GLOBALIZATION:Definition 1: The intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. (Anthony Giddens, 2000)

Definition 2: All forces which are turning the world into a global village, compressing distance, homogenizing culture, accelerating mobility and reducing the relevance of politicalborders. (Source: Mozrui, 2000)

Globalization and Westernization :

• Westernization is a process whereby non-western societies come under the influence of Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion or values.

• It is usually a two sided process which western influences and interests themselves are joined by a wish of at least parts of the affected society to change to towards a more westernized society.

• Westernization can also be related to the process of acculturation. Acculturation refers to the changes that occur within a society or culture when two different groups come into direct continuous contact. After the contact, changes in cultural patterns within either or both cultures are obvious.

The Impact of Global Media :- The rise of “market state” has great implications to the ways people, firms and governments go about their business.

- The computing and information technology revolution providing the speed and technology to effect the staggering volume of daily transfers of financial transactions across national boundaries.

- The printed images, movies, books, and ideas will affected by our growing.

- Exposure to news ways of life and ways of thinking.

- But it has also provoked challenge from traditional cultures.

- news and information as subversive and expansionist tools by developed countries against countries of the

South has raised the issue of censorship and freedom of news and information.

- The key challenge to national security now is how to monitor and implement the laws and regulations governing when advancement of IT will make it

increasingly difficult to control news and information access and use.

The Impacts of Globalization to the Consumer Culture

• Effects on the way people live, play, and learn is difficult to measure but readily apparent in almost all societies across the globe.

• The homogenization of consumer culture in place of diversity is another of the major impacts of the globalization process.

How The Globalization Change and Affect Local Consumer Culture

• Spreading of multiculturalism, and better individual access to cultural diversity.• Greater international travel

and tourism.• Greater immigration, including illegal immigration.• Spread of local consumer products to other countries.• World wide sporting events.

Consumer Culture VS Popular Culture:Similarities : Acquisitions: Purchasing goods and materials in excess of their needs and wants to fulfill their satisfactions on purchasing.

Consumption: Dissatisfaction occurs if the product does not meet expectation.

Dispositions: The degradation of natural resources of environmental.

Differences:

Consumer Culture

Popular Culture

Acquisitions: Goods are necessary for living.

Luxuries and brand names are necessary

Consumption: Long terms use Short terms use

Dispositions: Environmental problems occur due to disposal after long term use.

Environmental problems caused by Disposal of goods after short term use. Very wasteful.

Global Consumer Culture to Islamic Country – Malaysia

• In Islamic societies, consumer culture is often portrayed as harmful to religion in terms of hedonism, pleasure and expressive lifestyle.

• To counter the influences of the market and‘deislamisation’, Islam is posited as a vaccinate pill against decadent western values.

• Islamic discourses provide different understandings of identity formation and as individuals and families actively participate in social lives.

• The distinction between the sacred and the profane are increasingly blurred.

• Via the television, mass media and cyberspace, Malaysian Muslims find the allure of modern consumption practices seductive and yet, aspects of Islam stigmatises such practices as spiritual pollution and ‘westoxication’.

• In the Malaysian economic trajectory, the New Economic Policy was critical in creating a Malay middle class.

This middle class is significant in two respects: i) the basis of the Islamisation drive ii) represent the vanguard in the rapid transformation of consumer culture.

• Consumption is traditionally - an intensification of the money economy,urban-based, harmful to religion in terms of hedonism, pleasure and expressive lifestyle.

• In a way, most descriptions of Islam conform to this analysis: Islam provides believers with resisting spiritual values.

• Food, dress, economic activities, credit use all become critical sites of conflicts as ethnicity and class now arouses hostility towards other peoples’ ways of consuming and/or the acquisition of positional goods.

Comparison of Consumer Culture in Malaysia and U.S.A

Malaysian AmericanDon’t like to eat in public Never bother to eat in the

public.

Traditional is important. Traditional is seen as something outdated.

Superficial perception. Purchases imported goods especially from western country always better.

