Cultural Shapers of the Next Generation

In my Media and Society sociology class we watched a short video that took us all on the journey of the people of Bhutan receiving television channels for the very first time. Bhutan was considered a culturally "untouched" country where people lived simple lives away from capitalism and consumerism that for many of us Americans has become a normal part of our every day lives. Religion, family, friends, and "old" media, such as books and newspapers have been the main influences within this society. Many cultures around the world have acquired or been slowly influenced by other countries cultures and ways of life. Whether that be from years of colonization or simply opening it's borders and doors to new media like television and internet. Each change in cultural values and rituals has had positive and negative affects on each generation. In the video they show the people of Bhutan becoming more consumerist when before they were self-sufficient. The children begin to play fight more because the World Wrestling Entertainment company began showing wrestling matches on television. Subtle changes in our behavior as humans can happen over night, but larger changes can take decades to develop and be noticed within a society. Now that Bhutan has opened its doors television as well as internet it will begin to be influenced by not only American culture, but cultures around the world that the old generation never had access to. Will this negatively or positively influence the new generation and future social structure of Bhutan?