When Culture Becomes a Product

In the “The New Rules of the Game pt. 2” documentary, we noted how, with the help of technology, globalization has led to changes in jobs, lifestyles, entertainment, education, and communities.

When celebrated and exchanged respectfully, commodifying culture has the potential to continue opening up opportunities and new doors—like it has in the past with new fashion styles, music genres (kpop), and impacting the inside and exterior of buildings with interior design furniture as well as architecture. It’s also heavily transformed the food industry, from Boba milk tea to falafels. 

The tourist industries of many countries such as Bali, Peru, Africa, India, Hawaii, Cambodia, and Jamaica rely on foreigners buying their goods. Natives and indigenous make a living on the basis of travelers wishing to enhance their authentic experience or remember their trip through souvenirs. In order to financially support themselves and their families, they intricately weave fabric such as carpets, tapestries, or embroidered pillows using their artisan skills. Others specialize in Chinese pots and ceramics, jade antiques, as well as scroll paintings. Loose elephant pants are another popular product sold in Thailand.

Culture becoming products is a way to package, share, and easily disperse or distribute. It has the power to enrich and evolve our tastes, but can also merge into mainstream culture where…the ethics behind this could also be debated—as the monetization, commercialization, and capitalization of culture has devalued and trivialized some goods.