Response / Summary of John Urry’s Globalizing the Gaze Essay Example

in their given setting. For example, places that have been drastically shaped by their history or certain historic events such as Northern Ireland or former Nazi occupation sites (142).

The author contributes this diversification of travel destinations to the rise in certain technologies (cellphones, tv, internet) that have increased the number of stimuli that people are now exposed to, where unique locations and cultures throughout the globe are introduced and showcased by the various channels which we encounter through the media on a daily basis. What I found most interesting was the author’s observation that the definition of travel has changed, and with it, the ways people travel.

While people may be traveling to more culturally-rich places than a place swarming with tourists, they often opt for spending a relatively short amount of time taking in the new sights/ sounds/ people/ etc. of their destination-culture. As a result, though people are increasingly seeking out more culturally and historically-rich destinations, they still return home after something like a week-long experience or adventure without having much knowledge about the complexities, sensitivities, specialties, and overall identities of the place and the people they were visiting.

Nowadays, we have access to much more diversity and deep connection with a huge spectrum of cultures that were previously unavailable to people before this decades’ innovation and the strong motions of globalization. However, this does not mean that people are taking advantage of these tools or their travels to better understand a culture and become more culturally-competent. I have traveled extensively since I was in the fifth grade, though always as a tourist or a brief visitor looking for short-term enjoyment; only recently, with my

long-term excursion to the Philippines, was I able to explore my desire for a deeper connection.