Effects of Western Culture on Teenagers
Gweon, Yong Keun
Assignment #2, FORL212-2
Due: 8th October, 2009
Effects of Western culture on teenagers
Led by wealthy Western countries, the mass media, the fashion industry and the education curriculum, the perception of beauty is increasingly being defined by Western parameters due to reasons such as globalization, free trade and high technology. The inundation of Western culture is undeniable as it has effects that are both unconsciously beneficial and detrimental in our daily lives. Teenagers, who engage in surfing the World Wide Web, television and variety of Western influences on daily basis, must learn how to deal with tides of Western culture changing them.
Western culture has certainly enhanced the lives of teenagers in the East. The Internet has helped teenagers with their social lives; fast food has made food prep less time consuming; and MTV has shown them a whole new different world. As the influx of Western behaviours and thinking continues, teenagers’ lives will be disparate to those of parents. Through globalization, teenagers are also experiencing new cultures that are absolutely different from local cultures and this can make these youths much more adaptable and accepting to distinctions that vary among societies. Even education wise, young Asian teenagers are privileged to read some of the best and most thrilling Western books. Watching American Idol and C.S.I, web-surfing on You Tube and Google and socialising on Face book and Myspace, after all, may be the first step these teenagers take to become international leaders of tomorrow.
However, these benefits do not come without strings attached. Leading fast food chain shops such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s are making people obese at a young age and glamorous Hollywood actors and singers are mesmerising teenagers into plastic surgery. Unconsciously and involuntarily, teenagers often suffer from the loss of their own unique culture. South Korean architecture, based upon
Assignment #2, FORL212-2
Due: 8th October, 2009
Effects of Western culture on teenagers
Led by wealthy Western countries, the mass media, the fashion industry and the education curriculum, the perception of beauty is increasingly being defined by Western parameters due to reasons such as globalization, free trade and high technology. The inundation of Western culture is undeniable as it has effects that are both unconsciously beneficial and detrimental in our daily lives. Teenagers, who engage in surfing the World Wide Web, television and variety of Western influences on daily basis, must learn how to deal with tides of Western culture changing them.
Western culture has certainly enhanced the lives of teenagers in the East. The Internet has helped teenagers with their social lives; fast food has made food prep less time consuming; and MTV has shown them a whole new different world. As the influx of Western behaviours and thinking continues, teenagers’ lives will be disparate to those of parents. Through globalization, teenagers are also experiencing new cultures that are absolutely different from local cultures and this can make these youths much more adaptable and accepting to distinctions that vary among societies. Even education wise, young Asian teenagers are privileged to read some of the best and most thrilling Western books. Watching American Idol and C.S.I, web-surfing on You Tube and Google and socialising on Face book and Myspace, after all, may be the first step these teenagers take to become international leaders of tomorrow.
However, these benefits do not come without strings attached. Leading fast food chain shops such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s are making people obese at a young age and glamorous Hollywood actors and singers are mesmerising teenagers into plastic surgery. Unconsciously and involuntarily, teenagers often suffer from the loss of their own unique culture. South Korean architecture, based upon