ual and nation states. It will then be necessary to look at the effects of a culture of consumption and the implications this has for notions of Americanisation and a global consumer culture. To do this it will be important to look at the ways in which TNCs operate, and the effects of this for global consumption. This essay will try and assess the claim that transnational consumption patterns are in fact being Americanised. The worlds population is being brought closer together through a process of time space compression; this has come about through the growth of information technology. Information networks between nations allow for the capitalist development of economies all over the world. These processes of development and time space compression under capitalism have a distorted effect upon individuals and nation states. The international division of labour provides new flexible labour markets and this allows for strategic policies that maximise profit. This provides opportunities for the countries that are touched by these corporations but profits are distributed unequally, placing the individual within a multitude of positions. This is the case throughout the world but most notably within the developing countries. Contributors to time space compression and development may not see any of its benefits and may be trapped by the networks within which the system has positioned them. A transnational capitalist class or global elite benefit from this process however the majority, on a global scale, are left on the fringes of this process looking in collecting points of symbolic reference that have no relevance to individual situations. There are multiple positions within this globalising process of time space compression and also the creation of a culture of capitalist symbols that are globally recognised. The growth of consumption throughout the world has arguably had an impact on general standards of living, but it ...
