One of the most utilized products of technology is the internet. It is difficult to think of a segment of life that does not use the internet in modern world. But this is true only for those who have access to it. There are millions of people especially in developing world who cannot access the internet. The availability of computers is one of the determinants of accessibility. Given that access to computers is becoming possible to many people, optimism is high that more people will access the internet and therefore utilize its powers to better their lives (De Palma 2007, pp.12-14). The spread of the internet to various parts of the world has resulted in culture homogeneity. This is the thesis that this essay will support through evidence.
First, access to the internet by people from different parts of the world has exposed them to similar material due to content uniformity in websites. For example someone reading a soccer website in Kenya is able to access the same information as someone reading the same website in London. This means that these two people will have the same understanding of soccer and if they are given a chance to do anything pertaining to soccer, they will display nearly similar characteristics. This scenario applies to all facets of life that have been successfully broken down into understandable words and stored online in websites. Therefore internet access has afforded people access to similar material leading to culture uniformity. (Slevin 2000,pp.78-79).
Also, the internet has made it possible for people to exchange information hence making it possible for people to influence one another (Howard & Jones 2004, pp.45-46).The emergence of internet social sites such as facebook has made this possible. An example in this case is a young girl in Mongolia who has a female online friend from Mexico. These two girls can chat whereby the Mexican girl will tell the Mongolian girl how she felt when she kissed for the first time. If the Mongolian girl is of the same age as the Mexican girl, she may be tempted to kiss to find out how it feels. The influence can also happen the other way round whereby the Mongolian girl will emphasize the Mongolian culture to the Mexican girl whereby she will tell her how young girls are required to avoiding kissing till one is married. The Mexican girl can then stop kissing. Eventually, the two girls will exhibit the same behavior. Same behavior amounts to same culture and therefore the internet will have aided in unifying global culture. This is what is going on around the world in the presence of the internet. People from around the world are sharing ideas and copying from each other, and this has resulted in a highly homogenized society (Barnes 2002, pp.47-48).
Besides the above, the internet has led to a more uniform culture through education (Baase 2008, pp.19-21). Students who access the internet have unlimited access to study materials. This has given them a good chance of excelling and securing scholarships to pursue further studies in other countries. In the process, these people who go abroad end up borrowing elements of the new culture in the countries that they go to. Domestic students also learn aspects of culture from foreign students resulting in a blend on both sides
On the other hand, it is true that there are people who still lack internet access. Therefore saying that the internet has created uniformity in the world may not reflect the reality. Also, it is illogical to assume that people will influence one another when they exchange information on culture. People mostly ask for information about their friends’ culture for the sake of knowledge and not copying them. This therefore means that the internet promotes awareness rather than uniformity of culture.
In conclusion, the internet has made it possible for different people to access the same information and therefore behave in the same way. It has also enabled people to exchange information and thus influence one another in addition to promoting education that has expanded study abroad opportunities thus allowing culture exchange. In all these ways, culture has become almost uniform.
References
- Baase, S., 2008. A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet (3rd ed).New York: Prentice Hall.
- Barnes,S.,2002.Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication Across the Internet. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
- De Palma, P., 2007.Annual Editions: Computers in Society 08/09. (14th ed.).New York: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
- Howard, P& Jones, S. (eds.)., 2004.Society Online: The Internet in Context. New York: Sage Publications Inc.
- Slevin, J., 2000.The Internet and Society. (1st ed.).New York: Polity.