What Is Really Globalization - Essay Example

Global Campus Globalization has become one of the heated s of the debate during the turnout of the 21st Century. People deliver different opinions about the pros and cons of the said concept without fully assessing all the factors that affect its occurrence and scrutinizes the ideology, in most cases, on a certain paradigm. However, what is really globalization? According to Steger, Globalization “refers to a multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant” (13). Steger’s definition tries to cover up all the factors affected by globalization unlike the errors committed by most people wherein they isolate the very complex nature of the concept on a certain premise like the political and economic spheres. One thing that must be considered is that the complex nature of globalization is parallel to the complexity of humankind since their acts that fall under globalization are considered to be “as old as humanity” (Steger 19). This assertion provides a condition that globalization can be considered a novel concept since it has made humans develop new technologies and developments to improve social condition. One thing that cannot be denied is that globalization has been significant to the lives of humans. There are several improvements in technology, cultural exchanges and global interaction that have been achieved through globalization (Steger 24). Since globalization has a notion of a borderless world, all the political, economic and social aspects of life are subjected to the “global social formations” (Steger 82). In this case, all the provincial, national, regional and global spheres are presumably controlled by these global groups like the WTO, UN, IMF and World Bank (Steger 41). In Grant MacEwan University City Centre Campus, there are several manifestations of the contested concept of globalization. Most of the time, the economic perpetrations of globalizations are the ones that are greatly manifested on the local level. However, it should not be denied that there are still products on the national level that competes with the global products. There are certain products in the campus that have caught my attention. One of them is the Two Toned Hoodie which is made in Canada and manufactured by Sharper Image. It is a jacket made of polyester and cotton. This jacket, in my opinion, highlights something about the Canadian culture which can be considered distinct yet globalization made this product accessible to other places in the world. At the same time, its price, which is $63, complements the economic condition of Canada being one of the richest countries in the world. However, when our product is compared with the Gildeon Grant MacEwan sweatpants made in Honduras, there comes another different perspective of globalization. In this case, this product is intended to be consumed by the Canadian market. However, its production happened in Honduras and constitutes one of the factors of globalization wherein cheap labour is being harnessed to ensure maximum profit (Steger 48). At the same, the price of $28.35 is somehow reflective to the aforementioned phenomenon. The workers who have worked hard cannot afford to enjoy the products they made because of their income which seems to be not enough for them to afford the said products and survive daily living. Another product, Pilot Pen, which was made in Japan as is pegged at $2.95, is another manifestation of globalization. In this case, globalization also gives rise to cultural exchange (Steger 69). At the same time, it can be inferred that promotion of culture can lead to the commodification of it. Most of us have the tendency to associate culture with social classes. In line with this, the association of a certain product or good oftentimes denote class. The Swig Swiss Aluminium Water Bottle which can carry .75 litres of drink shows that the origin product speaks about the quality of it since the Swiss brand, when it comes to steel products, are associated with quality and durability. At the same time, the price of $20 gives an implication most people nowadays pay for the name of the brand more than the actual price of the product. This can be associated with globalization since it is after deriving more profit in all means possible (Steger 48). From the Campus Book Store and Sam Centre, I went the convenience store and tried to look for additional products wherein the strains of globalization can be seen. The Brut Pocket 100 plastic womb which cost $2 is made in China. In assessing globalization, the United States is oftentimes at competition with China when it comes to production. At the same, Chinese goods are regarded to be of good quality, at some extent, and backed up by a reasonable price. When it comes to production of goods, large quantities must be attained and a need for the source of raw materials is important (Steger 45). Lay’s Potato Chips, a product of the United States, on the other hand, is marketable throughout the world due to its taste. It is sold at $1.49 and seems to be a hit food snack in most countries. In this case, the import of this good somehow places the national goods of certain locales at disadvantage since there is an interest on imported goods. Globalization, in this case, weakens the cultural values of a host country and starts to assimilate global culture (Steger 70). Starbucks is also another manifestation of the aforementioned scenario wherein cultural class and assimilation occurs. In most countries, people put premium on Starbucks because of the quality of the coffee it produces like the Coffee beans pegged at $2.09. The price is reasonable and made Starbucks a global hit because of globalization which spread it through the mainstream media (Steger 76). At the City Centre Market, one product caught my attention and it is the apple from California being sold at $.99. In some cases, people oftentimes associate the quality of fresh foods from their origin and makes a comparison of which one is better. Because of globalization, people starts to compare almost everything despite of the sameness and tries to set one from the other through different standards they often determine. In this case, a very consumerist culture arises; having a premium on the personal choice of consumers in the global market (Steger 84). Based on the experience, I have seen that the City Campus Centre practices globalization on an economic perspective. Most the good present here gives emphasis on the strong market force that presents a wide array of goods from which the consumers can choose from. Inevitably, the globalization present in the centre also highlights the presence of different cultures and factors that made the market a very complex one. However, I have to consider that my cultural values somehow affected my choice of goods as reflected above. I have employed several standards like quality and price in determining my choice of goods. It is inevitable that globalization already affected the individual unconsciously and can be seen by the choices we make in this highly globalized world. It is undoubted to be an old concept that existed since humanity started to gain control of the different societal institutions (Steger 19). In the end, it will be our choice as individuals if we will allow globalization to fully influence us or at least retain our cultural values in making decisions. Culture has been placed at risk and different institutions have suffered differently since globalization became a social hype. Since it is humans who constructed this contested concept, it is us as well who has the sole responsibility to correct it and prevent ourselves from committing and aggravating further the problems present with it like exploitation on the work force, disvaluing cultural norms and the like. WORKS CITED Steger, Manfred. Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Read More