The Globalization Of The American Fast Food Industry

Finding a Common Thread in Culture

The globalization of the American fast food industry has presented itself as a modern assimilation process across the globe. As the United States continues to dominate as a global economic power, there is not just a transition towards its social and cultural ideals, but also an assimilation as they continue to mold the ideologies of local groups around the world. The correlation between economic expansion and the rise in American influence can be traced back to the early twentieth century. During this time, the United States, was an imperial power that viewed imperialism as a central aspect of the vastly modernizing period. The latter giving rise to a concept noted as “national consciousness,” in which instead of embracing the differences of others, the United States aimed to assimilate everyone into one nation through a common thread: culture. Although the United States, itself is still establishing its own culture, this fragile new American culture has become dominant with the help of expanding technology in the modern age. As globalization brings about a new modernized period, traces of American imperialism have resurfaced once again, no longer under the definition of assimilation, but under the context of McDonaldization, in American fast food companies.

The imperial legacy of the United States, has a two fold effect, creating a problematic relation between culture and society. Since the twentieth century, a sense of dominant and subordinate cultures has surfaced. Provided its worldly influence in terms of political interactions, economic relations and cultural ideals, American culture has become a dominant force throughout the globe. Despite the American culture being new and composed of a...

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... many places around the world. The slow erosion of culinary traditions in Chinese culture is just one example of this issue. When globalization becomes a source of imperialism, eroding historical cultural ties under the pretense of modernization, the results are concerning. Combating the ill effects of this globalization process will require a reassessment of what globalization is meant to be in the world. The concept of international integration needs to be implemented in all aspects of the global world not just in terms of trade. Also, there needs to be a reevaluation of appreciation not only for the dominant modern cultures, but also for the local traditional cultures. Instead of finding a way to meet the standards of Americanization, there needs to be an attempt to precedents of globalization by integrating greater cultural diversity in the face of global trends.