Blogging through Media Trends and Globalization (2025)

Summary of Reading 3: Political Globalization   In Reading 3, Gerard Delanty and Chris Rumford explain how globalization changes the nature of modern politics. They disagree with the popular claim that globalization simply leads to the decline or death of the nation-state. Instead, they argue that globalization transforms the nation-state, forcing governments to share political authority with international organizations, private markets, and global civil society groups. The authors explain political globalization through three main dimensions: global geopolitics, global normative culture, and polycentric networks. First, global geopolitics shows the international expansion of democratic systems. Even though global power shifts, powerful national states remain central actors in shaping geopolitical wars and international alliances. Second, global normative culture creates universal ideas that apply across different countries. Key examples include human rights standards and environme...

  1. What I understood from the reading When I first saw the term “political globalization,” I thought of cooperation between governments and international organizations. Those things seemed distant from ordinary life. After reading Gerard Delanty and Chris Rumford’s chapter, I began to see that the topic also concerns identity, participation, and whose decisions affect our lives. The authors explain political globalization through tensions between three processes: global geopolitics, global normative culture, and polycentric networks. I understand these as relationships of power between states, norms such as human rights and environmental responsibility, and political activity organized through multiple interconnected centres. These processes overlap and sometimes conflict. They do not simply produce one unified global political order. The argument I found most useful is that nation-states are being transformed rather than disappearing. States remain powerful, but they operate alo...

1. What I understood from the reading Before reading this chapter, if someone had asked me what globalization meant, I would probably have thought of studying abroad, international trade, and products available in different countries. These are visible examples and are fairly easy to explain. After reading Robertson and White’s “What Is Globalization?”, however, I think this understanding captures only part of the picture. The authors emphasize both increasing global connectivity and increasing global consciousness. I understand the first as how people actually become connected, and the second as how we become aware that we live in a shared world. Goods, people, and information crossing borders are part of connectivity. Beginning to consider events elsewhere in relation to our own lives involves a change in consciousness. However, recognizing that we are connected does not mean that we will agree. The chapter also reminds me that globalization cannot be understood through economics alo...

 1. Summary of the reading materials Globalization is the most influential social and cultural trend in the modern world. It breaks geographical limitations, connects every country and region closely, and allows people, goods, information, and various cultural forms to flow freely across national borders. Most people hold a simple stereotype toward globalization. They believe that globalization makes all parts of the world follow the same cultural trends, causing local traditional cultures to gradually lose their features and even disappear completely. Many people worry that cultural diversity will eventually be replaced by a single global cultural style. However, after learning and analyzing the reading materials, I realize that the relationship between culture and globalization is far more complex and balanced. Instead of being a one-way negative impact, their relationship is interactive, mutual-promoting, and two-sided. Globalization provides unprecedented convenient conditions ...

Summary: Does Globalization Simply Change Culture? In Cultural Globalization, John Tomlinson explains that globalization is not just about the economy or technology. Culture is also an important part of this process. What I found interesting is that culture is not simply changed by globalization. It can also influence how globalization develops. Tomlinson also explains that globalization does not mean everyone will end up having the same culture. For example, people in different countries might follow the same fashion trends, but they can still have their own ways of wearing and expressing them. I think this shows that people do not just copy everything they see from other cultures. Another important idea is deterritorialization. As I understand it, this means that we no longer have to be in a certain country to experience its culture. For example, I can watch Japanese movies or listen to American music while staying in Korea. These experiences can become part of my everyday life and i...

  Section 1: Summary of the Reading After reading John Tomlinson’s “Cultural Globalization,” the point I agreed with most was that consuming American products does not automatically make a person “Americanized.” Someone may drink Coca-Cola, eat at McDonald’s, watch Hollywood films, or play American games while still understanding them through local habits and values. Cultural globalization should not simply mean the whole world becoming one culture. Global connections spread products, brands, images, and lifestyles, but people do not receive them passively. They select, interpret, and change what comes from outside. Culture is therefore not only influenced by globalization; it also shapes how globalization develops locally. Tomlinson’s idea of deterritorialization explains how culture and experience are becoming less restricted by a fixed geographical area. Electronic media bring distant ideas and ways of life into daily life, but local culture does not disappear. Global and local ...

 1. Understanding from the class When I used to think about globalization, the first thing that came to mind was business. Multinational companies sell goods all over the world, and countries import and export products to each other. But after learning from the class, I realized globalization is far more than just international trade. Globalization means regions around the world are becoming more closely connected. People, information, ideas and culture can flow across national borders. It is not a one-way process where developed countries simply export things to developing countries. Cultures and ideas from different places meet and influence one another. Events happening in one place can affect ordinary people far away. Globalization connects every corner of the world into a big network, covering economy, politics, society and culture. I used to think events in one country would mainly affect its own people, but now I know this is not true. For example, a style of music, clothing...

