Summary Of Thomas L. Friedman's Essay The World Is Flat
In his essay “The World is Flat”, Thomas L. Friedman reckons with the belief of flattening world he realizes in the journey to India. Friedman notes that Columbus's sea exploration shortened the distance for Spanish monarchy to grow its wealth and power out of the "source of [India's] untold riches" (633), and discovered "the world was indeed round" (664). Columbus found the hardware source of India's riches which is the free slavery labor and natural resources, and yet Friedman found the software source of India's riches when he "encountered in the real India [which] profoundly shook my faith in [the world is round]" (664). After meeting the Indians who "taken American names" with "great imitations of American accents", "are writing specific
software for American or European companies", and are "running the back-rooms of major American- and European-based multinational" (664), Friedman is convinced that "the playing field is being leveled" due to the “mass investment in technology” on “broadband connectivity” leads to an “explosion of software” which created a platform where the “work of an intellectual nature” is free and “countries like India are now able to compete for global knowledge work” (665). The development that “made our world flat” is a “new milestone in human progress and a great opportunity got India” (666). Friedman realizes the flattening world allow "more people...to collaborate and compete in real time...on more different kinds of works from...different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history" (666). Friedman found “three great eras of globalization” (666). Friedman explains the uniqueness of “Globalization 3.0” is no longer driven by the “Western countries, companies, and explorers who were doing most of the globalizing and shaping of the system [in Globalization 1.0 and 2.0]” (667) but by “a much more diverse- non-Westerns, non-white –group of individuals” who “are being empowered” from the flat world (668)”.
software for American or European companies", and are "running the back-rooms of major American- and European-based multinational" (664), Friedman is convinced that "the playing field is being leveled" due to the “mass investment in technology” on “broadband connectivity” leads to an “explosion of software” which created a platform where the “work of an intellectual nature” is free and “countries like India are now able to compete for global knowledge work” (665). The development that “made our world flat” is a “new milestone in human progress and a great opportunity got India” (666). Friedman realizes the flattening world allow "more people...to collaborate and compete in real time...on more different kinds of works from...different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history" (666). Friedman found “three great eras of globalization” (666). Friedman explains the uniqueness of “Globalization 3.0” is no longer driven by the “Western countries, companies, and explorers who were doing most of the globalizing and shaping of the system [in Globalization 1.0 and 2.0]” (667) but by “a much more diverse- non-Westerns, non-white –group of individuals” who “are being empowered” from the flat world (668)”.