In today’s society, globalization is fueled by the endless researching capabilities of search engines and incredible speed of the Internet allowing for the phenomenon of time-space compression to exist in the everyday lives of people connecting countries, ideas, and varying cultures from around the world. According to Inda and Rosaldo, time-space compression refers to the idea that advanced technology, transportation, and communication has led increased global interconnectedness through communication, trade, commodity flows, etc. The effects of time-space compression helped to initiate and fuel my desire to learn more about Japan, its popular culture, media, entertainment, and language and observe the international flow of culture in both directions. …show more content…
As a child, I grew up in an Americanized environment, despite having an Asian heritage. At home, my family spoke English and I grew up watching American television, listening to English-speaking songs, celebrating American holidays, etc. However, in high school, I discovered and developed a passion for Japanese popular culture, media, and music. Primarily through the Internet, I was able to feed this desire to learn more and consume about a country physically miles away from my home. To explore a culture with traditions and ideas so radically different from the Western media was incredibly refreshing and exciting for me at the time. As a result, my passion to learn more about Japan inspired me to visit and experience first-hand instead of on a screen. Through this perspective, I applied and studied abroad at ICU in Tokyo, Spring 2017. While I was abroad, I was able to participate in the cultural and social aspects of Japanese life and school within the city, suburbs, and …show more content…
in almost a split second. The instantaneous results with just a few clicks illustrates how technology reduces search time and how easy it is to today to consume knowledge and media. Though Japan is physically located across the Pacific Ocean, the Internet has decreased the cyber-distance between the countries, so it is no longer far in the ability to receive recent articles or media in real time. Also, my interest and many other Americans’ interest in Japanese culture highlights how “globalization…cannot be conceived solely as a matter of one-way, western imperialism” (Inda and Rosaldo 24) and “culture does move in the opposite direction, that is, from the rest to the West” (Inda and Rosaldo 20). Japanese culture and technologies come from the periphery, yet has become popularized and consumed in the Western or American world. Contradictory to the 1940s and World War II era, currently the United States and Japan politically and socially have peaceful relations and economically the United States imports a significant number of Japanese technological commodities from computers, cameras, gaming systems, cars, etc. These relations aid to the increased consumption of Japanese culture and commodities to America through the Internet or international