A few of us members here live in countries where english is not the first language. Something that our countries are likely to have in common is that they probably recieve a lot more culture from english speaking nations than they give back.
For example - because english is a world language, you get english speaking TV shows here like CSI, Cops, Keeping Up Appearances, Allo Allo and many, many more. These shows are mainly from USA, England and Australia. Most of them give us some kind of picture on what life is like in these countries and they have an effect on culture in Norway. However, norwegian is not a world language so while we recieve a lot of influences from outside, we don't really export it. Culture and media wise, it's almost like a one-way communication where we recieve influence and give none.
I think here, it has had a profound effect, even over a short period like the last decade. Although it's not exactly something that keeps me up at night, I do worry somewhat about negative cultural influences. Note that negative doesn't have to mean that they are negative in the english speaking countries they come from, but that I think they would be negative here
It can be little things, like the excess people recieve from Extreme Home Makeover. Families recieve charity houses that are bigger than what most norwegian millionaires have. Where America might have a culture where bigger and better is cool, we have a culture where down to earth and modesty has traditionally been cool. Many such things are changing now and will in the future as young people growing up are influenced by events, ideals and thoughts from outside our nation's borders.
Is it much the same where you're from or do you perhaps recieve culture from nations speaking a different language? Do you think stuff like this can over time homogenize the western world until it's culturally basically the same? What do you think about it?