Analysis of Thomas Friedmans Article It's a Flat World, After All - Coursework Example

Information Systems The world has undergone a lot of transformation over the last couple of decades, thanks to the developments in various technological fields. One major field that has seen the world move great strides in various respects is information technology. In fact, I may be confidently postulated that without the developments previously witnessed in IT, the world today would almost be as it were in the 15th or 16th century. In a world that is characterized by the fast spread of information, global citizenship has become both interesting and challenging (Bhagwati 2005). The positive side of living in today’s information age is associated with the successes of information systems and knowledge gain. Knowledge in some cases has been used synonymously with power. The information era depends a lot on the spread of information and the utilization of knowledge for economic gain. This paper seeks to criticize Thomas Friedman’s article Its a Flat World, After All in light of two principles; Citizenship in information age, and power/knowledge. Thomas Friedman’s Key Arguments It is well established that physically, the world is spherical and not flat. Friedman (2005) postulates that the world is flat considering that the current business and technological environment has been leveled with the advances that have come with technology, information technology especially. Friedman compares a number of countries as they were a couple of centuries ago before they had access to the benefits that come with information technology with their status today. The difference is quite significant, the current society enjoying a lot more than the past generations. Friedman in a clear way outlines the stages of development that the world has gone through as a result of globalization and information systems development. Information systems have made it possible for organizations hold video conferences, communicate in real time, work, and perform transactions without respect to geographical boundaries. These are some of the advantages of the information age and a globalized environment. In regard to globalization, Friedman (2005) notes that there have been three stages of globalization. The first and second third globalizations involved countries and corporate bodies respectively. The third and current globalization involves the globalization of small groups and individuals. What this actually means is that there has emerged a global citizenry that encompasses countries, businesses, small groups and individuals living in the information age. Information Era Citizenship The information or computer age according to IT specialists is characterized by the free transfer of and access to information by individuals. The information age which has come after the industrial revolution has seen many economies thrive based on the mere manipulation and transfer of information. Some of the tools that have made the establishment of the information era possible include computers and computing devices, fibre optics, and communication satellites (Bhagwati 2005). One of the major developments that have made it possible for the information age to get established to the extent that it is today is the Internet. With the establishment of the Internet, global communication and networking has become more efficient as noted by Carr (2010). In agreement with Friedman, the information or digital error has created a lot of opportunities to the global citizenry. With people and organizations connected virtually across the world, business opportunities have increased and the market place widened even for the individual who is located in a remote part of the world. The Internet, telephone network, radio network and television network have made the sharing of knowledge easy, affordable and quick. No wonder outsourcing, offshoring, open sourcing, insourcing, supply chaining and informing have become part of everyday activities as discussed by Friedman (2005). What this means that the citizen living in the information age can get work done by other people who are experts in certain specific activities and or at a cheaper cost without having to travel or move to a different location. Yet again, the citizen can collaborate with other people to get work done, especially when the job to be done requires many hands or brains working to achieve common objectives. In addition, the citizen can contract a company to work within its premises to provide vital services without having to forego the opportunity to closely monitor the other company’s service delivery. The sharing of information and knowledge among the members is important for the development of the world. With the establishment of several search engines, online encyclopedias, journals and books, and countless websites all of which are at the exposure of the public, it is beyond doubt the information age citizen is much more informed compared to their counterpart who lived before the era began (Harris and Pendakur 2002). The individual who enjoys the use of IT resources has the potential of working for an overseas company or client in the comfort of their homes. This is the nature of work-at-home businesses that rely on the power of the Internet to harness business opportunities (Carr 2010). Information technology has greatly impacted institutional governance and democracy in many jurisdictions. The citizen, through social media such as Facebook, Badoo and Twitter, is able to share personal views with the rest of the world in real time with the click of a button as noted by Friedman (2005). In fact, there are occasions when social media have been used to organize and manage public activities including protects, and demonstrations. In this respect, the citizen has gained more capacity to impact or change the world without having to participate physically in certain activities as emphasized by Harris and Pendakur (2002). Yet again, the information age citizen has the opportunity to receive better services