Introduction
Globalization refers to the process in which people from all parts of the world come together as a single society, and also function together. Polarization can result from the dynamics of local imitation, to prevent global monoculture formation. All over the world, the past two decades have led to changes in the various nations’ economic powers, political systems and technological advancements with the deepening of the international connections resulting to globalization.
Technological advancement has given birth to the use of the computer systems and the internet. The internet is believed to be very important in the distribution of information. The modern society’s structure has technology deeply embodied into it, a situation that leaves us with no other option but to use it. The paper will look at the different viewpoints of globalization in order to provide a better understanding of the technology. An opinion on globalization and its impact on the economic gap between the rich and the poor can then be formed.
Main text
The issue of globalization as discussed by Postman in his book, Technology provides a good insight into the technological advancement in the world (Postman, Neil. 1992). The book supports the notion that technological advancements have their merits and demerits, good and bad. Inventions that occur provide both the positive and the negative impacts.
The text is very relevant to the topic of globalization and polarization, where both good and bad changes are experienced. While people want to benefit from globalization, they should also expect to experience negative effects of globalization. Human beings have made many developments over time, whereby while some benefit highly from the inventions, others lose from such inventions.
Just like the text points out that advancements are two-sided, globalization is also two-sided. For instance, while globalization has resulted to great social and economic developments, it has also resulted to global terrorist threats.
The text continues to provide a greater understanding of globalization, where radical technologies create new definitions of the old terms that people have always used. Globalization has also provided new meanings to the ways in which people undertake their duties/tasks. For instance, employees in the modern world utilize the computers and the internet to transact business across the boundaries within which people are confined.
Over 5 decades ago, transacting business activities meant calling through the telephone or even traveling to the various destinations where business enterprises are. Important technologies are also asserted to create knowledge monopolies in the text. This is part of what globalization has brought. Power is accumulated to those who control particular technology, which can result to their conspiracy against those who cannot access the technology. Lack of equal distribution of benefits and deficit of new technology have made losers and winners in this era of globalization.
These have been supported in the text.
People’s private lives are intruded into by powerful institutions due to developments occurring over time. This is exactly what has happened with globalization, the world has been turned into a global village.
Furthermore, the text states clearly that technological advances are bound to change deeply embedded habits, where the habits are attributed to the culture.
This sheds light into the understanding that globalization through cultural influences has turned people of different cultures into a single community.
As a summary, the text shows clearly that technological advancements that have resulted to globalization are expected to give both the positive and negative effects. Knowledge monopolies have definitely made people all over the world develop a common opinion to issues that have globalize the world.
New technology benefits and deficits are never distributed equally, where there are both winners and losers. Just like technology is indispensable in the globalization era, so is any technological advancement. People have their private lives intruded into due to developments, with the winners encouraging the losers to be enthusiastic about the developments. Culture has an influence on the receptivity of people to the new technologies. For instance, the American culture of optimism has made it easy for them to embrace technological development that comes by. On the other hand, native optimism due to culture is exploited by entrepreneurs to gain from the people using their own invented technology.
Globalization in future will require knowledge to ensure global ascension.
This is the understanding of globalization, according to Friedman Thomas in his book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree (Friedman, Thomas.2000). Due to the effects globalization has brought to his society; people have been presenting their different views about globalization. Fried man in this book presents his view on globalization by stating that knowledge will play the greatest role in global ascension when it comes to the future era of globalization.
The text provides us with knowledge as being a very important ingredient in globalization. Globalization involves sharing of knowledge throughout the global market. It is important for countries to keep climbing the globalization ladder, through acquiring and sharing their knowledge with the other countries. It is Friedman’s belief that failure to do so, will make a country lag behind. The relevance of this text in relation to the topic is acknowledged because, it provides people with the clear picture of what remaining in the globalization circle means. Though his belief is not shared with real life examples of China and Japanese markets, knowledge can be seen as having contributed to globalization and it’s still expected to do so.
In summary, the text supports the notion of knowledge as a contributor to globalization. In the past, sharing of knowledge has embraced globalization all over the world.
Globalization is predicted to continue in the future, with the future era of globalization being expected to require the support of knowledge throughout the global market. The belief supports the various countries’ initiative to keep both their markets and information accessible to all people, failure to which a country is predicted to lag behind. This may in turn slow the economies for instance, the Asian economies.
However, while the future era of globalization will require knowledge spreading in the global market, it is not always necessary to do so in order to remain globalize. For a country to remain globalize, it does not need to release information to be open to all. Instead, it can always monitor which information to release in the global market and still manage to benefit. The countries can learn from each other successes and mistakes. For instance, relationship between Asian economic powers (China and Japan) with the United States.
