Monday 6 May 2013

Globalisation and the Future

No one can predict what impact globalisation will have on the future since the past hasn't been predictable. There are many predictions for the future which include a global recession and depression. However there are some current factors that will have an impact on globalisation in the future. Firstly population growth, the dominance of the trade in technology and goods in certain areas, global and environmental climate change, the balance of military power, rapid advances in communications technology and the divide between the worlds countries. This leaves the state of globalisation in the future very uncertain.

-Ruth

Global Branding Quote

'Despite different cultures, middle-class youth all over the world seem to live their lives as if in a parallel universe. They get up in the morning, put on their Levi's and Nikes, grab their caps and backpacks, and sony personal CD players and head for school."

- Naomi Klein, (1999) No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies.

A very fitting quote to sum up the influence global brands have had on the world, apart from the personal CD player which is a bit out of date.

-Ruth

The Rise of Corporate Global Power

I found some interesting facts about the growing power of private corporations due to globalisation. These facts are about the top 200 transnational corporations in the world and no surprise the majority are American.

1. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations; only 49 are countries.

2. The top 200 corporations sales are growing at a faster rate than overall global economic activity.

3. The top 200 corporations combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all the countries minus the biggest 10.

4. The top 200s' combined sales are 18 times the size of the combined annual income of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty.

5. While the sales of the top 200 are equivalent of 27.5 percent of the world economic activity, they employ only 0.78 percent of the worlds workforce.

6. U.S. corporations dominate the top 200, with 82 slots with Japanese firms in second with 41 slots.

These facts and the top 200 reflect the trends in the global economy and therefore the future. The top 200 used to be dominated by manufacturing corporations however since globalisation boosted financial transactions and telecommunications global corporations in these sectors have taken over. We have already seen the impact these global corporations have on our economy because Barclays is at the top. The state of the global economy will therefore depend and reflect upon these top 200 countries as they continue to grow.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/59/corporate-power-facts-and stats#Concentrationoftransnationalcompanies

-Ruth

Novum Magazine

Novum is a German magazine which covers news, technology, branding, trends and reviews in the world of Graphic Design. After reading Novum I wondered if this high profile global magazine and the design it shares are getting more global exposure and is Novum therefore contributing to the global success of brands?



-Ruth

Has Hybridity Influenced Global Branding?

After reading about hybridity's influence on Modern Art I wondered if it had had the same influence on global branding. Global brands have to take into account the needs and values of other countries. Brands such as Coca-cola market the same core principles around the world however areas such as marketing, price, packaging, media and distribution are altered to suit individual markets. Instead of brands changing their principles and being influenced by other countries they keep their strong country heritage which becomes a hugh selling point and in some cases has been the leverage for global success. For example after struggling in the market Marlboro became the leading cigarette brand in Hong Kong after it became the leading American brand because it showed that the company has not only a popular product but also has resources and commitment. Technology has played a big part in this because global brands have capitalised on the media coverage that overlaps in many regions. Hybridity has therefore had the opposite effect on global branding than it had on Modern Art.

-Ruth

Cultural Hybridity in Art

"Hybridity results when two or more cultures are incorporated to create a new cultural identity. The identities are not assimilated or altered independently, bits of identities become elements of a new identity. A third identity emerges which is not the same as the independent parts. It is common to find hybridity in the context of a colonised culture that has been destabilised. When cultures take in elements of global influence, they are doing so within the context of their local lives and creating a new hybrid."

Smith, K. (2006) The Impact of Indigenous Hybridity on the Formation of World Society. Worlds Society Focus Papers.

Hybridity has has an impact on art and design in todays world. Advances in globalisation has meant that the world we live in is constantly on the move. People can move between countries with ease as a tourist, worker and immigrant. New innovations in technology such as the television and the internet mean we can also experience these cultures as at any time as virtual travellers. This movement between cultures has influenced the work of many modern artists including Chris Ofili who's a Turner Prize winning painter. Ofili is British of African and Caribbean descent who's success has allowed him to travel to places such as Zimbabwe and Trinidad. His movement in cultures has influenced his style as he builds up layers in his work to explore personal issues and cultural identity.

