ASEAN CULTURE IN THE GLOBALIZATION ERA: LUANG PRABANG CITY, LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Abstract

In a globalized society, the economic system is harmonized. This makes the borders of each country unable to block economic power. In addition, the economy has changed its foundation from an industrial system to an information-based economy. The current culture in Thailand has increasingly influenced teenagers in Luang Prabang City, Lao People's Democratic Republic. As the trends of teenagers that are increasingly prone to flow along the stream, it is not affecting only the teenagers but also the overall healthy social and cultural conditions. An explicit example as “Superstar Mania” has led these teenagers turn away from their own cultural traditions of the Mekong River Bank. As a current urban society, the lands surrounding educational institutions such as Souphanouvong University of Luang Prabang City have been allocated for building shops and housing specially dormitories for students and working age people. The people of Luang Prabang have been culturally influenced by the media in Thailand such as TV programs and internets. New generations gather themselves in pairs to rent dormitories or houses and mingle SEX and drugs. This has made people feel concerned in “cultural domination” through the advancement of communication technology and telecommunication that makes the world society borderless. As the whole world is like one global village, what the members of the village do could be acknowledged by the whole world.  When gathering in the same village, whatever affects one country will inevitably and unavoidably affect others. Any events that occur in any part of the world could be abruptly perceived from the social impact occurred.