Westernization Definition, Characteristics, Impact, Patterns, Media & Examples

Education. Co. ID – This opportunity we will discuss about Westernization, a full explanation will be described as follows:

Understanding Westernization

The notion of westernization is a process in which people in eastern countries adopt Western culture in various fields such as industry, technology, economy, law, politics, lifestyle, way of dress, religion, philosophy, style of language, alphabet and values.

Another opinion also says, the notion of westernization is an attitude and action people in eastern countries who tend to imitate the behavior and habits of the people in West Country. For example, such as, style of dress, behavior, as well as westernized daily habits.

Westernization that occurs in Indonesia can or can make people lose their sense of nationalism and national identity. In addition, westernization can also cause the original culture of Indonesia to be eroded and also forgotten by the younger generation because they think that Western culture is better.

Understanding Westernization According to Experts

In order to better understand what westernization means, we can refer to the opinions of experts including the following:

1. According to Samuel P. Huntington

The notion of westernization is a process in society that follows all forms of western lifestyles.

2. According to Koentjaraningrat

This understanding of westernization is a process of imitating the lifestyle of western people society by excessively in a form of lifestyle, social style, habits, and so on etc. Westernization is not suitable to be applied in Indonesia because our society still upholds Eastern cultural values.

3. According to Soerjono Soekanto

The notion of westernization is a life process that prioritizes industrialization as well as the economic system capitalists so that their lives imitate or also try to be exactly the same as the lives of people in the country West.

4. According to Eka Gunawan

The notion of westernization is a process of imitation by a society / country about/about the culture of western countries which he considers to be better than culture own country.

5. According to Arif Furtonutely

The notion of westernization is a major current in the political, social, cultural, cultural, knowledge and artistic dimensions to change the character of the life of the nations of the world in general and of Islamic countries in particular into understandings West.

Westernization Features

We can also know this westernization by paying attention to its characteristics in society. Below are the characteristics of westernization including the following:

1. Lifestyle or the lifestyle of the community has changed and imitated the developments that occurred in Western countries. For example like; luxury lifestyle, hedonism, and so on.
2. Following the habits of some Western societies in consuming liquor and illegal drugs.
3. Increasingly rampant promiscuity and also deviant sexual behavior in the midst of society.
4. Changes in the way of dressing, the way of communicating, as well as social relations that follow the customs in Western countries.
5. Society is also increasingly individual because the attitude of mutual cooperation that has become the hallmark of Indonesian society has been eroding.
6. There has been a change in various areas of people's lives, ranging from politics, art, culture, economy, and so on, which were adopted from Western countries.

Westernization Patterns and Media

The process of westernization did not just happen. There are many media and their distribution patterns, for example through the media of a country's power holders, magazines, television, tourism, technology, and so on.

One of the biggest influences on the spread of westernization is information technology, such as the internet, gadgets, television, radio, and others. The process of transferring Western culture to Indonesia occurs through various technological media so that without realizing it, most of our society will be affected by westernization.

In addition to technology, this westernization process can also occur on a large scale when the government of a country issues a policy that contains the doctrine of supporting westernization. This happened in Japan, during the Meiji Empire where Prince Yorihito Higashifushimi who was one of the leaders of Japan at that time did westernization by going through fashion style.

Impact of Westernization

The impact of westernization that occurs in a society will affect the assessment and actions of the community. The following are some of the effects of westernization:

1. Changes in behavior; people who are affected by westernization through various media will tend to experience changes in behavior. For example, using foreign language terms or words when interacting with other people.
2. The fading of national identity and local culture; the younger generation who have used a lot of technology will experience the impact of westernization. Many teenagers today think that Western culture is better than local culture so that national identity and local culture will slowly fade away.
3. Changes in way of life; One of the ways of life of people in Western countries that is widely practiced in Indonesia is the habit of drinking liquor. Actually this liquor is not suitable for people in tropical countries, but this happens because of the westernization process that has changed the way of life of some of our people.

Westernization Example

If you look closely, there are actually many examples of westernization that is happening in Indonesia. Below are some examples of westernization including the following:

1. This individualistic attitude is one example of the habits of Western society that are widely imitated by our society. This makes the community more competitive and also loses a sense of kinship.
2. Many Indonesian people also think that foreign culture is better than the original Indonesian culture. This makes them prefer to be able to learn the culture of Western countries.
3. Many Indonesian people are also willing to spend a lot of money to be able to watch foreign music concerts instead of watching performances of traditional arts. This is one of the examples of westernization that many people are not aware of.
4. Free association is also increasingly rampant, even impressed without boundaries, this is an example of westernization that is happening in Indonesia.
5. Changes in the consumption of food and drink in our society are also heavily influenced by the West. For example; fast food and soft drinks.
6. The style of dress and hairstyle of the Indonesian people also underwent many changes due to the influence of Western culture. For example like; mini skirts, party dresses, mowhak hair, hair highlights, ripped jeans, and so on.

Thank you so much and thank you for reading the Definition of Westernization, Characteristics, Impacts, Patterns, Media & Examples. Hopefully what is described can be useful for you.