Chris Ofili, Third Eye Vision, 1999

-Ruth

Thursday 2 May 2013

2013's Hypes

With every year having major global hypes, it tends to be set in the video game franchise. Things many people worldwide are looking forward to are the PlayStation4 and Xbox 720 consoles. Also the first Pokemon games to be released on 3DS, X and Y. The Legend of Zelda's" Link to the past" is revamped for 3DS, passing it's 25th anniversary.
Films like Iron man 3, Star Trek and Hobbit Part 2 will also get the world stirring...

~Josh

Hype Train


Hype Train is a slang term used to describe the high level of anticipation surrounding an upcoming release of a popular media franchise or an announcement of a new project, especially for video games, movies and TV series. In the video gaming community, the term may be used in a positive light to express one’s excitement, or conversely, to convey disappointment at a product that fails to meet high expectations.

Origin
The term “Hype Train” was used as early as November 26th, 2002 on the gaming review site IGN in a review of the Japanese version of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire which wasn’t released in North America until March 2003. Author Craig Harris explained that they received advanced copies of the game to “get the hype train moving,” noting that he had trouble navigating through it as he did not speak Japanese. His review also suggests that Nintendo products “print money,” which was later popularized in the 2004 Newgrounds flash animation Decline of Video Gaming 2.
Nintendo today sent us a copy of both Japanese versions of Pokemon for the Game Boy Advance, most definitely to get the hype train moving early. But it’s not like the game’s going to need the hype, since releasing the game is, essentially, a license to print money for the company.

By March 2004, the term had expanded outside of the gaming community, as evidently seen in a reply comment on a programming-related blog post, which noted that the popularity of programming language SmallTalk in the 1970s was “derailed by the Java hype-train.” Between 2004 and 2009, “hype trains” were discussed on a number of gaming sites and forums, including IGN, Go Nintendo, Joystiq, N4G and gamrConnect. In 2010, the term was again used outside of the gaming community on Bleacher Report in an article about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Bobby Lashley.

~Josh

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Post modernity in globalisation

After a lecture on post modernity it got me thinking about how my opinion on globalisation has been influenced by the post modern environment I've grown up in, opposed to someone that grew up before post modernity and globalisation. Post modernity began anywhere between the 1950's and the 1970's, its debatable. The world shifted from rational thought where industrialisation and mass production ruled, to consumption, technology, hyper-reality and popular culture. Having always lived in a society where consumption is everything and we buy because we want not because we need has allowed me to have a positive opinion on globalisation. Due to globalisation I can buy online twenty four hours a day, talk to people on the other side of the world and even blog about globalisation. This post modern environment has therefore allowed me to experience the positives of globalisation and allowed me to discard the negatives. Leaving me with a positive opinion of globalisation and how its shaped the world.  

-Ruth

The Designer and Globalisation

http://www.dbdaishu.com/design/index.php/component/content/article/48-design/122-the-designer-and-globalization

Some interesting points made on the impact designers have on globalisation and the corporations that are 'in control'

Ricky

Social Media = Globalisation



After watching this its hard to deny that every single one of us is experiencing Globalisation everyday, all because of the technologies we surround ourselves with.

Ricky

Future Technologies involving Globalisation

I was researching this in the first term of our 2nd year, for the art direction project, and I'm still thinking about it now. Post-humanism or transhumanism is the belief of a state beyond what we are now - forced evolution. These are things like androids; enhanced human body parts, whether through technology or drugs; and the scariest one i think, living in a virtual world/ mind uploading. 

So this is the belief that one day we will become so reliant on technology and the internet that we will one day develop the ability to upload ourselves digitally and live forever in this cyber world, leaving our human bodies behind. 

If this were to happen then everything would change, there would be no more countries or borders, even things like race and gender could be changed. It would be like social networking on a massive scale. You could upload/ download memories or thoughts to share around, communicate with anyone at any time... and this is just a tiny section of what would be possible. Very scary stuff and yet seems very likely the way things are changing today. 


I'm honestly unsure of what i think of all this... 

