Globalization and Culture Development

3699 Words15 Pages
Changes in the production and consumption of pop music have shown the Globalization of Culture in its most effective form. The Global expansion of pop music to a trans-national industry from its origins in the USA has come about due to massive change in the demographics and wealth of new markets for the ‘rock aesthetic’, as well as a certain erosion of tradition among so called periphery states and an envy or yearning for the American way of life. These changes have enabled production companies to expand their operations in to new markets where their products can be adapted to meet the demands of local consumers. The results of this have been seen as both an increasing homogenization of pop globally, combined with more diversity brought about through experiences within national cultures. Pop music is accepted first of all as a foreign influence replacing traditional music, it is then internalized, adapted to the native culture and pushed back into the wider world as a new style of pop which has been culturally filtered. Although this globalization process has brought about more diversity, it is a diversity “based on cores of shared practices and technologies” [1] and has been described as a process of hybridization. Changes in the Korean pop industry are a good example of this process. Although “Korea is not a traditional powerhouse of Popular Culture in Asia”,[2]recently we have seen numerous reports from the media describing the popularity of Korean cultural products in Asia including Korean pop’s (K-Pop) inclusion on the Forbes list of the top 20 most important cultural trends[3]. Throughout its history, Korea has been ‘sandwiched’ between two more economically and culturally powerful states, China and Japan. It has also been strongly influenced by Cold War politics and has hosted a significant American military presence since the end of the Second
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