Home away from home

Globalization refers to the process of increasing relationships between people, cultures, economies, and nations across the world. This is driven by the influence that is shared within different aspects of knowledge and innovation. The globalization of American culture can be seen all over the city of Barcelona. This influence can be seen in various aspects of Spanish life including fashion, food, and music.

Upon walking into any clothing store in Barcelona, you will find various items that have American cities and states on them as well as some with American flags. We have found that Brady Melville, an American clothing brand that sells an abundance of American merchandise such as shirts or pants printed with Ivy League schools. Yet at the same time, there is not a single sign of any Spanish merchandise in their inventory. We find this very intriguing because it is a culture that Spaniards have most likely never experienced but still sport the products. You can also find locals wearing baseball hats from American MLB teams and different American universities.

Similarly to American representation within the clothing in Barcelona, various American fast-food chains can also be found all around the city including McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell, and Starbucks. However, these chains have also localized to the culture in Barcelona by adding alcoholic beverages and different items than U.S. locations to better target their consumer audience. While some locals have embraced American culture, others view it as a threat to traditional Spanish customs and values, diminishing the rich, historical atmosphere of Spain. Overall, Americanism in Spain is a complex phenomenon that reflects the ongoing globalization of culture in the ways in which different societies interact and influence one another.

Furthermore, beyond what an individual can see, when going into public spheres in Barcelona, you will often hear American music playing. This reflects the amount of American tourism in Spain and how businesses will play music to appeal to American tourists, which furthers America’s influence on the country and introduces this music to locals. Overall Americanism in Spain is a complex phenomenon that reflects the ongoing globalization of culture in the ways in which different societies interact and influence one another.

Through analyzing and observing the Americanized effect, one can conclude that this is a prime example of low-context communication. Low-context communication means there are explicit messages that are universally understood by most people, in this case, Americans. This list of reasons above provides reasoning for how it is easy for these individuals to recognize the golden arch of the McDonald’s sign, or to be able to read shirts with English text on them. This encourages tourism to Barcelona from America because it requires little knowledge of the Spanish language or culture to be able to travel around.

Through the observation of low-context globalization representation in Barcelona, individuals from communities across the globe, especially America, may find a home away from home. With the comfort of familiarity in an unfamiliar place, globalization creates an atmosphere welcoming to all.