Globalisation Case

Globalization is the main contributor to the increased connectedness that the world faces today. This is due to the advancement in communication and transportation technology, which facilitates greater transfer and accessibility of information, as well as increased mobility of people. While this has been beneficial, it has also led to varying problems faced in Singapore. One of such problems includes cultural issues such as the demise of local culture due to the increased influence of the Western culture.

America has always been seen as the forerunner in globalization, heavily influencing local tastes and cultures to the point of overtaking them (Friedman, 2006), and Singapore is not spared this phenomenon. At least half of 37 countries surveyed said the spread of American cultures negatively impacts their societies (Kohut, A & Wike, R.). As a result, certain traditional values and beliefs are gradually being replaced with Western ones. For instance, youths in particular are becoming more individualistic, as opposed to the traditional collective Asian trait. Besides that, following the western culture, material wealth and possessions are fast becoming status indicators of many Singaporeans (Abigail, 2012), and this is evident from a survey by The Straits Times, which show that a majority of youths under 21 believe that success is defined by the 5Cs. Thus, our definition of success is very much swayed by the American dream.

One possible cause of the latter problem is the depth at which the media has permeated our daily lives, inevitably exposing us to other cultures, more specifically the western culture. Through the media, we are given knowledge on America's success and way of life, which subtly causes us to be more attracted to their lifestyles, as they appear more successful. This thereby shapes our definition of success and makes us believe that we may achieve similar goals by following their way of life. Another possible cause of increased individualism is due to the focus that Singaporeans want in life, which includes freedom, position and security (Kau, 2004) - all these being influenced by the Westerners and shaped by the government as evident in the competitive nature of our society. As such, with the perpetual pursuit of such individual goals, many locals are in this never-ending rat race of climbing to reach "success" and are thus becoming more self-centered and individualistic.

A possible solution to address the issue of the negative implications of social media is that instead of legislating censorship in media coverage, what the government can do is to use social media as a platform to inculcate Asian values back into Singaporeans' lifestyles and use it to influence Singaporeans to retain our traditional Asian beliefs. For example, following the concept of Facebook or Twitter, perhaps the government can create a similar social media platform catering specifically