Satisfaction is prior.As long as the goods that bought can give the self-satisfaction and suitable for them.

Start taking foreign vacations and exposure to customer goods in other countries. Start enjoying leisure time.

It has been practiced long time ago.

Group, family and state are more important than the individual

Individualist seen more important than the family or society.

Time-procrastinators. Well-known with unpunctuality. “Slowly and steady”.

Time is a commodity. American hate to b kept waiting. Emphasis on time denotes a culture that maintain a very fast paced lifestyle.

Consumer Culture in Malaysia :

1. Finance 2. Food

3. Grooming / Beauty Lines

4. Lifestyle

1. FINANCE1.1 Consumer Credit &

Debt Culture• A rapidly expanding middle-

income consumers in Malaysia with a voracious appetite for goods and services is stretching credit limits – Economic growth

• Credit card ownership is taken as a culture rather than a necessity - people are easily owning three or more cards each

The promotion of ‘free and easy credit’ has encouraged some misinformed or uninformed consumers to get into debt beyond their ability to repay.

Those card owners who failed to refund within the time given would have to face to the court or potentially listed under bankruptcy.

- About 30% cases of bankruptcy involve the

white collar servants with the age range 30 and below.

“ …few reports of couples who divorced because they have lost control of their credit card expenditure.”

(Noor Nirwandy , the project director of Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia)

Statistic :According to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) …

The number of credit cards in circulation grew by 12.8 percent to RM 8.8 million in year 2006. In Year 2006,The total

transactions and payments using credit cards rose by 15.5 per cent to RM 47.5 billion.

How Could This Happen ?

• Today’s Malaysians have not planned out a financial map.

• Malaysians do not do enough research

• Make debt beyond their ability to repay.

Suggested Action and

Education: The bank should look at the welfare of the card holder and whether debtors are able to successfully pay back. Provide counselling and financial education. .

Propose that university students should take up financial courses.

Tighter regulatory controls should be imposed on banks and financial institutions .

2. FOOD2.1 The “Mamak Stall” Culture

The word 'Mamak' is from the Tamil term for maternal uncle, or 'maa-ma' .

- “A mamak stall, also referred to as mapley,

is a type of food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term ‘mamak’ refers to Indian Muslims, who generally own and operate them.”

(wikipedia,2008)

• Some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or

cafe type establishment.

Food Available : - Mee Goreng

- Roti Canai and other form of roti- Teh Tarik

- Nasi Kandar- etc.

Some stalls are opened 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

Some are only opened at night; any time from 7pm to the wee hours of the

morning.

Advantages and Disadvantages :

a) Advantages:• Cheap• Casual• Healthier Places for youngsters

b) Disadvantages:• Obesity• Diseases attack• Sacrifrices of one’s time to rest

2.2 Fast Food• Fast food is the term given to many items

that can be prepared and served quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, such as TV dinners. Typically the term refers to food that sold in a restaurant or store which is rapidly prepare and served to the customer in a packaged form for take out/take away. ( Wikipedia,2008).

Why Do We Eat Fast Food?- The Time Factor.- The Taste Factor.- Attraction to Fast Food Advertisment.

a) Advantages:• Save Time• Convenience b) Disadvantages:• Bad for health• Provide < energy• Poor concentration• Discourage of home cooking

2.3 Kopitiam “ A kopitiam is a traditional breakfast and

coffee shop found in Malaysia and Singapore in Southeast Asia. The word is a portmanteau of the Malay word for coffee (as borrowed and altered from the Portuguese) and the Hokkien dialect word for shop. Menus typically feature simple offerings, a variety of food based on egg, toast, and kaya, plus coffee, tea, and milo.” ( Wikipedia,2008)

• This has come after the creation of so-called "coffee culture" by western coffee chains such as

Starbucks and The Coffee Bean .

- The kopitiams offer a possible alternative where in the coffee culture could be experienced with

local flavor and for a more affordable price.

a) Advantage:- A good choice of place to chat with friends which is provides a

good atmosphere of “coffee shop talk”.

b) Disadvantage:- Higher Price

For you information…

• According to the research that carried out by Ministry of health, there were 27% or 3.8 millions of Malaysians facing problem of over-weight while 12% or 1.7 millions of the Malaysians were facing obesity.