Globalization were looked at positively can be very instrumental in opening up new and efficient methods of implementing development programs. This is an opinion given by Harris, Jonathan text on WSIS and merits of Open Course Ware (Harris, Jonathan.2005). Globalization has made information a precious commodity on the market, an understanding that echoes distribution of knowledge as being profitable. Lack of information exchange in many citizens is therefore an unfortunate thing in the era of globalization. Globalization has made winners and losers, where the rich and the poor are separated into two groups. If information widens the gap between the rich and poor, there is the need to stop this.
The future era of globalization may be hindered by this kind of division, a situation that has called for measures that ensure information and knowledge to the majority of people.
Through the principles of WSIS and the UN Millennium Declaration, Open CourseWare has promoted access of information and knowledge that allows international cooperation, sound democracy and governance. The text helps us understand that globalization has brought a gap between the rich and the poor, if distribution of knowledge is not there. The benefits of globalization in future will be promoted by ensuring that citizens access information and knowledge.
In summary, the text shows how an online initiative to provide means of access to information and knowledge to the citizens will close the gap between the rich and the poor in the globalization era. Developments that can expand the capacity for regional and international cooperation can be realized through knowledge provided by the creation of the initiative of a more informed citizenry will make a democratic process more efficient.
Globalization can work in a positive manner, if the world’s governments work together to provide global economic progress. This is an opinion by Martin Wolf’s in his book; Why Globalization works (Wolf, Martin. 2005) the text’s relevance to my topic is seen when it points out that globalization is a concept that exists with both negative and side effects. Globalization has brought both social and economic developments. The text touches on the economic aspect of globalization.
The global market economy is powerfully defended, its lack of progress being blamed on the governments and not the market itself. Global economic progress is stated to occur, if only the governments adopt economic internationalism.
The contents of the book in summary, point out that the global market provides everything that is good when it comes to globalization. The negative results of globalization on the other hand, are due to the government’s failure. However, Martin’s opinion falls short when he does not see redistribution of power from the economic processes. The redistribution of power from the economic processes in turn transforms the politics and the government’s actions possibilities.
Understanding globalization is a very complicated issue. One way of understanding globalization is by recognizing the functions and the powers of institutions that govern globalization hold.
This is what Joseph Stiglitz’s book on globalization and its Discontents present (Stiglitz, Joseph.2003). The book provides a positive opinion of globalization; that the poor can benefit from globalization if institutions that govern globalization alter their way of operation with increased transparency being recommended.
This can be achieved by preventing decision-making based on curious ideologies as well as bad economics. The text further proposes open and frank discussion as a great move in assisting the poor gain from globalization instead of letting the gap between the rich and the poor to keep widening. However, apart from its negative effects, it is good to understand that it has improved the living standards of many people all over the world, together with the foreign aid. This information provides a good understanding on how to deal with negative effects of globalization, and how to appreciate it at the same time.
The text explains how international bodies that govern globalization have failed through their way of functioning. For instance, the IMF, the World Bank and WTO are encouraged to alter how they operate in order to maximize the benefits that come from globalization. The text states that at some time in the World Bank, decisions are based on bad economics and wrong ideologies instead of open and frank discussion. However, through foreign aid, the institutions have improved the living standards of people.
People have a belief that in economic development, people’s living conditions are improved by the scientific and technological advancements that occur.
This is an opinion of the people presented in Winner Langdon’s book, The Paradoxes of the Information Age (Winner, Langdon.1994). Globalization is also believed to have resulted from the technological advancements.
With globalization, new ways of thinking have brought in the arguments of how advantageous globalization can be.
The idea of progress that implies that advancements always result to positive effects of globalization is now being challenged as seen in this book. Modern politics have made it difficult for people to understand the existing relationship between the technical means and the social policies.
Though technological changes and ever-increasing economic expansion are beneficial, they are a threat to the life on earth. Observation that growth needs to be stopped in order to prevent destruction, is an opinion that relates to globalization. Globalization is part and parcel of economic growth, and if growth is stopped, globalization is bound to be affected.
Summary
The contents provide the reader with an understanding of how people view progress.
Scientific and technological advancements have been seen as progress, something that promotes the improvement of the people’s living standards. Political influences have affected people’s understanding of the social policies and technology relationship. Though people’s living standards have been promoted by technological developments, economic growth that is not controlled spells disaster for the world’s population.
Works Cited
Friedman, Thomas. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
Harris, Jonathan. “To WSIS, Concerning the Merits of Open Course Ware.” Online Posting. 2005. Web.
Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.3-20.
Stiglitz, Joseph. Globalization and its Discontents. W. W. Norton and Company. 2003.
Winner, Langdon. The Paradoxes of the Information Age. Seattle: Bay Press, 1994.191 -197.
Wolf, Martin. Why Globalization Works. Yale University Press, 2nd Edition.. 2005.