 What Is Globalization: Connecting the World or Redrawing Boundaries? 1. Summary: What Is Globalization Beyond Connectivity? When people think of globalization, they often think first about physical connections: trade, the Internet, air travel, and how frequently people and information move across borders. I used to think about globalization in much the same way. However, Roland Robertson and Kathleen E. White make it clear that connectivity is only part of the story. Simply paving roads, running flights, and setting up Wi-Fi so that people and information travel faster cannot explain how the way we see the world itself has changed. What I find especially important here is the idea of global consciousness. This does not mean that everyone around the world suddenly gets along or agrees on a single set of ideas. Rather, when we think about who we are or what kind of society we live in, we no longer look for answers only within our local neighborhood or country. Instead, the whole wor...

1. Summary of Reading 2: Cultural Globalization In Reading 2, John Tomlinson discusses the relationship between culture and globalization. He argues that globalization is not just about economics or technology, but also deeply connected to culture. Culture is both affected by globalization and acts as a key factor shaping global connections. Tomlinson defines globalization as a process of "complex connectivity," which means that our social, material, and everyday lives are tied together through a dense and fast-growing network across international borders.A major part of Tomlinson's argument is clearing up two common misunderstandings about cultural globalization.First, he disagrees with the idea that economic factors completely control culture.He points out that economic choices, like buying consumer goods, are always based on people's cultural lifestyle choices and personal stories. Second, Tomlinson addresses the common fear that globalization is just Western ...

 Link to the advertisement and news report: The Guardian – American Apparel ad banned The advertisement featured a young-looking female model in a series of photographs showing increasing levels of nudity. Although the company stated that the model was 23 years old, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that she appeared to be under 16 and that the advertisement could be interpreted as sexualizing a child. As a result, the advertisement was banned. Advertisement Analysis Description The advertisement was created by American Apparel and appeared in Vice magazine in 2009. It showed a young-looking female model posing in a series of photographs while wearing a hoodie. In several images, the model was partially undressed and shown in sexually suggestive poses. Although the company claimed that the model was an adult, many viewers believed she looked much younger. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) later banned the advertisement because it was considered inapprop...

  1. Summary Economic globalization is often described as a world run by "placeless" giants, but the reality is much more complex .  Peter Dicken argues that the central actors in this process are Transnational Corporations (TNCs), which he defines as firms that can coordinate and control operations in more than one country, even if they don't own them .  These corporations drive globalization through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which has grown much faster than world trade in recent decades .  Rather than a simple global spread, economic globalization works through "webs of enterprise"—complex production networks that connect different parts of the world but are often concentrated in specific regions like Europe, North America, and East Asia . 2. Interesting and Unusual Points One point I found really surprising is that most "global" corporations aren't actually that global .  Even among the top 100 TNCs, the majority still keep more than half...

  1. Summary Political globalization is much more than just the "decline of the nation-state." According to Delanty and Rumford, it’s a complex process that changes how we organize space and time across national borders. They define it through a "relational dynamic" between three main things: global geopolitics, a global normative culture (like human rights), and polycentric networks. Basically, it means that while the state is still here, it now has to share its power with transnational networks, global movements, and international organizations. It's a shift from traditional national politics to a more "postnational" or "transnational" way of running the world. 2. Interesting and Unusual Points One really interesting point is that political globalization isn't just one single "thing" or "reality," but rather a set of tensions. I found it surprising that the authors don't just focus on big governments; they also t...

  1. Summary The relationship between culture and globalization is not a one-way street where culture simply reacts to external changes; rather, it is a deeply reciprocal and multidimensional process. Tomlinson defines globalization as a "complex, accelerating, integrating process of global connectivity" that links material, social, and economic life across the modern world. Culture acts as the "primordial context" for human agency, providing the socially shared meanings and narratives that make existence purposeful. In this relationship, globalization reaches deep into the local "lifeworld" , while culture simultaneously generates and shapes the globalization process through the small, meaningful actions of individuals, such as consumer choices.   2. Interesting and Unusual Points One of the most counterintuitive arguments in the text is that globalization, rather than merely destroying local traditions, is a primary force in creating and proliferating ...

