The French Cultural Singularity may often be referred to as individuality as it is defined as the ability for the French Culture to be impervious to change which makes it unique. However, globalization threatens many of the world’s cultures including those of France which have developed and endured hundreds of years’ worth of changes.
The influence of Rock & Roll on the singularity
Rock & Roll music is arguably one of the most defining features of the late 21st century. It is marked as being a form of music that was more global and widely recognized. However, with it came numerous versions each adapted to a particular community. The French Cultural Singularity managed to morph regular rock & roll into its own version called French rock and roll. Though this form of music did in fact influence much in the way of French aesthetics and continued to be associated with the Americanization of France.
The French version of the internet
The French created the internet much before the World Wide Web took off. Minitel was accessible over regular telephone lines and is considered to be widely successful prior to the internet. The service started to roll out in 1978 and by 1982 it was available in most parts across France divided between La Poste and France Télécom. Users could use Minitel to make train reservations, check stock prices of popular stocks and search the local telephone directory. They could also open a mailbox account and even chat with friends. However, the technology and the users were uniquely French. But with the World Wide Web being widely used across the world and in France that so called French technological singularity has vanished.
The disappearance of the singularity
The Worldwide Web, social media and other forms of technology have played a fair share in making the French culture less singular and more global, but those aren’t the only factors. Mass immigration as of late from many parts of the world have brought dozens of new cooking styles, global franchises, clothing chains, and new ideas. While those have had an adverse affect on the French cultural singularity it has a positive effect on the economy. For instance, large cities like Paris is a global melting pot that’s less about France and the French and more about the newly imported global values.
Will French culture finally become a footnote in history?
Not really but perhaps the stereotypical French culture that most outsiders associate with the country. French singularity today is more about being globally cohesive, responsible and financially robust. It has meant that age old ideas evolve or be discarded to make way for progress. After all living in a global community sometimes means McDonaldization of the food to stay competitive. Though France still holds true to its own cuisine like fine French wine, its local delicacies and many other aspects which have been exported to dozens of other countries. The same goes for the French language, that continues to be the cornerstone of communication and publication in the country all of which will not easily disappear.