Thomas Friedman In The World Is Flat Analysis

In this day and age that we live in, technology is becoming an essential part of our daily lives. The twenty-first century, largely dubbed as the “Age of Technology” and also the “Era of Globalization,” has brought on the feasibility of an interconnected world. Globalization is considered to be the unavoidable wave of the future. A few texts from Kwame Anthony Appiah, Marshall Poe, and Thomas L. Friedman further elaborate on a few important aspects of globalization. Technology, a major part of globalization, has allowed humans to create the Internet, bringing along many benefits and drawbacks to our society on a social and global level. Humans have always interacted with each other for thousands of years. An example of such interaction is
the Silk Road, which connected Africa, Asia and Europe. Utilizing the Silk Road, many nations have spread their culture, language, religion, arts, and many more. Centuries pass, and the global shift of goods, ideas, and people continue to grow. The invention of modern vehicles allowed transportation to be quick and effortless. More recently, with the introduction of electronic communication, the utilization of computers and mobile devices allows many to interact via the Internet, which dictionary.com defines as “a vast computer network linking smaller computer networks worldwide.” The “Era of Globalization” is what many consider us to be living in now. In an economic standpoint, Herman E. Daly’s page about “Globalization Versus Internalization,” classifies globalization as the “global economic integration of many formerly national economies into one global economy, mainly by free trade and free capital mobility, but also by easy or uncontrolled migration.” Essentially, Daly argues that it is “the effective erasure of national boundaries for economic purposes.” In other words, we are “integrating” into a global economy, where both capital and goods are permitted to circulate internationally. According to globalization101.org, globalization is “a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology” ("What Is Globalization?") Technology has been an important driver of globalization. Its advances have enabled a substantial transformation of the economy. Investors, businesses, and consumers alike may use technology to spot and aim for economic opportunities that will benefit them in the long run. In The World Is Flat, Thomas L.
Friedman analyzes globalization in the 21st century. Friedman examines the impact of the globe’s “flattening,” where the world of business is viewed as a level playing field due to the increasing interconnectedness. Friedman argues that “globalized trade, outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, and six other economic, technological, and political forces have changed the world permanently” (165). He continues to analyze positive and negative impacts that flattening has on global business and politics. In “The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention,” Friedman imagines the future of war in a world that has a globalized economy. Ultimately, Friedman claims that a globalized, “flat” world will always have a direct impact on anyone that competes and seeks for work with others around the
world. In “Making Conversation” and “Primacy of Practice,” Appiah analyzes the imaginary boundaries set up that separate people from around the world. He argues that, as global community, we should make an effort to recognize each other’s differences in culture and beliefs. We should not ignore that mutual respect is important, and it begins with conversation. He states, “Conversation doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything, especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people to get used to one another” (82). He chooses the term cosmopolitanism to explain his concept of a citizen of a broader worldwide community, instead of a local region. Dictionary.com defines “cosmopolitanism” as the ideology of “a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world.” Cosmopolitanism and globalization are very alike.
“Cosmopolitanism” (68) focuses on the ideology that all ethnic groups are a member of a united community that shares a common morality. On the other hand, globalization tends to focus more on economic, trade, and technological relations. It misses some environmental and political aspects that cosmopolitanism may also concentrate on. People, companies, and organizations feel the impact of the Internet during our technological advancement. Globalization’s power of such interconnectedness and universality produce many areas of impact, especially in a social standpoint. With the creation of the Internet, it has never been easier to communicate with anyone one seeks to. With mere clicks of few buttons, one can instantly chat with a person halfway around the world. This technology is certainly
phenomenal. The use of the Internet is reshaping our social practices, which may lead to both benefits and drawbacks. According to Manuel Castells’ “The Impact of the Internet on Society: A Global Perspective,” using the Internet does not increase “the risk of isolation, alienation, and withdrawal from society,” but it actually “increases sociability, civic engagement, and the intensity of family and friendship relationships, in all cultures.” The increase in usage of social networks is generating a focus on individual growth, and less of a focus on a community of work and family. This focus does not necessarily mean isolation, but “instead, social relationships are being reconstructed on the basis of individual interests, values, and projects” (Castells). A sense of community is created when an individual seeks for like-minded people utilizing various online means. People are increasingly relying on social networking sites to communicate. Manuel Castells states that “time spent on social networking sites surpassed time spent on e-mail in November 2007, and the number of social networking users surpassed the number of e-mail users in July 2009.” Social networks have become the better option for people to engage in both business and personal activities. The Internet has essentially transformed sociopolitical practices. It has opened up a bigger platform for free speech, allowing many to express their opinions and thoughts. “By disintermediating government and corporate control of communication, horizontal communication networks have created a new landscape of social and political change” (Castells). Online communication has aided social movements in taking a stand against state powers. In “The Hive,” Marshall Poe describes a selection of stories about Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia where users can edit almost any of its entries. Through Wikipedia, anyone can access its breadth of information on demand. It covers almost any topic one can think of. To Poe, Wikipedia is part of an important milestone in our globalization efforts. Poe claims, “Wikipedia has the potential to be the greatest effort in collaborative knowledge gathering the world has ever known, and it may well be the greatest effort in voluntary collaboration of any kind” (349). Poe talks about Wikipedia’s rapid expansion and its rapidly expanding significance. Wikipedia is quickly changing the way we share information amongst ourselves. Poe continues to discuss “the wisdom-of-crowds scheme” (353), detailing the benefits of collective knowledge. The Internet has many more advantages that simply outweigh any disadvantages. Our society has benefitted greatly from this “revolution.” An example includes the ability to join a community. Anyone can go online and search for a forum of people that share a common interest. This allows people that struggle to socialize in real life to at least socialize with people online. Moreover, the Internet has introduced the enterprise that is online shopping. Everyone can vouch for the fact that online shopping is only getting more popular, in part due to its unbeatable prices when compared to prices from brick and mortar stores. Another example may be its vast amount of communicational platforms, which not only includes social networking sites, but also e-mail, online messaging, video chatting, e-postcards, and many more. The twenty-first century is largely being classified as the “Era of Globalization,” and it deservedly earns that title. Appiah, Friedman, Poe, and others offer many examples and references that provide details of a world that is increasingly expanding into a stage of globalization. The Internet is a powerful platform that has and will continue to reshape social, cultural, or education patterns and practices on a global level. As technology continues to become more sophisticated, our spread of knowledge and communication with others will only expand from this point and beyond.