In this flattening world, how do we see the face of music changing?

Not only do we see the more obvious indicatiors of globilazation in music, but here's my real curiousity: in this era of globalized influences in both music and culture, do you see music as the cultural touchstone that it has been, or have the influences become so muddled that it's no longer clear where the reflection of the specific culture lay?  Do we see the music in the United States as a  reflection of the specific situation of our social atmosphere or have the indicators been lost?