Submitted by: Kenneth Marquez

Submitted to: Ms. May Borbon Date: Jan. 31,

2024

Globalization of Lifestyle
Lifestyle – a multidimensional, pluralistic, and crosscutting
concept referring to the way we live our everyday, as well as the
factors influencing this process (choice, individual and group
processes, etc. Earlier, we have discussed that cultural flows are
prevalent in the age of globalization. In this lesson, we will look
more specifically on patterns and manifestations of cultural
flows in various aspects of our lifestyle. While saying that
culture now freely crosses territorial borders is not so difficult to
comprehend, being able to observe interpenetration of cultures
in the food we eat, in the clothes we wear, and even in the arts
and music we produce and consume, provide a much more
profound experience as to how this cultural flow shapes us
individually and collectively.
Mikael Jensen (2007), in his article “Defining lifestyle,” offered
an exhaustive discussion on how lifestyle can be defined and
construed. Jensen (2007) argued that lifestyle should be
understood in a “pluralistic way” (p. 63), such that it cuts across
various human activities. Reviewing various literatures on the
subject, Jensen conveyed that lifestyle is defined differently: (a)
as the “how” of doing things and living one’s life, (b) as a
totality of factors that enable us to keep ourselves healthy, and
(c) as our consumption behavior. Considering how complex the
concept of lifestyle is, Jensen suggested that it has to be
analyzed at various levels. On a larger scale, someone must ask:
What is the prevailing lifestyle in the world today, in this
particular era? How does lifestyle flow from various territories
in the world? How does North meet South or East meet West?
Then, someone must also ask: What is the prevailing lifestyle in
the particular territory or country that one belongs? How does
the nation-state regulate and affect this lifestyle? Are their
policies and programs that control and promote a particular
pattern of behavior and thought related to how life is lived on a
daily basis by the citizens? Levels of analyzing lifestyle (Jensen,
2007). At the meso-level sphere, someone must also ask: How is
one’s lifestyle affected by social institutions within a particular
community? Does my family, friends, neighbors, and other
significant others influence my lifestyle and how? Finally, at the
individual level someone must ask: How does my personality,
preferences, aspirations, fears, and other personal factors affect
my lifestyle? How is my lifestyle related to my identity and to
what I envision myself to become in the future? Another way of
understanding lifestyle was discussed by Anthony Veal (1993) in
an earlier review of the concept of lifestyle. According to Veal
(1993 pp. 241-247), lifestyle can be analyzed by looking at:
Activities or behaviors (consumption, leisure, and household
behaviors), Attitudes and values (influences on behavior such as
politics and religion), Individual processes (preferences), Group
processes (social interactions and influences), Coherence
(alignment of lifestyle with personal goals), Recognizability
(whether lifestyle is shared with others or not); and Choice
(whether people get to choose the lifestyle they want and what
are the factors influencing so). Lifestyle in the Age of
Globalization at this point, let us explore lifestyle trends in the
age of globalization, particularly those that are accessible or
observable in your own community. Let us also understand how
scholars frame these lifestyle trends.

The Philippines is inherently an agricultural country. Its

biodiversity is high, which entails that there are opportunities
also to diversify food choices. Food, inasmuch as it is a basic
need, is also cultural. Much of our cultural heritage can be
gleaned from the food we prepare. The food we eat and serve
shows much about our economic activities, our household
practices, the resources we have, and the nature and integrity of
the socio-ecological system we are in. Globalization, however,
has also brought along with it “significant shifts in our world’s
food systems and dietary patterns” (Black, 2016, p. 1),
specifically in areas of (1) food access, (2) food availability, and
(3) food quality. In later lessons, we will discuss the concept of
food security-a major concern to look into in the globalized
world-at a macro and more systemic level. In this lesson,
however, our aim is to focus on the observable changes and
trends.

Elizabeth Black (2016), in her work on globalization of the food

industry. Identified the following influences to changes in food
and dietary patterns. First is urbanization, where more people
are occupying more urban areas away from their traditional
home setting, thus paving way for the rise of fast food. Second is
foreign investments, wherein import and export of processed
food are being made available to territories, altering traditional
food consumption patterns. Then, schedule a transect walk in
your community. Identify the different restaurants providers.
Sand/or fast food chains available. Observe which of these by
many people, Dig a little deep on the nature of these Are they
local businesses? Are they international business? If you Music

Music is a valuable manifestation of our “subjective aesthetic

experience” (El-Ghadban, 2014). It continues to play a
significant part in our daily lives either as a form of expression
or experiencing emotions, ideas, and realities that are important
to us. In the age of globalization, El-Ghadban (2014) opines, the
ease of contact among musical tradition fosters mutuality
inasmuch as it springs
Forth friction-i.e., “awkward, unequal, unstable, and creative”
(Tsing, 2005, p. 4) state when something different intermingles.
This process of disequilibrium often leads to the birth of more
recent traditions, such as when African and European traditions
paved the way for the emergence of reggae, jazz, and other
genres (Small, 1987, as cited by El-Ghadban 2014). Richard
Letts (2003) from the Music Council of Australia reported in a
study on the effect of globalization on music among different
countries, Philippines included. The report described that
assimilation of Western music started in the Philippines since the
Hispanic colonization where sacred music was used in the
introduction of Christianism. It further articulated that while
Philippines has its own unique music genre (e.g., kundiman)
and, recently, the growing organization of professional
musicians, we remain to include western musical traditions in
our regular music consumption.
With the advent of online streaming applications such as
Soundcloud. Spotify, and YouTube, where sharing of music
productions and creations are swift and nearly free, the
intermingling of musical cultures, in principle, is not beyond
possible. In fact, some data shows that streaming is the topmost
contributor to the growing music market, accounting for almost
40 percent the contemporary world, sports has been widely
recognized as an important aspect of life (Wharton, 2014). This
particular activity, just like any other, also plays a role in the
larger mantle of globalization. Wharton (2014) explained that in
one way or another, sports becomes a platform for identity
formation among nations. Similarly, the presence of
international competitions such as the Olympics, which attracts
increasing participation and audience from people across the
globe, also shows how sporting events can operate on a global
scale (Pop, 2013). Globalization has influenced politics,
economy, and culture, not only in the larger context, but even in
the manifestations of these spheres in our daily lives. With more
and more options being made available to us by the inflow of
lifestyles from other territories, we are challenged to be more
conscientious about our choices and priorities.