This chapter addresses the tensions and issues by reviewing the literature on globalization, looking particularly at the debates around homogeneity and identity. Globalization is an ever-present feature of people's everyday lives, particularly in large cities, whether they live in Cape Town, Beijing, New York or New Delhi. Globalization has had a profound effect on people's individual lives, through cultural influences on their lifestyle, and how they perceive their relationship to communities and societies. There is a danger of oversimplifying the impact of globalization on design and cultures. People and communities are not just empty vessels ready to absorb the latest fashion message. Whilst globalization is an important concept through which to analyse the dominant social and economic trends in the world today, there is a danger of equating it with one ideological perspective. Debates on globalization inevitably lead to discussions of whether the world appears to be getting smaller, and what is common to all human beings around the world.