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s4ielts wrote:Nowadays the differences between countries are becoming less evident because we see the same TV shows, advertisements, fashion and follow the same brands. To what extent the advantages of this trend outweigh its disadvantages?

Electronic media is playing a pivotal role in making this world a global village. However, some people may believe that there are some drawbacks to this. In my opinion, if we look at the benefits and their impact on humanity as a whole, they are far outweighing the disadvantages.

People, whether they are living in remote areas of Africa or on Wall Street have accessibility to the internet, through which they can flick through many TV channels or magazines. In this way, people from all walks of life are mimicking the same way of life. If it were not for their race, colour or language it would become impossible to distinguish between them, and this is beginning to threaten their local culture and language. As a consequence to this, some cultures and traditions may be lost in the near future.

This negative impact is not a significant threat because people who follow new trends do not abandon their own. Instead, they often learn a new language as their second language. Chinese living in America, for instance, are following their customs and celebrating their local festivals in the same manner they were doing in their home country.

On the other hand, learning other’s culture encourages diversity, compassion and mutual understanding, which can help to make this world better place to live in. Because people who follow the same fashion are more likely to be comfortable with each other irrespective of their race, colour or language, and it can create many opportunities. Another important positive point is that watching TV programs from other cultures helps the viewer to broaden their horizon as they see different things in a new perspective. Last but not least, the standard of living of people is rising because they have more choices to follow and as consequence the world economy is also flourishing.

In conclusion, it is obvious from above that the benefits outweigh the negatives of following similar trends on a global scale.

asadurk wrote: There is a ubiquitous presence of TV and the Internet around the whole world, which are the predominant sources of promoting products and fashions. As a result, most of the people of different countries follow the same brands of various products. That’s why differences among countries are declining, which has some benefits and drawbacks. In my opinion, there are more drawbacks to this trend.

On the one hand, there are various short term benefits of this trend. Firstly, people of different countries follow the same brand after watching advertisements of the same brand, so they look similar and as a result, love starts growing among the people of different nations. Moreover, there is a chance to understand the culture and language of other nations, which will definitely help to increase the harmony between nations.

On the other hand, there are more deleterious effects of having this trend. Countries who are not expert in the fashion industry or do not have enough assets to run the advertisements, will start following the culture of other countries. For example, the national dress of Saudi Arabia is GHUTRA. Now, after the influence of electronic media, they have started wearing pants and shirts. That’s why it is considered an invasion of culture from different countries. Moreover, some brands are totally against the culture of different countries. For example, in western countries, people may wear short clothes, but in Middle Eastern countries, it is prohibited.

In conclusion, I believe that the influence of advertisements among the masses has both pros and cons, but there are more drawbacks than benefits; that’s why local government should closely monitor advertisements and brands according to their local culture and ban inappropriate materials.