Homogeneity

• Frankfurt School 


  • Dominance of American companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, change the political landscape and limit the alternative views available online
  • All promote consumerism and assume western, capitalist, liberal values - e.g. Google changes its logo to celebrate events like gay pride
• Dal Yong Jin 



  • 98% of internet platforms are run by for-profit organisations, 78% are US based - 'platform imperialism'
  • Internet is dominated by capitalist American platforms that are a hegemonic force
  • 55% of the internet content is in English yet only 20% of the world's population speak English
• Kleeman 



  • Men have more power to set the information agenda, leading to a male bias
  • 13% of Wikipedia contributors are women
  • List of female porn stars has over 1000 editors and 2,500 edits but list of female poets has less than 100 editors
  • Women under-represented in science and lack decent biographies, which users assume means she is unimportant - marginalisation becomes circular
  • Only one page for all 6 seasons of Sex and the City, but 43 separate articles on Top Gear
• Atkinson 


  • Online beauty industry promotes internalising western beauty ideals and appearance comparison
  • Leads to obsession with face filters and body dysmorphia
  • Black women straighten their hair, Jewish noses are changed through plastic surgery
  • Instagram has filters like 'Fix Me'
• Ritzer (Neo-Marxist) 


  • McDonaldization means local cultures are disappearing under pressure from American restaurants. 
  • Cultures are becoming homogeneous - the local economy is impacted as they are unable to compete with the economic power of global brands. 
  • Applicable to other industries: western tastes threaten traditional clothing leading to Americanization 
  • ‘McJobs’ as a result of strict service guidelines of multinational companies (wearing the same uniform, doing tasks in the same way) which leads to less empowerment for employees.  
• Giddens 




  • Homogeneity is a positive thing
  • Globalisation has led to detraditionalization, a decline in traditional behaviour. 
  • Example: global campaigns such as #girlsnotbrides and #metoo have led to greater global awareness of gender inequality.