from service providers and government agencies. Through websites and online platforms, the citizen can get problems solved, transact or somehow contribute to the development of the country. Knowledge and Power It has commonly been stated that knowledge is power. This means that when an individual, group or organization has knowledge beyond what their counterparts know or have, they wield some kind of power. Indeed many people around the world suffer or face various problems because they lack knowledge. In any case, several businesses thrive based on the fact that they have certain knowledge that is alien to those who need it and thereby form their client base. Many of the developments that the world has experienced are the result of the realization of certain knowledge or discovery of certain information. Friedman in his article Its a Flat World, After All discusses several cases that define the importance of knowledge. India’s growth for example has been propelled by the knowledge pool that within resides. Indians are known to excel in fields such as medicine and software engineering and export a lot from these industries. One example of the benefit of knowledge that Friedman gives relates to the enlistment of Experts of Indian origin in solving the Y2K problem in the late 1990s (Friedman 2005). In as much as this is the case, however, there is need to market or somehow showcase the knowledge that one has in order to benefit from it. In the case of India, China and many other countries, Information Technology resources have helped in performing this function. The convergence of knowledge from various quarters has enabled the achievement of huge goals. The production of opensource software such as Linux, for example, has been a result of the convergence of knowledge from various quarters. Intel CEO Said Craig notes that when three billion people from societies with rich educational heritages come together, the world is bound to be massively impacted (Friedman 2005). The effects of power and knowledge reside in the way they are used. Better stated, when an individual holding some important knowledge fails to put this knowledge into use, he or she fails to impact the world around him. Friedman in his article severally discusses how so many countries, organizations and individuals have used their knowledge to gain favorable positions in the market. He also takes notes of how the cold war has been fought not based on physical weaponry but based on knowledge and power. The Soviet Union for example showed its superiority against the United States of America by launching a space mission, the Sputnik satellite (Friedman 2005). The power of knowledge can be harnessed for bad ends just as they can be utilized to fulfill positive ends. Terrorists for example use the knowledge that they have of weapons and information technology to cause harm. The power that they gain as a result of the knowledge that they have propels them to achieve their evil desires and sometimes to make a lot of money without having to work for it. The challenges of the flat world according to Friedman cannot be overcome by the help of other parties but by the utilization of knowledge. Friedman makes a wake-up call to American citizens to work hard so as to gain knowledge and make use of it for the betterment of society and for their personal benefit. The American society has become lax and is currently in a quiet crisis whereby the country’s prowess as an engineering and scientific base is gradually getting eroded since the nationals are getting less committed to seeking knowledge (Friedman 2005). Comparing the US to China and India, Friedman notes that the latter two countries are making significant strides in producing a knowledgeable workforce in huge numbers. The level playing ground that is the current business environment demands a competent workforce that is knowledge rich and having the capacity to overcome new challenges. Conclusion Friedman’s article on the flat world discusses a number of issues that relate to current developments including globalization and the information age. Friedman gives an unbiased view of his subjects and maintains an authoritative voice in his articulations. The renowned author makes it clear that knowledge is superior in the current business environment in agreement with various authorities. Friedman offers a lot of examples in his work to an extent that the practicality of his words goes beyond doubt, more so as he provides expert opinions on various issues. Information systems greatly impact the world today more than ever. With the information age currently well established, globalization has taken its toll now more than ever. The information age citizen has several advantages with which to credit the availability and easy access to information. The citizen for one has the capacity to work or receive services beyond the confines of geographical or territorial boundaries. This means that the citizen or corporate body has more opportunities for growth. On the other hand, the citizen, without adequate knowledge risks losing market to competition. Another benefit that the citizen enjoys of the era is the ability to air out views to the world without having to spend much. As such, the citizen retains the ability to impact the entire world just with a click of a mouse. On the level playing ground formed through globalization and the free transfer of information, information and knowledge are highly valuable. A lot of economies thrive based on the knowledge that they sell or the information that they process or manipulate. Reference List Bhagwati J., 2005, In defense of Globalization. New York: Oxford University Press Carr N., 2010, The Shallows, What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, W. W. Norton & Company Friedman T., 2005, Its a Flat World, After All http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html [Accessed 7 December, 2011] Harris R. and Pendakur M., 2002, Citizenship and participation in the information age. University of Toronto Press. Read More