Why Culture Change
Culture refers to the unique way that a group of people lives and their entire design for living. Culture encompasses knowledge, belief, law, and morals. Culture has an impact on the way people live, consume, and make decisions. It is a set of characteristics that are passed from generation to generation.
It encompasses all the factors that affect an individual’s thinking and behavior. For example, people in the west have a different culture from those in the east. They have a different way of living and making decisions than those from the east.
Cultural change is so subtle that we rarely notice it. One acts, thinks, and feels the same as other members of the same cultural group. It is pervasive and everywhere.
Let’s explore new things that change the culture in society.
Socialisation
Culture is not static. Socialization is the ability to interact with our siblings, parents, cousins, neighbors, and strangers. Through our senses, we learn what, when, and how often to eat. We learn how to value or waste food. We discover what makes us happy and sad. We learn how to fight back against bullying.
Socialization involves learning specific norms or informal rules that govern behavior in certain situations. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of social norms that govern how people behave in certain places and times. The most obvious are dress codes, manners of speaking, interactions with others, body language, and general demeanors for specific situations.
Social norms are strictly followed in life events like weddings and funerals. However, they are also present in everyday life. We are expected to show up on time to school and work, not rush in if there is a line in a shop, and treat strangers well in public places and on public transport.
Individuals adopt few social and cultural changes when they interact with different cultural groups. Each cultural group has its own value and belief. While interesting in other groups if an individual finds something interesting and valuable then he/she will share those things with their cultural group members. Thus, it slowly changes the cultural systems of society.
Education
Enculturation is a process that allows us to learn more about our culture through socialization and schooling. It teaches us about our ancestry and religion as well as how to celebrate festivals, music, values, norms, and other cultural aspects.
We live in a multicultural world and learn about other cultures through a process called “acculturation”. Through multicultural classmates, books, travel, documentaries, news media, music, food, festivals, films, religions, and rituals, we learn about other cultures.
Education is more effective when it is relevant to a person’s culture. Education teaches people about culture and shows them how they can use it. Education fosters a shared learning experience and provides culture to all students, regardless of race, worldview, or personal beliefs. It is a unique language that is accessible to everyone.
The methods that are taught to the younger generation by education change constantly. Because of the high quality of life, they are instigated by cross-cultural patterns. Globalization is an example of how cultures interact. The values are shaped by progress. This leads to a reevaluation and reshaping of society’s needs. Culture changes as education encourage new cultural transformations.
Employment
We learn about the culture of different companies as we enter the workforce. Income can lead to new purchasing habits for goods and services which expands our cultural influence.
We may be part of a coffee culture, a bar culture, or a BYO culture as part of our work networking. People who work full-time may become interested in the convenience of instant meals or takeout culture. Although we may have received and given gifts in our youth, our working lives could allow us to continue the gift-giving culture by purchasing more exotic souvenirs for family, friends, and colleagues.
Businesses are increasingly paying more attention to their culture. This gives HR professionals a unique opportunity to lead cultural change initiatives within their organizations.
Media
Media is news, opinion, insight, stories, entertainment, and advertising. The internet and social media offer many new avenues for knowledge and culture. Through their creativity on both the input and output sides, individuals and groups can influence the mass media organizations’ output. We would not be wrong if we say society lives under mass media control.
Mass media products can influence many societies. Even in societies that heavily restrict their mass media, news about corruption and scandals can be spread. Both the mass media and society are interconnected and influence each other.
Technology
Our grandparents might not have had these opportunities in the past, but we are now able to email, text, skype, googling, and shop online. We can also read e-books, Twitter, and be members of social media site.
The internet and viral messaging have allowed over one billion people to learn Korean culture via Psy’s music, dance moves, and the song “Gangnam Style”. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are free and available worldwide through providers like Coursera, EdX, Udacity, and have the potential to earn credits at top universities.
The increasing use of mobile phones has also been facilitated by technology, which aids in the enculturation process. A staggering 86% of the world’s population has a mobile phone.
This is why we now have a new generation in cellular phone culture. You may be surprised to know the highest phone subscriptions by the percentage of the population is Russia number one with 1.65 smartphones per person, and Vietnam is number two with 1.44.
Brands
The way we live has been influenced by global brands like Apple, Microsoft, and McDonald’s. We can be Americanized, Westernized, or Globalized in our culture if we learn to adapt and learn from other cultures.
Coca-Cola’s global expansion has led to the use of the term Coca-colonisation to describe the spread and acceptance of Western brand culture. According to one study, Coca colonization, a form of cultural imperialism encourages the acculturation and not enculturation, of US brands.
Coca-Cola is also used by housewives in Brazil and Columbia to change their cooking habits. It spreads diabetes and obesity from developed countries to developing ones.
It is possible to watch American advertising and buy Western brands like the Apple iPhone. Or, we may become more globalized by choosing products or brands from different countries. Some consumers even buy counterfeit versions of global brands! Technology is combined with DIY culture. For example, we buy from Ikea and build our own bookshelves or chairs.
Travel
Tourists and host countries can learn about the cultures of other nations through travel. Air Asia, Jetstar, and Virgin Airways have made it possible for more people to travel on a budget. According to the World Tourism Organization, more than one billion people traveled in 2012.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization promotes sustainable tourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, and community-based tourist because tourism is the largest global industry.
Migration
Acculturation has been influenced by migration. According to the International Organization for Migration, international migrants rose from 150 million in 2000 up to 214 million in 2010.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forces Ukrainian to leave their country and settle in neighboring countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia which cause them to adopt a new culture in their life.
A pattern of cultural booms or busts is possible when there is a small population and little migration. The boom may be triggered by the occasional trip to a new place. Without a steady flow of new ideas and population growth, some ideas may be lost.
Migration bridges societies, creating a network of cultures that allows for the exchange of ideas. As travel becomes more common, smaller groups merge to create a larger population with a greater capacity for innovation. This can lead to a feedback loop where people grow, have more contact with others, and innovation occurs, which in turn leads to even greater populations.
Transitions from Ethnocentrism, Fear or Creolization
After enculturation and acculturation, Americanization, Westernisation, or Coca-Colonisation, there comes a point when we either move to ethnocentrism, creolization, or xenophobia.
Ethnocentrism is when you think your culture is better than others. Some consumers may be extremely xenophobic and dislike foreign cultures. Cross-cultural research into consumer ethnocentrism in China and South Korea revealed that Americans were more ethnocentric.