What is globalization?

1. Summary of “What is globalization?”

Conceptions of globalization are various. According to Velho paradigm, globalization is the direction in which the world considered as a whole is moving. During the late 1970s and 1980s, globalization was argued by that explicit term in Sociology, Anthropology, and religious studies. But during 1980s and 1990s, this term did not enter academic, intellectual and political discourse. The background of globalization is ‘the world was increasingly becoming a single place’. This observation has affected many studies like sociology and political science and anthropology. And defining feature of globalization is increasing connectivity. It means that some disciplines about globalization can give more attention to one or the other.

There are 3 typical dimensions of globalization : economic, political, cultural. Article explain 3 dimensions through Mcdonaldization. But indeed there are one more dimension : social. Social globalization has feature of communication. These 4 dimensions are important but it is not more important than other, like environment part. And globalization has some pattern : international-systemic aspect, concept of humanity, individual selves, nation-state.

Glocalization is some conclusion of local/global problem, means that adjusts something globalized to other country’s culture.

2. New, interesting, unusual items learned

I can learn background, pattern, fourth dimension : social globalization of globalization from article “What is globalization?”. And I can attach terms about globalization that recently learn in globalization sociology class through reading articles. In class, I learn definition of glocalization and dispute about example of glocalization. In additional I learn relation between globalization and glocalization through reading article. Most interesting item I learned is that comparing global and Korea movie posters. Korea movie poster emphasizes actor and it has typographic readability, so poster shows full picture of main actor and has big letter. But about same movie, global movie poster emphasizes objective meaning of movie title. Snowpiercer’s global poster shows train with snow, it is an example. I was interested in reasons of difference between Korea and global movie posters. Each country’s cultural features can affect glocalization. In other words when some cultural, economic, political things are spread other country, things are affected by cultural, economic, political aspects of received country. So actor is main reason to select movie that they will watching to Korean, so that Korean movie posters emphasize actor who played main character.

 Also through globalization sociology class I had chance to think about how measure globalization. I do not know well about economic and political parts so in my opinion there are more cultural measure than other measure. I think food that people mainly eat is a measure of globalization. For example Korean mainly eat rice in past but today they eat various food like bread, western food and so on. Also western country eat various food like Asian food.

3. Answer to “What is globalization?”

 I think globalization is that sharing cultural, political, economic things with other countries. Indeed when a country establishes new policy, that country has to refer to policies and related examples of other countries. It is not only political happening, also happens in cultural and economic parts. Globalization is mainly developed by trade and communication. In past, to exchange among nations we had only trade method by using transportation because we do not have internet service. So tempo of exchange among nations was slow. But through introduction of internet service, tempo of exchange is more increased. For example, on media part, sending telegram and offline newspaper made by paper are slow-media. These are transmitted slowly, so people wait much information in the world for a long time. Otherwise, online news service sends much information in real time, so people do not need to wait all of information in the world. Also, through introduction of internet service, global communication can be available. Thus globalization is developed fast because of internet service.

 Using above opinions, I try to analyze globalization from a Korean perspective. First, globalization is not a recent social phenomenon. According to Korean history, in Iron age, first nation of Korea “Uiman-Chosun” exchanged with China. In other words, Uiman-Chosun formed a trading relationship with China and interchanged ironware. And unified Silla was affected to China nation named “Dang” about political organization, administrative district and military organization. Also, unified Silla and Bo Hai were formed a trading relationship with China, Japan and Islamic countries. Through Korean history we can know about beginning of globalization: it is not a recent happening. Second, Korea is one nation that is developed IT industry and supplied internet fast. So I think that growing tempo of communication ability with world is also fast. In my opinion, it is a reason of fast growth of Korea economy : globalization through introduction of internet service.

 Also I think globalization is affected to, and affects to a social, global happening like brexit. Brexit is related to EU and Europe economy market. Europe economy market is related to world economy.  After happened brexit, Japan’s exchange rate is being rise, and economy of the whole world worsened. Because of globalization, whole world shares cultural, economic, political things so that other countries are attacked through brexit. And because of rising exchange rate of Japan(that reason is brexit), Korean do not travel to Japan. Thus, I think globalization is an important conception of sociology and a good term to explain and analyze social happening.