A friend of mine spotted a Caucasian squatting in a comic store in America reading Japanese manga. Will the future be one of a melting pot of cultures? The internet for one has enabled millions across the world to publish their thoughts and share their culture with the rest of the world. As a Singaporean, whose grandparents migrated from China, and who is now living in America, I have seen much similarities in the different countries: the songs people listen to, the books they read… Will this be more prevalent? More interestingly, will the culture of the rising economies (BRIC) spread more readily over the world, causing a multi-way exchange?
Booming economies usually have the most influence culturally on the rest of the world. This has a lot to do with their companies (Apple, Coca Cola, Disney, Paramount Pictures etc) having huge capital bases to help advertise their products across the world. Of course, this goes as well for their media companies. Hollywood movies are screened across the world, often with a pro-America bias. Interestingly, newly developed economies such as Taiwan and Korea are exporting their own culture with artistes such as Jay Chou and Rain, talk shows and dramas. However, these economies were far smaller than America’s. It would be interesting to see whether economies such as China and India, each with a potential to be bigger than America’s economy, will export their cultures even more successfully.
