2013 335.7 million subscribers = 7 million subscribers 2010 2005 2000 Technology makes it possible for us to keep in touch with almost anyone anywhere, as these numbers showing the explosion in the number of wireless phone subscribers since 1985 demonstrate. Source: CTIA 2014. 302.9 207.9 109.5 1995 1990 33.8 5.3 1985 0.3 U.S. Wireless Phone Usage The emergence of Starbucks in China demonstrates the cultural impact of globalization. Starbucks’ expansion affects not only coffee consumption patterns but also the international trade in coffee beans, which are harvested mainly in developing countries. Our consumption oriented culture supports a retail price of three to five dollars for a single cup of premium coffee. Even though coffee prices have reached all-time highs, millions of farmers around the world can barely eke out a living. Worldwide, the growing demand for coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, and other natural resources is straining the environment, as poor farmers in developing countries clear more and more forestland to enlarge their fields (Herman 2010). Diffusion often comes at a cost. In practice, globalization has led to the cultural domination of developing nations by more affluent nations. In these encounters, people in developed nations often pick and choose the cultural practices they find intriguing or exotic, whereas people in developing nations often lose their traditional values and begin to identify with the culture of the dominant nations. They may discard or neglect their native language and dress, attempting to imitate the icons of mass-market entertainment Chapter 3 / Culture • 49 and fashion. In this way, Western popular culture represents a threat to native cultures. For example, Walt Disney’s critics have called his work “perhaps the primary example of America’s cultural imperialism, supplanting the myths of native cultures with his own” (Gabler 2006). So something is gained and something is lost through diffusion, and often it is the poorer societies that sacrifice more of their culture. >> Elements of Culture To better understand what culture consists of we can categorize it into three primary types: material, cognitive, and normative. Each type enables us to interact more effectively with the world around us. We will look at each in turn. use the term diffusion to refer to the process by which some aspect of culture spreads from group to group or society to society. Historically, diffusion typically occurred through a variety of means, including exploration, war, military conquest, and missionary work. Today, societal boundaries that were once relatively closed owing to the constraints of transportation and communication have become more permeable, with cross-cultural exchange occurring more quickly. Through the mass media, the Internet, immigration, and tourism, we regularly confront the people, beliefs, practices, and artifacts of other cultures. Cultural innovation has global consequences in today’s world. Starbucks, with its familiar green logo, was founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 but now has a global presence. Today it is possible to order a decaf latte in the heart of Beijing’s Forbidden City, just outside the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the former residence of Chinese emperors. The first Starbucks in mainland China opened in 1999 and by January 2015 there were 1,657 of them. The success of Starbucks in a country in which coffee drinking is still a novelty (where the average person drinks only five cups of coffee per year and tea is the preferred drink) has been striking. In fact, for many, drinking coffee has now become a status symbol of middle class success (Christian 2009; Halper 2013; Loxcel Geomatics 2015). diffusion The process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society.
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