A term that is mostly used in a negative sense by arrogant intellectuals of various stripes. Due to the fact that the United States of America is currently perceived to be the most powerful nation on earth many imitate and like American culture. Yes I know, many critics say America has no culture and go on to complain that Americans should be called USAians or some such nonsense.
It is true that the US does not have the centuries of colorful tyrants, madmen, and general death to give things a great aura of important history. My opinion is that despite this America has a culture that is just as fine as any in Europe. Those that complain about the horrors of Americanization and globalization perhaps should examine where their culture came from. How much of any nation’s culture results from things being passed back and forth between nations? Like the eagle that is the symbol of so many nations and started off as a Roman standard.
Also culture is not something that is fixed in time. I think that many are mourning more the fact that things change more than the influence of America. The US just becomes a convenient target because it is a big one and there are other issues people have with it.
In the USA we welcome ideas from other nations* and adopt them as part of our own. They mix and are altered and improved in more than a few cases. Cannot other nations do the same?
* Though I must admit foreign ideas are not universally accepted. The US is not perfect (and I do not mean to imply that we are); we have trouble with anti-foreign movements too. Though they seem to be more directed against immigration than culture here. Whereas in Europe there seems to be a very violent reaction against foreigners by small extremeist groups and additionally a more generalized hate or annoyance with anything not seen as part of native culture.