which was a form of globalization. Nowadays, the pace of globalization has increased. Moreover, it has had so much impact on different cultures, and it has been both positive and negative.
I was in the business class and the teacher showed us a picture of a man eating a burger at McDonald's and we were asked to discuss the picture. You would have probably said that the picture was taken in the USA, but the fact was that the picture had been taken in the United Kingdom. In another picture, there was a table that was set with foods such as sushi and other Japanese foods. Surprisingly, the picture was taken in the USA.
Now, you might be wondering how McDonald’s or Japanese food relates to culture and globalization. If I were asked to explain what culture is, I would say that culture is the customs, language, traditions, or even foods of a particular nation. Cultures have been changed through immigration, trade, and tourism. Almost wherever you go, you can find a McDonald’s, and that is a representation and a sign of Western culture. The term ‘McDonaldization’ is related to this idea, making everything the same. For example, McDonald’s look almost the same wherever you go, the service, the food, as well as the preparations are similar in different countries. That’s actually a good thing because when you are in a foreign country you can easily find a McDonald’s without any trouble or concerns because you already know what the prices are going to be or what foods are served there.
In 2015, out of the total 195 countries in the world, 67 nations have English as the primary language of 'official status'. Plus, there are also 27 countries where English is spoken as a secondary 'official' language. There are actually more than 6500 languages in the world, but, unfortunately, they have started to disappear because people have started to learn English and speak this language, which represents a negative impact of globalization on different cultures. As a Persian student who studies in Canada, I would say that I can clearly see how English has impacted the Persian language. For example, I see students who are originally from Iran, but they can barely speak Persian because they have been living here for years. Some even believe that learning Farsi has no use for them in such a country. Moreover, 21% of Canadians were not born in Canada. Another example of language globalization is that most businesses use English as their language because they communicate with people in other countries.
Based on the information mentioned above, I would say that globalization is both a threat and an opportunity for cultures and nations. It plays a key role in people’s culture, it can diminish cultural diversity or destroy a culture. Thomas Friedman says, “Now we have entered globalization 3.0 and it is shrinking the world from a size small to a size tiny”.