GLOBALIZATION DEFINED

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:
1. differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization;

2. identify the underlying philosophies of the varying definitions of globalization; and

3. agree on a working definition of globalization for the course.

Did you know that you experience globalization everyday in your lives? You may 'not be aware of it but
some examples are the food you eat just like those sold in Jollibee which are distributed worldwide, iPhones
used to connect people all over the world, books you can access through the Internet, among others.
In the recent past, the planet was a large society where human activities and their effects were neatly
compartmentalized within nations, within sectors (energy, agriculture, commerce and the like), and within
broad areas of socio-economic and environmental concerns. However, these compartments have long been
dissolved with the emergence of globalization.

CONCEPTIONS OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization in terms of global interdependence started centuries ago although the term was just used
recently (Toffler, 1981, pp. 490-91). For James and Steger (2014), it is an extraordinary and complicated
concept that was rarely used until the 1990s but with processes that had been happening for centuries.
In the contemporary context, the term "is used to indicate Key Terms the global nature of capital, the
emergence of a single global Globalization economy, and tremendous speed of exchange across vast
distances" Globalization (Kakepoto, 2005). The globalization process in vogue greatly Global Culture impacts
on ideological, intellectual, economic, political, and above Globality all social spheres.
The essence of globalization is the individual's increasing awareness of other peoples, cultures, and
religions as a result of technological advances in communications and travel. With the expansion of
awareness, the concept of personal identity has also broadened. For example, surveys show that in Europe,
most of the people between the ages of 18 and 30 find their identity more in relationship to the concept of
"Europe" than to the country in which they live (Wishard, 1999).
Glocality. The concept of globalization has involved the simultaneity and the interpretation ofwhat are
conventionally called the global and the local, or in a more abstract vein—the universal and the particular
(Robertson, 1995). In 1980, Roland Robertson, a British sociologist, introduced "glocalization" in the Harvard
Business Review defining it as "the simultaneity—the co -presence—of both universalizing and particularizing
tendencies" (Glocalization, n.d). It means a global outlook adopted to local conditions. When applied to a
product or service, this means the adaptation of globally marketed products and services into local markets.
Moreover, glocality is a concept that blends the crossöver of the global and local such as living local while
thinking global. In understanding glocality, it may be framed as one's global context representing another's
local reality while a particular local reality is someone's global context. Consequently, it is an appreciation of
reduced traditional barriers among peoples, nations, cultures, and ideas. It involves comparison and contrast of
global trends (as quantitative orientation) with local contexts (as qualitative orientation).
UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHIES OF THE VARYING
DEFINITIONS OF GLOBALIZATION
According to the dictionary, globalization means different things to different people. Since its earliest
appearance in the 1960s "globalization" has been used in both popular and academic literature to describe a
wide variety of phenomenon, including a process, an outcome, a condition, a system, a force, an age, and
even an ideology (Steger, 2017).
In this regard, some significant scholars of globalization or the globalists offer the following definitions:
...it is a process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through
a globe-spanning network of communication and trade.
.a set of multiple, uneven and sometimes overlapping historical processes, including economics,
politics, and culture, that have combined with the evolution of media technology to create the conditions under
which the globe itself can now be understood as "an imagined community" (Lule, 2017, p. 83).
...a long-term effort to integrate the global dimensions of life into each nation's economics, politics, and
culture. National development has ceased to be an isolated procedure and has now become part of a global
process (Wishard, 1999, p.l).

In the context OF modernization theory, globalization is an undertaking that engenders economic

development, political progress, and sociocultural diversity. On the other hand, dependency theory sees it as a
catalyst ofeconomic underdevelopment and dependency, and the dissolution of local cultures. However, for
Steger (2005), the term globalization should be confined to a set of complex, social processes that are
changing our current condition based on the modern system of indep€ndent nation-states.
Like many others, Barber (1992) defines globalization as the opposite of localization. He argues that "four
imperatives make up the dynamic of McWor1d: a market imperative, a resource imperative, an information
technology imperative, and an ecological imperative. According to him, each of these can be considered a
factor to 'shrinking the world and diminishing the salience of national borders" (p.54).
In the paper, "The Mythology about Globalization," Ferguson (1992) challenges the varied assumptions
about the meaning of globalization. She cited seven myths about globalization such as: "Big is Better," "More
is Better," "Time and Space have Disappeared," "Global Cultural Homogeneity," "Saving Planet Earth,"
"Democracy for Export via American TV," and "The New World Order." As used in this book, myth does not
mean misconceptions, but rather another way of-classifying assumptions of the postmodern world. For
example, the myths of "Big is Better" and "More is Better" have spurred mergers and takeovers in media
industries and large business corporations. In fact, in 2016 Microsoft purchased Linkedln for 26.2 billion USD;
in 2014 Facebook, Inc. purchased WhatsApp for 22.0 billion USD; in 2009 Pfizer purchased Wyeth for 68.0
billion USD; and in 2005 Proctor & Gamble purchased Gillette for 57.0 billion USD. This move however did not
work for certain industries and is found risky in a fast changing regional contexts.
The Myth of' Time and Space Have Disappeared.' This posits the idea of electronic media uniting the world
and removing time and space obstacles for business and personal life. Information technology (IT) then
becomes the key to global competitiveness. With so much challenges in IT the world is facing today, time and
space becoming irrelevant remains to be seen.
The Myth of 'Global Cultural Homogeneity.' This is linked to McLuhan's concepg of global village with
shared experiences and the postmodernists' idea of culturally and economically interconnected world. The
worldwide patronage of Hollywood movies, Disney Worlds and consumption of western products such as
Coke and Starbucks are some examples of this myth. This of course as we know did not diminish or eliminate
regional ethnicity.
The Myth of 'Saving Planet Earth.' This is related to the ancient idea about man being one with nature and
the modern ideas of world ecosystem• and its protection. According to Ferguson (1992), the "utopian ideas
embedded in this myth are transcultural and synchronic, displaying the power of myth to reinvent itself across
space and time.
The Myth of 'Democracyfor Export via American TV'. This is about the power of the mass media to influence
public opinion with respect to political ends. An example is the effectiveness ofUS film and TV products as
exporters of American values. Accordingly, it updates the technology but not the premise about direct media
'effects.'
The Myth of'The New World Order.' The myth's core idea focuses on the creation of order in the world
based on certain ideologies or economic practices such as the demise of communism and the triumph of
capitalism. However, it is evident that the vision of the 'new world order' has the imprint of America and what
that is in concrete terms remains unclear.