Ricky

More on Communication

After reading a journal about how globalisation has developed because of communication I came across some staggering facts.

"90% of internet users are Westerners; in 2004, in the USA, there were 195 million internet servers, in Europe 22 million, whereas in Africa only 300,000; the city of New York alone has more phone channels than the entire continent of Africa. Such unequal opportunity has lead to the exclusion of 3 billion people from scientific knowledge and process."

As the word globalisation would suggest to incorporate the whole world it is clear from the facts that it doesn't. This is because for countries to join in the globalisation process they have to contribute a minimum level of means and infrastructure required to become connected with the rest of the world on a global scale. The ever growing scale of globalisation has therefore left an unequal divide between the countries who have greatly benefited from it and those who haven't.

However this divide isn't totally accurate as communication through means like the internet has broken down barriers between groups of people and their different cultures. This has seen a hugh rise in immigration leading to more people holding multiple citizenships. Everyone now has the freedom to live where they wish because of the growing relationships between countries.

As McLuhan stated "the evolution of the means of communication has reduced the importance of the physical presence in the favour of the way we live the experience of the people and events...as a result, the place you are in is less important than what you know or live."

Luminita and Soproni (2011) Introduction. The Globalisation of Communication, Eurolimes.

-Ruth

Monday 29 April 2013

Global Branding in the Digital World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nbyqkTtK6

I know this is a really long talk but it raises some brilliant points when it comes to promoting global brands.

It mostly focuses around the quality of advertising. Quality is what is going to sell. If something really surprises you or really catches your attention in a brand you're going to remember it. Viral videos are great at this. They create a brilliant vibe, and get people communicating with each other, talking about the brand and this great new video. Clever brands get involved with these talks on social network sites, giving themselves a personality which people can really relate to.

From what i've gathered from the clip and from my own experiences, I find that most brands that successfully promote themselves/ advertise themselves in the digital world have humanised their brands or given themselves a personality. http://www.comparethemarket.com compare the market with the meerkat at the forefront is a great example given by one of the speakers. Everybody knows about it and most seem to love it. They've got an interactive website to go along with this personality, as well as a collectable toys, just inviting all kinds of people to join them. This is brilliant branding because it is making insurance more enjoyable and maybe even fun, all creating a positive and comfortable attitude around their brand.















There are all kinds of strategies in branding but with people spending more and more time online i think the most successful advertising will be done in the digital world.

Ricky

Cultural Cross-polliniation in Animals - Cane Toad


Photo: Close-up of a cane toad in grass

Type: Amphibian
Diet:
Omnivore
Average life span in the wild:
5 to 10 years
Size:
4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
Weight:
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
Group name:
Knot or nest


The much maligned venomous cane toads earned their bad reputation shortly after being released into the Australian ecology in 1935 with the hope that they would control the destructive cane beetle population. They turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves.
About 3,000 cane toads were released in the sugarcane plantations of north Queensland in 1935. They now number well into the millions, and their still expanding range covers thousands of square miles in northeastern Australia. They are considered pests, and government eradication efforts include asking residents to help collect and dispose of them.
Cane toads are large, stocky amphibians with dry, warty skin, and are native to the southern United States, Central America, and tropical South America. Their numbers are manageable in their natural range, but they have thrived in Australia because there are few natural predators, they breed easily, and they have abundant food, including pet food, which they steal from feeding bowls left outside of homes.
Their effects on Australia's ecology include the depletion of native species that die eating cane toads; the poisoning of pets and humans; depletion of native fauna preyed on by cane toads; and reduced prey populations for native insectivores, such as skinks.
Cane toad venom is a mix of toxins that primarily affects the functioning of the heart. It is present throughout their bodies and is secreted as a milky liquid from the parotoid glands located over the toad's shoulders. Envenomation is painful, but rarely deadly to humans, although some people have died from eating cane toads and even their eggs.

