Its a Flat World, After All by Thomas Friedman - Essay Example

?Critique: It’s a Flat World, After All by Thomas Friedman Introduction The article by Thomas Friedman presents a dis on the current applications and effects of globalization on the general relations and activities of the different countries and citizens of the world. This essay shall present a critique of his article, evaluating his arguments and points of discussion using the knowledge obtained in the lectures and the materials relevant to this text. Critique First, it is important to consider the different arguments which Friedman chose in order to support his contention that the world is in fact, flat. Friedman discusses the different flatteners of the world which has created a level playing field for all countries. These flatteners include the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Netscape, Workflow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, supply chaining, insourcing, informing, and the steroids. In reviewing these flatteners, it is important to understand the context upon which the word flattened or flat is used. Friedman uses the term flat in terms of the level of competence which all countries have in terms of access to information and technology, including economic growth and development. Such information is used in various activities including: business, governance, education, and sports. Based on Friedman’s arguments, he concludes that the world is flat because the access to information, technology, and the potential for economic growth is no longer the exclusive province of the developed states (Bijker, 1995). Instead, the economic, political, and social landscape has levelled out and this process has started unfolding ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall, becoming even more apparent starting in the year 2000 onwards. Undeniably, the use of technology and the spread and the access of information have become very much apparent in the current setting. Information represents an “assemblage of data” (Headrick, 2000, p. 3) and at present, its accessibility has become relatively easy, especially with the expansion of internet use and availability. What is happening in one part of the world can now easily be accessed by the other side of the world. What is for example known in the United States can easily be made known and be accessed in China (Latour, 2007). The information and technology is no longer exclusive or delayed in transmission. For a long while geographical barriers between countries implied that different nations had different rates of growth; however, geographical barriers have become less of an issue through internet capability (Suchman, 2007). In relation to internet access therefore, Friedman provides a strong support for the world being flat and less hierarchical. Since information is no longer exclusive to specific individuals or countries, the possibility of creating technology and innovations from such information is no longer also an exclusive right and privilege of specific countries (Wolf, 2008). This indicates that there are also innovators which can gain access to the same information from any part of the globe and then transform such information to innovations. For a long while, the US and other western nations were the global leaders in technology and innovation (Beniger, 1986). From such technology and innovations, they were able to make major advancements in labour-saving technology which increased productivity and made the work hours more efficient. With “falling communication costs and the broader spectrum of activities that can be coordinated through current forms of computer-mediated interaction,” more economic links were soon established (Kallinikos, 2010, p. 93). From such technology and innovations, the rest of the world looked to the west for dole-outs of these technologies. The adaptation of these technologies was carried out in order for the countries to keep up with the western technologies. The data which Friedman suggested must however achieve maximum utility in order for their value to be increased, and to allow for data-driven decision-making. Friedman points out that the initiation of innovations has become a widespread global phenomenon and possibility. For as long as countries and the citizens of the world are able to access and create information which can be used for innovation and technological development, the expansion and use of technology can now be set at a pace similar to the western world (Gallagher, 2009). The use of cell phones, the internet, and computers have now eliminated the delays in communication, levelling the playing field for both the sender of the message and its recipient (Kallinikos, 2010). Friedman has placed a lot of importance on the immediacy of the available technology, including its accessibility in real and equal time to most people of the world. Under these conditions, the traditional hierarchical benediction of technology to the developed and western countries first has become an irrelevant detail within the context of globalization (Quattrone and Hopper, 2005). For Friedman, this is what the flat world means, a world where the entitlement to knowledge by the Americans and other western economies have become less relevant because the Asian countries and other developing states have also become entitled to the same information and technologies. This is an important point for Friedman to make because whoever possesses the knowledge also possesses the power, and vice versa. The flattening of the world is being judged therefore in terms of accessibility; and based on such accessibility feature alone, Friedman’s arguments have to be given credit (Seeley and Brown, 2000). In recent years, social networking has also created a new means of communication for the global community, shifting the locus of control away from the producers and on to the consumers (McAfee and Brynjolfsson, 2012). Under these conditions, some form of flattening may also be seen. E-government processes have also been seen in recent years, and its processes have allowed linkages in the e-businesses and e-commerce activities seen in different countries and among varied businesses (Cordella, 2007). Instead of having to overcome the geographical and costs and barriers to business engagements, e-commerce and e-government has flattened these barriers, allowing for more open economic and political relations among involved countries (Chandler, 1991). There are however issues which have to be taken in relation to Friedman’s arguments. Pankaj Ghemawat (2007) discusses that Friedman seems to grossly exaggerate some of his claims, especially in relation to global phone calls. In fact he says that 90% of the global phone calls, web traffic, and investments are locally based, not global in nature (Ghemawat, 2007). Ghemawat (2007) points out that even with the new and wireless conditions which has become the norm, only a fraction is said to exist in the international realm. Begley (2006) also argues that the Friedman’s discussion comes from an American perspective and the author’s work has mostly been with the New York Times and this is affecting the way the article is written, which is basically in a more inclusive tone (Begley, 2006). Other authors and economists have also taken issue with Friedman’s article. Stiglitz discusses how