Doesn’t he look CUTE??

To let you know… A recent WHO report states that Asian

population experiences obesity-related health risks at the lower scale of the BMI as compared to Westerners. This is because Asians tend to accumulate intra-abdominal fat without developing generalized obesity. In other words, even though Asians look thinner but are in actual fact, fatter than Westerners because they have more fat in their bodies.

• The Body Mass Index or more popularly known as BMI is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an ideal measure of obesity in adults.

Let’s do some counting…

BMI = Body Mass Index

The Formula :Weight (kg) _________________ = BMI Height (M) X Height (M)

3.1 METROSEXUAL

3. Grooming / Beauty Lines :

Characteristic of Metrosexual

• Single young man with a high disposable income in or within easy reach of a city;

• Particular professions, such as modeling, politics,mediaand some sports;

• Grooms and buffs his head and body, which he drapes in fashionable clothing both at work or before hitting an evening hotspot;

• May Confuses some guys when it comes to his sexuality;

• He may work on his physique at a fittness club and his appearance probably gets him lots of attention and he's delighted by every stare;

• Willing to push traditional gender boundaries • Less interested in business competition; • His bathroom is most likely filled with male-

targeted grooming products, including moisturizers

• Younger male consumers is far more interested in grooming than previous generations and is expected to maintain these habits.

• Informal survey of metrosexual and found that on average they spend up to $200 a month on apparel, accessories, and personal care products.

(New Straits Time)

- The proliferation of products such as Biotherm Homme, Clinique for Men and Nivea for Men all hoping to capture this new market.

• In Malaysia, trend of metrosexual is growing and it can be proved by seeing the style of clothing among the youngster nowadays.

THE REASONS METROSEXUAL EXISTS : The growth of the proportion of white-collar workers, that the need men to look good and pleasant.

The effect of Men’s magazines from foreign country as well as local ones.

Women’s rights are belatedly recognised- men have changed the way they act.

Changes in perception and attitudes toward masculinity amongst the societies.

a) Advantages:

• Gain Confidences• Contributes to Malaysia economics

b) Disadvantages:

• Materialistic

• Narrow Down Thinking

• Encourage Expenses

4. Lifestyle :

4.1 The Digital Life:

• Common thread mobility• Products• Personal digital devices exp : cell phones, video screen, mp3 players,other

electronic devices• Functionality, speed, affordability,portability• on-the-go consumers- InternetExp : streamnet broadband young consumers older consumers

4.2 Mobile Phone Culture• Branch of internet culture derived from the

information ages Telecommunication Technology

- Synchronously express sound, character, image

- Shortens the distance communication

In Malaysia, mobile phone become the principal tool of socializing for teenagers.

Important step - independent

It Influences…• People’s life• Work• Individual social interaction• Security• Business behaviors• Impacting political systems• Economic activities

a) Advantages:

• Shortens the distance of communication• Social interaction• Important role in making friends and dating

b) Disadvantages:

• Impact on normal socializing• Languages pollution• Threat to privacy security

Conclusion : Consumption patterns play an increasing role

in the definition of contemporary societies and individuals. The "rise of consumer culture" is a central theme in the study of this century. The phrase has been employed to describe developments inside national frameworks as well as a larger process of global integration.

With the incredible global media, consumer get the source to optimum they consumption to the maximum.

The culture of consumer has been instilled and rooted in ones mind and change their perception of requirement and demand in daily life without anybody knowing.

Through observation,it’s not difficult to get few consumer culture rooted and practicing by Malaysian.

Global-consumer culture too due to the globalization and westernisation.

Consumer culture as the crucial intend of individual deeds and the key source of social status and prestige perhaps also a better life

One must smart to take culture adaptively and get ready to face all the impacts especially the nuisances.

- THE END -

Thank You for your Attention…

We appreciate that…