Blogging through Media Trends and Globalization (2026)

  1. Summary Globalization is the process of making the world more connected. It is not only about international trade and business but also about culture, politics, and social relationships. According to the authors, globalization has two important features: global connectivity and global consciousness. Global connectivity means that countries and people are becoming more connected through technology, communication, trade, and migration. Global consciousness means that people are becoming more aware of the world as one connected place. The authors also explain four main dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, and social. One important example is McDonald's, which changes its menu depending on the local culture. This is called "glocalization." It shows that globalization does not always make every country the same. Instead, global ideas and products can change to fit local needs. Overall, globalization means that the world is becoming more connected wh...

1. What I Understood from the Reading and Class   Before reading materials on John Tomlinson's cultural globalization, I thought that cultural globalization referred to the spread of cultural economic goods such as products and trends across the world. The reason I thought so is that most articles and news explain cultural globalization by citing cultural economic products, such as K-drama and J-pop, so for me, cultural globalization naturally came to mean a combination of culture and economic products. However, after reading the materials, I realized that the cultural globalization John Tomlinson refers to means the spread of nearly every dimension worldwide, not only capital, commodities, trends, and images, but also information, disease, and people. Some of the claims and materials I have examined regarding the globalization of culture argue that the world will be unified under a single culture or a single Earth. However, John Tomlinson argues that an increase in connectivity do...

  1. Summary John Tomlinson begins by defining globalization as a complex and accelerating process of global connectivity unfolding simultaneously across the spheres of economy, politics, technology, environment, and culture. He is wary of the view that places causal superiority on the economy for two reasons. First, economic activity is not completely separate from culture. Second, expressions like "the impact of globalization on culture" treat culture merely as a passive object to be influenced. For Tomlinson, culture is the creation of meaning, and that meaning drives action. Choosing jeans is also an act of self-expression for young people, and these choices collectively support the global market’s network. Therefore, culture is both formed by globalization and, in turn, creates it. He also questions the common notion that globalization creates a single global culture. Globalization is uneven, and the spread of brands like McDonald's or Coca-Cola across the world only...

1. What I Understood from the Reading and Class Before reading Tomlinson, I thought of globalization as mainly an economic process, and of culture as something that gets changed by it afterward. Tomlinson argues that this view is too simple. Economic activity is also cultural. When people choose jeans or a phone, they are also expressing who they are, and millions of these choices together shape the global market. So culture is not just a victim of globalization. It is also a participant in it. He also rejects the idea that globalization means the whole world is becoming Western. Selling the same product everywhere is different from people living the same culture, because people give their own meanings to what they use. He adds that many visions of a “global culture” were really one culture mistaking itself for the whole world. His examples are the medieval Ebstorf map, which put Jerusalem at the center of the world, and Marx’s future society, which was based on a European view of hi...

1. Summary  For Blog 2, I read "Cultural Globalization" by John Tomlinson. The article mainly discusses the relationship between culture and globalization. Tomlinson believes that globalization is not only about the economy. It also includes politics, technology, the environment, and culture. Globalization connects people around the world more closely, allowing goods, information, ideas, and culture to spread across countries. However, culture is not only influenced by globalization. People's cultural values, personal interests, and lifestyles also affect their choices as consumers, which can influence the development of globalization. Therefore, culture and globalization influence each other.  The article also discusses whether globalization will create one global culture. American movies, music, and brands have spread around the world. Because of this, some people worry that different countries will become more similar and may even lose their traditional cultures. Howev...

1. Summary    For Blog 1, I read "What Is Globalization?" by Roland Robertson and Kathleen E. White. At the beginning of the article, the authors explain that globalization is a complex concept without one clear definition. Different scholars may understand globalization in different ways because of their research interests and social, historical, and cultural backgrounds. Globalization is not only about economic activities or international trade. It also includes changes in politics, culture, and society. The authors explain globalization through two important ideas: global connectivity and global consciousness. Global connectivity means that different parts of the world are becoming more connected, while global consciousness means that people are becoming more aware of the world as a whole.  The authors also argue that globalization should not be understood only from an economic point of view, such as economic growth or the expansion of markets. It includes at least fou...