Summary of the Reading In this reading, the author does not try to give a single and fixed definition of "globalization", but regards it as a multi-dimensional and continuous process of change. The author pointed out that globalization not only occurs in the economic field, but also involves many levels such as politics, culture and society. Therefore, it is an overly narrow view to simply understand globalization as economic integration or market expansion. At the same time, different disciplines, different countries and people from different historical backgrounds have obvious differences in their understanding of globalization, which further shows that globalization is not a state that has been completed and universally recognized, but a process of continuous discussion and re-understanding.  The author also emphasized that when discussing globalization, people tend to pay more attention to structural changes at the macro level, such as the flow of connections, capital and...

  How globalization affects the economy Globalization changed how business works. Companies don't stay in one country anymore. They sell products everywhere. They also make products in different places to save money. Trade between countries grew a lot. Korea exports cars and phones. We import oil and food. Money moves across borders fast. What happens in Wall Street affects the Korean stock market the next day. Your smartphone tells the story Look at your smartphone. It's a perfect example of global economy. The design might come from California. The screen is made in Korea. The camera parts come from Japan. Workers in Vietnam or China put everything together. Then it gets shipped worldwide. No single country makes the whole phone. Each country does what it costs less or what they do best. This is how modern economy works. Everything is connected. The benefits Economic globalization makes things cheaper. Competition between countries keeps prices down. We can buy more st...

  How globalization affects countries Countries used to work alone. Now they have to work together. A problem in one country can spread to others quickly. Think about COVID-19. It started in one place but became everyone's problem in months. Governments can't just think about their own people anymore. What happens in another country matters. The economy is connected. If factories close in China, people in America lose jobs. If Europe makes new rules, companies in Korea have to follow them. Countries form groups to solve problems together. The UN tries to keep peace. The WHO handles health issues. Trade agreements let products move between countries. Governments meet and make decisions that affect millions of people. Climate change as a global issue Climate change shows how politics became global. Pollution doesn't stop at borders. Carbon emissions from China affect the air in Seoul. Forests burning in Brazil impact the whole planet. No single country can fix this alon...

  What is culture? Culture is the way people live. It includes the food we eat, the language we speak, the music we listen to, and the clothes we wear. Culture is also about traditions, holidays, and how we behave with others. Every country has its own culture. Even different cities can have different cultures. For me, culture is what makes a place special. It's the street food in Seoul, the festivals we celebrate, the way we greet each other. Culture is our identity. How globalization changes culture Globalization makes cultures mix together. Now we can watch American movies, listen to K-pop, and eat Japanese food all in one day. Foreign brands are everywhere. Starbucks, Zara, and Netflix exist in almost every country. Sometimes cultures become more similar. Young people around the world wear similar clothes – jeans, sneakers, hoodies. They use the same apps like Instagram and TikTok. They listen to global pop music. But globalization also makes people curious about other cu...

Globalization is basically the world becoming more connected. People, products, and ideas now move across borders much faster than before. It's like the world is getting smaller, even though it's not. Think about your daily life. You probably eat food from different countries – pizza from Italy, tacos from Mexico, or ramen from Japan. You might wear clothes made in Bangladesh or Vietnam. You watch Netflix shows from Korea, America, or Spain. Your phone was designed in California but made in China. This is globalization in action. Why did it happen? Technology changed everything. The internet lets us talk to someone on the other side of the world instantly. Airplanes can deliver packages in days, not months. Companies can now sell their products everywhere. McDonald's is in over 100 countries. K-pop fans exist in every corner of the globe. Information spreads fast through social media. The good side Globalization gives us more choices. We can try new things, learn about...

Summary of the Reading In this reading, the author explores the relationship between culture and globalization, and clearly points out that cultural globalization cannot be simply understood as the becoming more and more the same global culture. Unlike the view of "cultural homogenization" or "Western cultural diffusion", the author pays more attention to how culture is experienced, understood and re-meaninged by people under the background of deepening global connections. From this perspective, cultural globalization is not only reflected in the global dissemination of cultural products such as movies, music or social media, but also in the changes in people's daily life, values and identity. Foreign culture does not simply replace local culture, but interacts, collides and integrates with local culture after entering different social contexts. Therefore, cultural globalization is more like a continuous process. In this process, the meaning of culture is not fi...

Summary of the Reading In this reading, the author discusses the relationship between the economy and globalization, especially focusing on how economic globalization is not an automatic or purely natural process. To be honest, some parts of the reading were quite academic for me, and I could not fully understand every theoretical detail. However, my overall understanding is that economic globalization is mainly driven by specific actors, particularly transnational corporations, rather than by abstract market forces alone. The reading emphasizes that transnational corporations play a central role in shaping global economic integration, but they do not operate in a completely free or detached way. Although these firms invest and produce across borders, their major decisions, headquarters, and research activities are often still connected to their home countries. This challenged my previous assumption that global companies are entirely “rootless.” Instead, the reading suggests that firms...