The phenomenon of Americanization is rooted in the United States rise as a global superpower, which dominates the world not only militarily but culturally and economically. Such dominance is reflected in the fact that it has a ripple effect on the individual lives of people distanced from American military interventions or direct political influence. Thus, the term Americanization can be defined as the propagation of American culture, values, and beliefs across the globe. For example, I remember being highly interested in American burgers as a child until I had access to Mcdonald’s, which is emblematic of the US’s soft power (Simelyte et al. 3). Although the term is unique in its context, there are many other interchangeable ones, which indicate the driving power behind the cultural imposition. One such alternative is McDonaldization or globalization, which can be used interchangeably with Americanization (Simelyte et al. 2). The former reveals the role of international business in exporting the American way of life, whereas the latter is about US dominance as a superpower defining the global norm and narrative.
The role of the internet in Americanization has been progressive of the given force. Since major social media platforms are mostly US-based, the process was massively enhanced in spreading the American culture and values even in the most remote locations. For instance, the typical ‘memes’ on Reddit are mostly comprised of popular scenes from American Hollywood movies or political shortcuts, which eventually become transferred to more population platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram (Simelyte et al. 11). They create a medium of idea delivery deeply rooted in the propagation of Americanization through its massive and highly popular entertainment industry.
Work Cited
Simelyte, Agne, et al. “Americanization in Lithuania as A Driving Force for Globalization.” Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, vol. 3, no. 16, 2017, pp. 1-13.