~ Josh

Sunday 28 April 2013

Popular culture

Definitions of popular culture tend to be wide-ranging, given the flexibility in the meanings of both "popular" and "culture." The term can indicate a specific set of traditions enacted by a specific group of people, or the mass homogenization of contemporary society. It can indicate the commercial culture brought to us through mass produced goods (including the mass media), or the simple elements of everyday life. Ultimately, the study of popular culture is concerned with how relations of power are structured through the practices and texts which make up the bulk of people's daily activity. As such, it often focuses on popular texts — romance novels, Hollywood films, advertisements, sporting events, video games, contemporary music, and so on — and on the conditions of their production and consumption.

http://www.globalautonomy.ca/global1/glossary_pop.jsp?id=CO.0008

~ Josh

Tuesday 23 April 2013

A designer talks Globalisation

Thoughts on the globalization of design

-Emma


I am lucky. I was born in Switzerland, where I learned how you should design. Now I live and work in different countries, I speak different languages, and my friends come from different parts of the world. One family. I am very lucky.
Then I think, how come design always looks the same, feels the same? I meet international designers and I can't see any difference between their work and mine. Even though they come from across the globe, the cultural variety seems to be watered down. Things like the Internet, international exhibitions, low cost airlines and the domination of the English language have opened the door to the whole world.
Is it really the whole world or just what is adaptable with western standards? Is it necessary? Or maybe, do I have to know other cultures' identities in order to understand mine?
I don't know.
Christian Etter



His article had interesting responses...

http://www.design21sdn.com/people/16/posts/125

The Globalisation of Art and Design

http://www.mad-blog.com/2009/10/06/the-globalisation-of-design-and-art-direction/

- Emma


The globalisation of design and art direction

October 6, 2009
In music you have it, in art you have it, in film you…well, had it, if you think of French film noir, Czech fairy tales and the still very strong “Bollywood” style of India. I’m talking about a country-specific influence.
Winning-Formula
But in design and art direction today there seems to be a universal language. I suspect that this is due to international advertising festivals like Cannes, the One Show or the Clios: the winners of these awards set new standards and suddenly everyone follows. Designers and art directors all want to imitate the “winning style”. For example, the influence of multi award-winning creative Erik Vervroegen and his team was very apparent during his time at TBWA\Paris.
Creating stuff by simply following a “winning-formula” – I find this disappointing and sad.
Last year I was the president of the design and art direction category at the Golden Drum festival in Portoroz. I could sense the potential of this region. And yet I couldn’t see it. Most of the work followed international trends – about one year behind.
Rather than blaming the region’s creative talents, I would like to challenge them to show us how, by exploring their artistic roots, they can make design and art direction part of a country’s culture and history.
Imagine you open the archive-magazine and you don’t see the sea of sameness but ads strongly influenced by local styles: the typical Slovenian art direction, the famous Czech design or the unmistakeable Russian style.
The ad world today is a little bit like entering a restaurant from a global fast food chain in New York, Moscow or Tokyo: same food, same style, same standards. But tomorrow I want to enter local places – for a taste of chevapcici, borscht or just vodka.

Monday 22 April 2013

Globalisation's affect on the environment

I’ve been reading about the affect globalisation has had on communication and technology to further globalisation however for this to happen there has been and still is repercussions to the environment. 

As the world increases it’s demand for natural resources, technological innovations, wealth and expansion, the environment suffers. The latest technology is causing the world’s electronic waste to pile up to a massive forty million tons each year. In addition to this over population has caused the overuse of natural resources. Extensive deforestation is now world wide with 11 million acres a year cut for commercial and property industries and about one half of the forests that covered the Earth are now gone. These devastating affects on the environment are due to globalisation’s exporting overuse. 

However its because of the negative impacts on the environment that globalisation is now starting to have a positive impact. The awareness of preserving natural resources and using greener technology has been assisted by multinational corporations due to globalisation. Global communication is allowing world wide research into greener technology to progress. 

I believe the sudden rise of globalisation brought the unstoppable negative affects it had on the environment. However as globalisation has stabilised the communication it brought between countries will allow the next green technological innovations the save the environment which we have left. 

-Ruth 

Japanamerica

I've been reading this book Japanamerica by Roland Kelts a lecturer at the university of tokyo.
These scans talk about how outdated japanese television game shows have now become a hit in western cultures like xfactor and american idol.

