Question

How has the Internet affected culture?"

Answer 1

The concept of culture is hard to define, and it often varies depending on the purpose of the definition. However, in its most general meaning, culture refers to the social behaviour and norms that are found in society. Material culture covers the physical representations of it, such as art, technology and architecture, while immaterial culture are those intangible aspects, such as philosophy, religion, music or language.

The Internet has changed culture in several ways. The most obvious one is a process of homogenization, or of making all cultures similar to each other. As the internet sets trends, these trends are followed by people all over the world, regardless of their cultural background. This leads to people who are connected through the web to adopt similar styles of dress, music taste, food trends, etc. that might differ significantly from their own culture.

Another example could be the production of art, which is increasingly created online and shared instantaneously, making the spread of this type of culture easier, cheaper and faster. Arguably, the internet has also led to the spread of culture in the form of knowledge, as it gives everyone a chance to learn about any topic for free.