WORKING DEFINITION OF GLOBALIZATION

Many other authors have attempted to define globalization but the most comprehensive is captured in the
following lines:
Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, conlpanies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by
information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems,
on economic development andprosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the
world ("Globalization 101," n.d.).
Globalization, as a concept, is then closely connected with the way we view our place and meaning on this
planet. However, it is more than this, for it also describes processes which steer the policies of nation states
which directly impact upon various significant institutions. This is inevitable since globalization is a process by
which different parts of the world interact economically, politically, and culturally. It is international expansion
on a world scale (Pavit & Patel, 1999); a declining international variety; and increasing international
interconnectedness. A globalizing world is now the context within which humanity lives and works. Thus, the
transformative powers of globalization reach deeply into all aspects of contemporary socio-economic and
cultural life. This brings the idea of global culture and one of the ways of understanding this concept is in terms
of its being constituted by the increasing interconnectedness of many local cultures (Hannerz, 1990).
Steger (2005) used the term globality to signify a future social condition characterized by thick
economic, political, and cultural interconnections and global flows that make currently existing political
borders and economic barriers irrelevant. It is also viewed in terms of the interpenetration-of
geographically distinct 'civilizations' (Robertson, 1995). Steger proposed that the core of globalization
is the unprecedented compression of time and space as a result of political economic, and cultural
change, as well as powerful technological innovations. He then developed six core claims of globalism:
1. Globalization is about the liberalization and global integration of markets;
2. Globalization is inevitable and irreversible;
3. Nobody is in charge of globalization;
4. Globalization benefits everyone (i.e., in the long run);
5. Globalization furthers the spread of democracy in the world; and
6. Globalization requires a global war on terror.

7.

TRIVIA BOX
Examples of Globalization in Various Aspects
Globalization in Economics
  Multinational corporations operate on a global scale, with satellite offices and branches in
numerous locations.
 Outsourcing can add to the economic development of a struggling country, bringing much
needed jobs.
 Some automobiles use parts from other countries, as in a car being assembled in the
Philippines with the parts coming from Japan, Germany, or Korea.
 The Free World Trade Organization supervises world trade.
 The European Union is an economic and political union of 28 countries that are located
primarily'in Europe.
 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trade bloc in North America.
 A dress with design inspired by the culture of Africa, made in South Korea, and sold in New
York.
 A bag made in China, sold in America, and brought to the Philippines as souvenir to
expectant relatives.
Globalization in the Blending of Cultures
 Greek culture spread across Africa, Europe and Asia through Alexander the
 Great. This is the reason there are cities named for Alexander in Africa, Egypt and Turkey.
 The Silk Road was a trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea area and it
allowed the exchange of not only goods, but culture and knowledge.
 Christian missionaries from Europe added to the globalization of Christianity.
 Colonization all over the world was a major cause of globalization.
 Improved travel facilitated the growth of globalization, as people moved for a better job, a better life,
or fled from danger or oppression.
 Food is one factor of globalization. One can find people eating sushi in Peru or Indian food in Europe.
 Satellite television allows shows from one Country to be broadcast in many others, adding to cultural
globalization.
Globalization in Technology

 The Internet is a major like contributor in cultural to exchanges globalization, not arts.only
technologically but as well, of the in other areas like in cultural changes of arts.
 Global news networks, like CNN, contribute to the spread of knowledge.
 Cells phones connect people all over the world like never before. Around 60 percent of all people in
the world use cell phones.
 Military cooperation between countries adds to globalization, such as the Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty or anti-terrorism agreements.
 Environmental cooperation has spread to help reduce chlorofluorocarbon emissions to slow the
depletion of the ozone. One example is the Montreal Protocol.
Other Globalization Examples
 The Olympics began in ancient Greece and continue today.
 The FIFA World Cup has more viewers than any other sporting event from around the world.
 Travel and tourism allows globalization of many things, like the exchange of money, cultures, and
knowledge.
 The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation in many
areas, including human rights, peace, and economic development.
 Organizations such as the Red Cross respond quicker to disasters around the world.