Also it talks into depth about porn... yes i know, scary.
But, it seems Japan favor the hentai manga book style which involves tentacles, beastiality and rape to be "artistic" and "imaginative" than to posing nude women in the western's playboy and penthouse.

Western culture uses the word "Hentai" for japanese porn. Hentai means "strange transformation" form the kanji characters "hen" and "tai".  But with irony,the japanese call theirs as "porno anime" using english words. It seems both cultures feel the need to exoticize the words and make them foreign to display fantasies.

It sort of seems the norm for a japanese citizen to walk around town reading a hentai manga yet if you take it to a western culture it would be deemed very unappropriate to have in the high street. Yet Britain has the work of Donald McGill - a cartoon artist known for doing rude funny postcards.

Anywho, its worth a read, ~ Josh




 

Saturday 20 April 2013

The Digital Dump


A piece of infographics showing how our advances in technology are impacting our environment as we continuously dump our out of date technology. 

-Ruth

Is technology the driving force behind globalisation?

It is already evident that technology has played a hugh role in creating global communication, global financial transactions and the coordination of global productions and marketing, which alone has accelerated globalisation. If we go back to where it began, the advances in technology have had both positive and negative effects. "The introduction of the telegraph in 1837, the telephone in 1876, the wireless in 1895, the aeroplane in 1903, the television in 1926, the liquid-fuelled rocket in 1927, the coaxial cable in the 1930's, and the digital computer in 1946." These hugh technological innovations started the financial and marketing dealings on a global scale. "Meanwhile, the invention of CFCs in 1931 laid the basis for much subsequent global ozone depletion." The momentum technological innovation gained started to impact not only the environment but the countries unable to keep up.
Technology hasn't solely caused globalisation however it provided the framework for which rationalism and capitalism has grown upon. As further advances in technology are made every day it will continue to boost globalisation.

Quotes from Jan Aart Scholte, 2000. Globalisation: A Critical Introduction. Edition. Palgrave Macmillan.

-Ruth

Friday 19 April 2013

McDonlalds sales drop 2013

Something on BBC news about McDonlad's global state.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22212564

McDonald's has reported a drop in first quarter sales and says it expects sales to fall in April as well.
The world's largest restaurant chain said net income was marginally higher at $1.27bn in the quarter, but underlying global sales fell 1%.


~ Josh

Thursday 18 April 2013

The Digital Divide

A major contributor to globalisation has been the rise in digital technologies which has aided global communication. The state of the art technology we use today has both enhanced communication between those with the technology and decreased it between those who don't, causing a digital divide. "...the internet is global, democratic and somehow working as a catalyst in a move to a technological utopia." As globalisation continues we may see this digital divide increase. 

Quote from 
Annabelle Mooney, 2007. Globalization: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides). New edition. Routledge. 

-Ruth

Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Global Power Shift

Paddy Ashdown talks about the three main global power shifts which he see's coming in the near future.


An interesting talk however I found Paddy Ashdown's points a bit outdated as I don't believe global conflicts will happen on the scale he's suggesting as our countries become ever more interlinked, connected and dependent on one another.

-Ruth


Marx on Globalisation

These book pages are taken from 'Marx on Globalisation' which expresses the analysis of globalisation from philosopher karl Marx. The highlighted sections are short summaries of Marx's contemporary theories on globalisation. These are cultural, economic and political variants.



David Renton, 2002. Marx on Globalization. Edition. Lawrence And Wishart Ltd.

-Ruth

Books

Art Education and Visual Culture in the Age of Globalization 
Authors: Tavin, Kevin
Hausman, Jerome

http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?sid=5ea9bb9e-93a4-4ee3-a6d4-8f26cce3a1a9%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edsjad&AN=edsjad.10.2307.3194104
















Josh

British Culture

Was looking at stuff about tumblr, since its constant visuals impacting on those who use it
Found this blog on British culture made by an American...
So its what they think Britain is like and telling other followers that this is what Britain is like... visual impact made so readily available online

http://britculture.tumblr.com

Garth

Anti-corporation, branding, globalisation...

