Americanization (or Americanisation) is something I assumed was obviously there in the world, as America in my mind has always been the kind of unofficial symbol of the world and top of the heap, atleast it's represented to be like that in my opinion. Not that it's a good thing in my opinion and that's a dissertation in itself.
I didn't realise just how prevalent Americanisation was in the world and it's definitely a subculture within Globalisation and cultural diffusion.
Americanisation is the term given to the vast influence America has over other continents and countries in terms of their pop culture, cuisine, technology, business or even political practices. The term came into prominent practice around 1907, but it's even more prominent now. Americanisation is huge in China and the Far East.
A major fact in Americanisation of the world is Hollywood. It is readily available and exposed to most of the world and it has a huge effect in which the way people see American fashions, customs, culture, language etc. It's not a stretch to assume hundreds and thousands of people became conversational in English simply by watching Hollwood movies. In turn watching these movies, has a profound effect on the cultures and fashions which leech into their own countries. It's no coincidence that truly global icons that everyone around the world knows are usually American and usually involved in the entertainment industry in some way. Muhammad Ali. Michael Jackson. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rambo!
Tv shows are re-broadcast around the world. The Simpsons alone is broadcast in:
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Quebec
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Morocco
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Russia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Venezuela
Now let's compare this to India. One of the most popular shows in India (Itself seen as one of the emerging leaders of the world) ran in:
India
Bangladesh
Canada
UK
Tv News broadcasters such as CNN, HBO, CNBC etc are broadcast around the world. This can have a profound and pretty biased effect on how other countries receive the news and view the US and the rest of the world through a US lens.
Global brands
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Of the top 10 Global brands in the entire world, 7 are US based. The top Global Brand in the world is none other than Coca Cola. Other companies such as KFC, Starbucks, McDonalds, Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut are all pretty much available in over 75% of the world.
Huge technology firms, a huge factor in globalisation and communication are all mostly based in the US and have had a profound effect on the development of the computer and internet. Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Intel and Dell.
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Americanisation as a strand of globalisation also adds backing to my idea of everywhere simply looking the same, there's a McDonalds around every corner. The design of most McDonalds is designed to be almost identical so you know your way around no matter where you are in the world.
McDonalds - Tokyo
McDonalds - India
Saying it in a slightly exaggerated way, it adds to the idea of everyone eating the same thing, and everyone living in the same environment. This in the back of your mind and this same concept applied to design inspiration and exposure surely must have an effect on design style and influence too. This is one of the reasons why I reached out to contemporary designers and studios to gauge these issues. Even in terms of collaboration.
Recently me and Seb worked on a brief with an American client who we've never even met. All files and discussions were through e-mail and Skype chats.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanization
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/news/2013/top-10-most-watched-indian-tv-shows-2013-113491.html
http://economists-pick-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/International-Market-News/Americanisation-of-Europe-a-challenge-to-branding/imn/en/1/1X000000/1X00PE1T.htm
http://globalisationmaxmulholland.weebly.com/what-is-globalisation.html
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