McDonald's in Moscow.  Is there a better symbol of the "pop"ification of the world?

Write a one-page paper on the "pop"ification of world culture (double-spaced, one-inch margins, font size 10 or 12)--Note that I will allow this paper to be two pages (despite what I just wrote) in length.

Your paper should have a short introduction, followed by your analysis and then a quick conclusion.  Choose a single pop/cultural global phenomenon and explain its origins, development and impact.  Be sure to cite your sources.

Your selection can be from any decade since the end of World War II, such as the 1950s (Elvis Presley), 1960s (hippiedom), 1970s (Coke), 1980s (McDonald's), 1990s (NBA basketball), 2000s (blogs).  Your selection can be from different areas such as art (Andy Warhol), food (Pepsi), music (The Beatles), fashion (blue jeans), film (Star Wars), literature (Harry Potter).  These are just some examples, and here are some others that I could think of  quickly:  the web, junk food, television, MTV, ESPN, Apple (computer, Ipods, etc), cell phones, Starbucks, Barbie, video games, cyberculture, the English language.  Check with me about your topic to make sure that it is ok.

Now, what do I mean by the "pop"ification of world culture.  This "pop"ification of the world is often couched in terms of "the Americanization of the world," or the transfer of elements of American culture to other cultures around the world, in the process usually displacing aspects of the native culture.  For example, McDonald's restaurants  put out of business local, family-owned eateries.  In other words, everyone around the world ends up participating in the same cultural environment; the same food, the same language, the same fashion, the same movies, etc.  But remember, that this is not usually a conscious process carried out by any large country--it does not have to originate in the US and the process can work also from small culture to large.  For example, the United State government does not go around the world distributing blue jeans everywhere so that everyone wears blue jeans.  Everyone ends up wearing blue jeans for other reasons.  In more academic circles, this process is often called cultural imperialism, and there are many resources on the web that discuss aspects, both good and bad, of cultural imperialism.  You can also read my lecture notes on Pop Culture.