In his speech, Thom Friedman discusses the way in which globalization and technologies have changed the experiences of people who can live in different countries. At the beginning, the author discusses the reason why he became interested in the topic. His original intention was to investigate such a trend as outsourcing (Friedman).
However, he chose to concentrate on the way in which technologies and globalization had made people more interconnected because this question was more important for analyzing the development of contemporary societies. In his opinion, modern globalization is not driven by governments or companies; more likely, it can be explained by the efforts of separate individuals who want to take part in the global economy and compete with one another (Friedman).
Overall, Thom Friedman focuses on a wide range of issues as the development of web browsers, the use of optical fiber, online operations of many businesses, and the need to make technologies more eco-friendly. Yet, the author is able to identify the causal connections among the topics that he explores. Overall, he expresses his ideas in a coherent and logical way. This is the main strength of his speech.
During the concluding part of his speech, Thom Friedman lays stress on the need for real green revolution which can make the global community more sustainable. This need can be explained by the growing consumption of energy and increasing rates of urbanizations in many regions of the world (Friedman).
Moreover, in Thom Friedman’s opinion, the efforts of companies are not sufficient for improving the quality of environment. To some degree, this argument is quite plausible. However, it seems that the author does not speak in great detail about environmental challenges that international community should address. This is one of the limitations that can be identified.
One can say that Thom Friedman delivers his speech in an engaging way. In particular, he provides eloquent examples that can illustrate his ideas. For instance, he can speak about the experiences of people living in China, Hungary, India, and so forth. This approach helps the speaker to show how individuals can participate in the global economy. Furthermore, the speaker relies on jokes to make his presentation more vivid. This is one of the aspects that can be identified.
Thom Friedman discusses the issues that affect the experiences of many people. For instance, he lays stress on the role of such a company as Netscape which introduced one of the first web browsers. This product enabled people to make a more efficient use of Internet (Friedman).
The author‘s comments are quite justified because these products have become an inseparable part of modern life. Without them, Internet would not have brought significant improvements to the global community. The introduction of web browsers contributed to the adoption of optical fiber throughout the world. This technology has revolutionized the way in which people use computers.
Moreover, the speaker shows the online technologies changed the way in which companies and individuals interact with one another. For instance, he speaks about people’s ability to purchase goods such as airline tickets on the Internet. This example is important because it shows that Internet can speed up the activities that were previously time-consuming.
In my opinion, this change is very important because it provided more opportunities to both clients and entrepreneurs from various countries. Many businesses remain successful only because they can operate in an online environment. So, the development of technology gave people access to many economic opportunities that emerged only at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Additionally, it is important to remember about the connections between technology and art or design. For instance, Thom Friedman mentions Steve Jobs who was partly inspired by calligraphy when he was working on the development of Apple computers. This combination of technology and art is important for the success of many businesses.
It seems that this issue is very important because entrepreneurship is often based on the integration of different ideas, technologies, or principles. Therefore, a person should be able to broaden the scope of his/her thinking and creativity. Judging from my own experiences, I can tell that professionals have to possess expertise in different disciplines in order to be more competitive in the labor market. Moreover, he/she can introduce ideas that better appeal to customers. This is one of the details that can be singled out.
Finally, one should not overlook the importance of clean technologies. Thom Friedman says that the growth of the global economy is possible if people can minimize the impact of their activities on the environment. This issue becomes important at the time when various regions of the world become more urbanized and industrialized.
This is why Thom Friedman attaches importance to .green revolution that can minimize air pollution or water contamination. Overall, this lecture is both interesting and thought-provoking. This speech urges listeners to see the most significant trends that impact many countries. This is why it is worth attention.
Works Cited
Friedman, Thomas. “MIT Milestone Celebration.” YouTube. 2008. Web.