The Effect of Globalization on Philippine Culture

This was the speech I delivered in our speech communication class as a final
requirement. I really liked the topic of globalization because it is a very complex
yet very relevant concept today. (",)\m/ Hope you learn something...

Good morning! Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me begin by sharing to you two of my friends. My first friend loves to eat. His
favorite food is McDonald�s fried chicken. And he always craves for that crispy and
juicy fried chicken with lots of gravy. He really likes McDonald�s that he even
looks like Ronald. Then, my other friend is more into music. She spends a lot of
time listening music in her 16GB Ipod. And her favorite singer is no less than
Justin Bieber or JB. She really loves JB that she would even scream each time JB
appears on T.V. Now, can you spot something common on both of them? It�s the
effects of the process of globalization. This process has affected the way we
communicate, we think, we eat, we dress and we live our lives. In short,
globalization has transformed our culture, our Filipino culture.

Globalization has become one of the most popular buzzword used by different people
worldwide. So what is globalization? It is the integration of the economic,
political and cultural systems across the globe? Or is the �McDonaldization� or,
perhaps, Americanization of world culture and United States dominance of world
affairs? Is globalization good or bad?

These questions would receive very different answers from Washington, Berlin,
Tokyo, New Delhi, Beijing, Manila and other places worldwide. Indeed, simple
answers to these questions, answers that people from different walks of life in
different countries would agree on, would be virtually impossible to reach. But let
us have a balanced and comprehensive definition of globalization. According to
Globalization101.org,

"Gobalization is the acceleration and intensification of interaction and

integration among people, companies and governments of different nations. And this
process has effects on human well-being, on the environment, on economic
development and, most importantly, on culture. "
The process of globalization has instituted profound impact on culture since
ancient times. The Phoenician traders� impact on ancient Greek culture, Chinese
silk and jars used in pre-historic Philippines and the spread of coffee, chocolate
and tobacco from Latin America to the world are few of the examples of
globalization of culture. In today�s modern world, globalization has become more
complex and pervasive. And this is brought by different factors that have
compounded through time. Among these factors are as follow: The shift to a new mode
of production and distribution or, simply, capitalism; improved and cheaper cost of
transportation and communication; colonization; proliferation of mass media; and
recently, the rise of computers.

Culture, as way of life shared by a certain group of people in a certain society,

has created a unique identity as that of British, Chinese or Filipino. But today,
culture has become the arena of contention on the issue of globalization. And with
the unprecedented presence of globalization, Castells argues that globalization has
eroded differences in culture and produced a seamless global system of culture and
economic values. Hence, are we having a common culture or a dominant culture over
another? I say, it depends on how we view globalization of culture in relation to
values. It depends on whether one thinks that local cultures should be protected
from outside influence, or whether one thinks that new cultural creativity results
from interaction and mixing of ideas from different cultures.

In our own culture, the effects of globalization are immense and diverse. Now, let
us look some of these effects. The usage of English language is one of the most
apparent effects of globalization on our culture. Although English is important for
us to be globally competitive, it has undervalued our native languages. And it has
become a pre-requisite to everyone who is seeking for a higher status in society.
Another, who wouldn�t recognize Avatar, Barney, Glee, Rain, Wonder Girls or Kobe
Bryant? Globalization has made it possible for us to be wired and plugged into T.V.
programmes, movies, news, lifestyles, and entertainment of other countries. In
return, many Filipinos, especially youth, have forgotten the traditional Filipino
activities such as Moro-Moro, Kundiman, Sarsuela, etc. Moreover with the growth of
access to internet, most young Filipinos would spend more time in playing computer
games and updating their statuses on Facebook or Twitter than playing sports or
doing productive work at home.

These may seem negative effects on our culture but let us look at the other side of
the coin. Heard of Mr. Kenneth Cobonpue or Ms. Monique Lhuillier? They are
Filipinos whose ideas and designs have brought international acclamation and caught
the attention of foreigners and Hollywood stars. In music and entertainment, the
songs of singer Apl d� Ap of Black Eyed Peas is one of the manifestation of how he
has integrated Filipino language in his music. And globalization has also paved way
for our culture to be appreciated by the world through international fair trade,
cultural shows abroad and other international activities.

In sum, globalization of culture has created both positive and negative effects on
culture. In our own culture, globalization has improved our way of living and
created an impetus for us to strive for a better life. But in the process, it has
changed some of our traditional ways of life, practices, beliefs and ideologies.
Hence, globalization is neither good nor bad. Rather, certain aspects of the
complex and multi-faceted process of globalization have effects that can be viewed
in different ways depending on the values at stake.

http://theoughtopian.blogspot.com/2010/12/effect-of-globalization-on-
philippine.html