Adopter Categories and Cultures

So I know in class we talked a lot about how different types of people adopt new innovations. Well since we are in a foreign country i started thinking about how not only groups of people adopt new innovations but also how cultures as a whole come to adopt innovations. The more time I spend in England the more I notice American influences here. A lot of our products and chains are very popular here. I think that the United States as a whole is a group of innovators. We are always trying new things and developing new trends. I always had the perception that Europe was always ahead of us in terms of fashion, but my time here in the U.K. has proved that to not be true. It seems as though we as Americans have created all of these trends and then the European countries follow suit. I would say that Europeans are early adopters, but a lot of the things that are popular here were popular in the U.S. several years ago, such as the music that they listen to. It is as though they are a little behind us in popular culture. I have a little theory, and correct me if this sounds completely crazy, but it seems to me that the more developed a nation is the quicker they are to adopt and try new things. I think that things just spread a lot more quickly in the U.S. and it takes longer for ideas and innovations to spread elsewhere. Trends seem to catch on so quickly in the United States, especially in terms of fashion. You see someone wearing a pair of boat shoes, and before you know it half of UGA is wearing them. I think that cultures try to maintain their own identities, but at the same time i think everyone wants to be like Americans too and have all of the things we have. Have you ever been to another country and not been able to find the McDonald's. American trends and innovations have become so global.