Is modern technology creating a single world culture
When we look back to the history of human being in recent 200 years, we will be surprising what a huge change modern technology has brought us. Trains and planes connect people everywhere. Radios and televisions enable us to keep with every news happened around the world. More and more chances of communication influence different cultures deeply.
To discuss the impact that modern technology has given on different cultures, most people would agree that nowhere in history has the issue been more visible that people in different countries are getting more and more alike. Most of the time, you cannot tell which country a person is from only by his/her clothes. Young people all over the world can enjoy McDonald’s and other western food the same way as Americans enjoy. A pop music singer can have her fans in every corner of our planet. People around the world share news from newspapers and TV and express concerns on the same topic.
“The world is getting smaller!.” How often we hear such words! But that is only part of the truth. Not everything in a country’s culture can be changed. Something developed from thousands of years ago and has already been a part of a nation’s spirit cannot be wiped off easily. For example, the family concept of our country has never changed. We still prefer a big family that all generations live together. That is the definition of happiness in our value system. We still appreciate the thinking of Confucius and take it as guideline of our daily life. At the same time, many countries make great efforts to preserve their culture heritages. People around the world take more and more pride in their own cultures, and try to cherish them.
Certainly, modern technology make possible for cultures to communicate with each other. But I don’t think it is creating a single world culture. Communication brought by modern technology can be an instrument for improving and learning, but not a tool for erasing individualities. And it is the cultural diversity that makes our world more beautiful and interesting.