This video could be seen as an anti-corporation/ globalisation movement, into rejecting branded clothing and fair working conditions/ payment for the workers in India.

Ricky

Globalisation!

Collection of videos!








-Emma

Anti-Globalisation Groups, what they're all about...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1305103.stm

I think this article has summed it up best for me, with these main points,

When it comes to the anti-globalisation groups they cover a wide range of world issues, including;

  • Environmentalism
  • Third world debt
  • Animal rights
  • Child labour
  • Anarchism- belief in the abolition of government 
  • Anti-capitalism
Opponents of globalisation say it leads to exploitation of the world's poor, workers, and the environment. They say it makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability. They also claim that countries' individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanisation. Several of the largest US brands (eg McDonald's and Starbucks) face particular opposition.



Ricky

Monday 15 April 2013

The Mastermind of McDonalds - Josh


I've been hiding undercover reading the McDonaldization-the reader book inside McDonalds itself! Stuffing my face with chips. It's hard not to, it's hypnotic - and those Monopoly Stickers? Who can resist? I'm missing one of each set now...

Anyway, the map shows the global spread of every McDonalds in America, I will find maps of Earthly spreads to see how cultures are linked with burgers. Here are the four steps McDonalds uses to control the food industry globaly.









Wednesday 27 March 2013

A start to understanding COMMUNICATION in globalisation

The rapid development of technology has contributed to the increase in communication between the worlds communities. This has influenced the process of globalisation by improving business and therefore wealth of developing countries. This interesting piece of information graphics highlights which countries are the most and least connected.


As we're blogging about the importance of communication in globalisation I thought this piece of information graphics showing the blogosphere (all blogs and their interconnections) summed up the scale in a second. 


Ruth

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Paragraph describing 'Globalisation'. - Emma

Globalization is a term that is not easily defined, but is loosely described as the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. It has gradually increased the production of goods and services and the biggest companies are no longer national firms but ‘multinational corporations’ with subsidiaries in many countries.
       
Globalization has been taking place for hundreds of years, but has speeded up enormously over the last half-century. It has resulted in aspects such as, increased international trade, a company operating in more than one country, greater dependence on the global economy, freer movement of capital, goods and services and recognition of companies such as McDonalds and Starbucks in LEDC’s (Less Economically Developed Countries).

Although Globalization is probably helping to create more wealth in developing countries – it is not helping to close the gap between the world’s poorest countries and the world’s richest. There are several factors, which have influenced the process of globalization: Improvements in transportation, Freedom of trade, Improvements of communications and Labour availability and skills.

              
Globalization has resulted in many businesses setting up or buying operations in other countries. When a foreign company invests in a country, perhaps by building a factory or a shop, this is called inward investment. Companies that operate in several countries are called multinational corporations. The US fast-food chain McDonald’s is a large MNC. 

Globalization is having a dramatic effect – for good and bad – on world economies and on people’s lives. Some of the positive impacts are things such as, TNC's providing jobs and skills for local people, the sharing of ideas, experiences and lifestyles of people and cultures and increasing awareness of events in far-away parts of the world. Some of the negative impacts are things such as globalization being viewed as a threat to the world’s cultural diversity, transnational companies with their massive economies of scale driving other smaller companies out of business, and there being no guarentee that the wealth from inward investment will benefit the local community and that industry may begin to thrive in LEDCs at the expense of jobs in manufacturing in the UK and other MEDCs, especially in textiles.
  
Anti-globalization campaigners sometimes try to draw people’s attention to these points by demonstrating against the World Trade Organisation. This is an inter-government organization that promotes the free flow of trade around the world.

Monday 25 March 2013

Corporations and Anti-globalisation


This cleared a few things up for me if any of you a still unsure of what globalisation is? It focuses on things like

  • The globalised market- and how it uses communications to great effect.
  • Anti-globalisation groups- who are against the big corporations reaping havoc on the world and more significantly the poorer countries.

Mind Map of Globalisation and Visual Culture!


Pick a subject to research!