6.4 Global Advertising Presents Great Challenges to Our Cultural Identities

6.4 Global Advertising Presents Great Challenges to Our Cultural Identities

Integration occurs when two or more cultures join to form one culture that incorporates aspects of both.

The church of Santo Tomas was built on the ruins of a Mayan temple by the Spanish 400 years ago. The eighteen steps leading to the doors represent the months of the Mayan calendar. The flowers and the incense burned in the church are all part of the Indigenous Mayan religion. In the church, which includes a traditional Christian altar, are Mayan tablets on which worshipers present offerings in support of their prayers. Mayan priests and priestesses still use the church for their rituals, burning candles, and even sometimes a chicken for their gods.

Although some degree of each culture is retained, other parts are lost, leading to a new culture.

Homogenization

What is homogenized milk? Milk is made of water and fat particles. Left on its own, the fat or cream rises to the top. To prevent this from happening, producers put milk through a process that breaks the fat globules into tiny particles so that they do not separate and float to the surface. In other words, although homogenized milk is still made of individual particles of water and fat, the particles are so tiny and so well mixed that milk appears as one substance.

With people and cultures, homogenization occurs when individuals and groups around the world become more alike. Due to trade, migration, and technology, people all over the world have access to the same goods, and they can access the same news, ideas, and entertainment. People begin to speak the same language, eat the same food, buy the same goods, and wear the same clothes. This is especially true in popular culture. We see people around the world watching the same TV shows and the same movies, eating at the same fast food restaurants, buying their clothes at the same chain stores, and listening to the same music. Although each individual is unique, all look alike due to homogenization.

Many people see homogenization as a negative force, reducing diversity and forcing everyone to be the same. Others see value in this process, because it allows people around the world to choose among various products, information, and ideas, deciding for themselves what is best.

Accommodation occurs when one culture modifies itself to fit in with another. Usually, small changes allow the people to fit in with the dominant culture while other and more important aspects of their beliefs stay the same.

For example, Ming's family immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong just before she was born. Although she speaks English at school, she also speaks Cantonese with her family. She dresses in western clothing, but she also celebrates Chinese festivals and holds the same strong family values as her ancestors.