Friedman is correct in the sense have been major changes in the current globalized economy and indeed the world has become as flat as it has ever been, especially with most parts of the world being connected to the wider economic landscape. However, Stiglitz argues that the world is not flat and in fact it has become less flat in recent years. Florida (2005) claims that the world is actually spiky. Taibbi (2005) was especially critical of Friedman’s arguments. He claims that Friedman’s article is boring and it is only due to Friedman’s use of seemingly convincing words which make his arguments true. Taibbi (2005) claims that it is how Friedman makes his claims that make his words seem very convincing. Taibbi also does not agree with Friedman’s analogy relating to Columbus’s discovery that the world is round. He further emphasizes that the discovery of Columbus is that the earth is round and Friedman’s use of the flat world in relation to global interconnectedness does not support a logical analogy. The old world is also certainly not considered disconnected because it is considered round by Friedman’s standards. Arguments which support the contention that the world is flat is mostly based on Friedman’s statements. Friedman’s argument is mostly founded on the ten flatteners and the triple convergence discussion. Friedman also indicates that new technologies have allowed the world to become more interconnected with and interdependent on each other. However, as discussed by Florida (2005), the level playing field mostly impacts on the advanced and developed nations which have seen the rise of manufacturing as well as high-end jobs. The developing states do not have as much access to these connections and are not able to experience the benefits of the technologies which Friedman has mentioned. Florida (2005) further claims that there are more tensions and issues in the shifting relations of countries and inequality is further being heightened in the global community. Friedman also discusses the ten flatteners and pointing out how these flatteners have established a setting for collaboration among countries which have promoted the flattening of the world. As a result, internationalization has increased because of such flatteners and more industries are participating in businesses abroad. However, as disputed by Ghemawat (2007), the majority of economic activities in the domestic or foreign setting are still domestically focused. Majority of the capital invested in foreign direct investments across the globe represents less than 10% in the early 2000s (Ghemawat, 2007). This would imply that most of the investments are set in the domestic scene and this would support the notion that the ten flatteners of Friedman have in fact increased global interconnectedness, but only to about 10%. Investments therefore are still very much limited (Yildiz, 2007). Friedman (2005) also discusses the significance of the borders being broken down, a phenomenon which has allowed the global community to relate more with each other also making it easier for businesses to enter the international fray. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 became a symbol of a world existing with limited barriers which might decrease the pace of international business activities (Friedman, 2005). Moreover, countries which have applied the Russian economic model, as was the case for China, India, other Eastern European countries, and states in Central Asia slowly started to expand their economic activities with other countries and regions of the world. As believed by Friedman, this made countries more integrated and the world more flat. As pointed out however by Abdegal and Segal (2007), these perspectives by Friedman are not accurate. They claim that because of globalization some barriers would likely increase. Abdegal and Segal (2007) express how rules which prompt governments to open their markets as well as international policies which support policymakers in their liberalization activities have weakened. It has however become easier for developed states to go to developing countries and carry out their businesses there; the reverse however is not true (May, 2002). The US and the European states have long wanted to expand their services abroad while still ensuring their imposition of tariffs for other countries transacting in their territories (Abdelal and Segal, 2007). As various states seek to also put up higher tariffs to secure their profits, the idea of a flatter world becomes less of a reality Conclusion The theory of a flat world is a persistent controversial discussion among economists, politicians, and scientists, including the concerned consumers. Friedman seems to make generalisations, exaggerating his claims to support his theory. His concepts are promising but also do not accurately describe globalisation and its impact. Critics are coming up with more accurate statistics and studies which are not supporting Friedman’s claims. The arguments from the critics are more reasonable while predicting the impact of globalisation based on a wider scale of resources and viewpoints as compared to Friedman’s flattening process arguments. The latter’s arguments only highlight specific events and arguments. As both sides of the issue establish one decision, it is important to conclude that the general concept of a flattening phenomenon is undeniable and accepted. The scale, impact, and coverage of the process is however fraught with issue and controversy. References Abdelal, R. and Segal, A, 2007 Has globalization passes its peak?, Foreign Affairs, pp. 103-114. Begley, P, 2005, The world is flat: A brief history of the Twenty-First Century [online]. Available at: http://web.archive.org/web/20061106211147/www.credoadvisors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/The_World_is_Flat_begley.pdf [Accessed 19 August 2013]. Beniger, J, 1986, The control revolution, Boston: Harvard UP. Bijker, W, 1995, Of bicycles, bakelites and bulbs: Towards a theory of sociotechnical change, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Chandler, A, 1991, Scale and scope: The dynamics of industrial capitalism, London: Belknap Press Florida, R., 2005, The world is spiky, Atlantic Monthly, pp. 48-51 Friedman, T., 2005, It’s a flat world, after all, The New York Times Magazine, pp. 33-37 Gallagher, W, 2009, Rapt: Attention and the focused life, London: Penguin. Ghemawat, R, 2007, Why the world isn’t flat, Foreign Policy, pp. 54-60. Headrick, D, 2000, When information came of age, Oxford: Oxford UP. Kallinikos, J, 2010, Governing through technology: Information artefacts and social practice, London: Palgrave Macmillan Latour, B, 2007, Reassembling the social: An introduction to actor network theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press. May, C, 2002, The information society: A sceptical view, London: Polity Press. Suchman, L, 2007, Human-machine reconfigurations: Plans and situated actions, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Seeley, B. and Brown, D, 2000, The social life of information, Boston: Harvard Business. Taibbi, M, 2005, Flathead: The peculiar genius of Thomas L. Friedman, New York Press. Wolf, M, 2008, Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain, London: Icon Books. Wright, A, 2007, Glut: Mastering information through the ages, New York: Joseph Henry Press. Read More