Cultural globalization is the rapid traversing of ideas, foreign influences, technologies, spread of language, markets and values across national borders. It not only increases freedom of choice, but also revitalizes cultures and cultural artifacts through interconnectedness and interaction between peoples of diverse cultures and ways of life. In the article “Japanese Popular Culture” by Nissim Otmazgin explores the dissemination of Japanese culture products throughout East and Southeast Asia by various modes and analyses the expansion of popular culture through Steger readings.
Does globalization make people around the world sameness or differences in global culture? One effect is that it promotes greater cultural homogeneity. Sometimes common demands, common consumer preferences, and large bodies of common information can lead to the blending of cultures and the erosion of cultural differences. It is a myth that globalization involves the imposition of cultural uniformity, rather than an explosion of cultural exchange. But, cross-cultural exchange can spread greater diversity as well as greater similarity. People everywhere have more choice, but they often choose similar things. For instance, Amazonian Indians wearing Nike shoes, denizens of Southern Sahara purchase Yankees baseball caps, Palestinian youths displays Chicago Bulls sweatshirts in Ramallah and eating fast-foods at Mc Donald’s ( Steger, 73) shows thriving of American products in a large scale. These worries cultural pessimists as well as optimistic hyperglobalizers that “the rise of an increasingly homogenized popular culture under Western culture industry” ( Steger, 72). It seems that local cultures and national identities are dissolving into a crass of American consumerism. That cultural imperialism is said to impose American values as well as products, promote the commercial at the expense of business profits, and substitute superficial