Is globalization nothing more than Americanization? .
Without a doubt globalization is one of the hottest topics in today's political scene. However, is globalization nothing more than another term for Americanization? While there are a variety of perspectives, each bearing a fair level of legitimacy, I believe the most powerful argument is that globalization is just another word for Americanization. One of the most powerful influences in the Americanization of the world is the media. The actions and reports of the media have implications far beyond providing issue perspectives and entertainment after a long day on the job. Rooted in the most powerful political and economic force in the world, the American media is visible worldwide. Through the examination of the media and its international impact, we can see more clearly how globalization is simply another term for Americanization. .
The media is clearly the people's window to the world. It is a common occurrence in the United States and the rest of the industrialized world to wake up and turn on the television before work to catch up on the latest local and global news. Whether we?re in the car listening to the radio, or at work catching up on the latest stock reports, we are always in contact with the world inside and outside our borders through the media. Accordingly, the media plays an important role in peoples lives. It connects people with their fellow countrymen and their state's status on a variety of levels. It also connects people with others outside their country and provides them with news of events across the globe that might carry implications as far reaching as their front door. Governments also use the media extensively. Such news entities as CNN often offer exclusive and breaking news, the stories reaching our television sets as they unfold. .
In Lewis A. Friedland's articleCovering the World,? Lewis cites such as examples as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, where CNN offered exclusive footage of the story.