Americanization is the influence of the United States on the popular culture, technology, business practices, or political techniques of other countries. The term has been used since at least 1907.[1] Inside the U.S. the term most often refers to the process of acculturation by immigrants to American customs.
Critics sometimes give "Americanization" a negative connotation because they perceive as negative the far-reaching American influence in many countries, and may fear the loss of local customs and traditions.
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Hollywood, the American film and television industry, dominates most of the world's media markets (Bollywood films in India are a major exception). It is the chief medium by which people across the globe see American fashions, customs, scenery and way of life.
U.S.-based TV programs are re-broadcast around the world. Many of them through American broadcasters and their subsidiaries (such as HBO Asia, CNBC Europe and CNN International). Many of these distributors broadcast mainly American programming on their TV channels. According to a recent survey by the influential British broadcast media magazine Radio Times, The Simpsons, Lost and Desperate Housewives are among the most watched TV shows, with CSI being the most watched show among the surveyed 20 countries.[2] American films are also extremely popular around the world, often dominating cinemas. Adjusting for inflation, the highest grossing film of all time is Gone with the Wind. Often part of the negotiating in free trade agreements between the U.S. and other nations involves screen quotas. One such case is Mexico, after abolishing their screen quotas following the establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the U.S.[3] Recently South Korea has agreed to reduce its quota under pressure from the U.S. as part of a free trade deal.[4] Many U.S.-based artists, such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson are recognized worldwide and have sold over 500 million albums each.[5] Michael Jackson's album Thriller, at 100 million sales, is the best-selling album of all time.[6]
Of the top ten global brands, seven are based in the United States.[7] Coca-Cola, which holds the top spot, is often viewed as a symbol of Americanization, and has vending machines in over 200 countries worldwide.[8] Fast food is also often viewed as being a symbol of U.S. influence. Companies such as Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Domino's Pizza among others have numerous outlets around the world.
Many of the world's biggest computer companies are also U.S. based, such as Microsoft, Apple Inc., Dell and IBM, and much of the software bought worldwide is created by U.S. based companies. The early internet was invented in the US.
In Germany in the 1920s, the American efficiency movement was called "rationalization" and it was a powerful social and economic force. In part it looked explicitly at American models, especially Fordism.[9] "Rationalization" meant higher productivity and greater efficiency, promising science would bring prosperity. More generally it promised a new level of modernity and was applied to economic production and consumption as well as public administration. Various versions of rationalization were promoted by industrialists and Social Democrats, by engineers and architects, by educators and academics, by middle class feminists and social workers, by government officials and politicians of many parties. As ideology and practice, rationalization challenged and transformed not only machines, factories, and vast business enterprises but also the lives of middle-class and working-class Germans.[10]
During the 15 years from 1950 to 1965, American investments in Europe soared by 800% to $13.9 billion, and in the European Economic Community rose 10 times to $6.25 billion. Europe's share of American investments increased from 15% to 28%. The investments were of very high visibility and generated much talk of Americanization. Even so American investments in Europe represented only 5% of the total European investment and American-owned companies in the European Economic Community employ only 2 or 3% of the total labor force. The basic reason for the U.S. investments is no longer lower production costs, faster economic growth, or higher profits in Europe, but the desire to maintain a competitive position based largely on American technological superiority. Opposition to U.S. investments, originally confined to France, later spread to other European countries. Public opinion began to resent American advertising and business methods, personnel policies, and the use of the English language by American companies. Criticism was also directed toward the international currency system which was blamed for inflationary tendencies as a result of the dominant position of the U.S. dollar.[11]
Additionally, foreign cities have fallen sway to Americanization as observed in large metropolitan centers such as Monterrey, Mexico.[12]
Berghahn, (2010) analyzes the debate on the usefulness of the concepts of 'Americanization' and 'Westernization'. He reviews the recent research on the European-American relationship during the Cold War that has dealt with the cultural impact of the United States upon Europe. He then discusses the relevant work on this subject in the fields of economic and business history. Overall, the article tries to bring out that those who have applied the concept of 'Americanization' to their research on cultural and/or economic history have been well aware of the complexities of trans-Atlantic relations in this period, whether they were viewed as a two-way exchange or as a process of circulation.[13]