Globalization as the Exchange of Ideas - Essay Example

? Contemporary Society and Social Future Contemporary Society and Social Future Globalization can be defined as the exchange of ideas, concepts, opinions, general commodities and services from one country to another. Globalization has brought the world close together more than ever before and it has become very easy for businesspeople, politicians, economists, scientists, and people from other professions, to communicate and deal across borders. The current period of globalization thus presents people with a chance to use similar products and consume the same food. However, some thinkers believe that globalization has also brought a negative impact on society, as it has made people move away from their culture. Most Asian and African countries are highly influenced by European and American culture and try to adapt themselves to the new modern way. Although there is nothing wrong in adopting a modern lifestyle, it is also very important for a community and a society to remember their values, roots and the practices of their ancestors. Discussion As recently as two decades ago, there were no branches of KFC or McDonald’s in most Asian and African countries. The concept of fast food was not much known in these parts of the world, not because people did not like fast food, but because there was a huge problem in transporting it to these countries from different continents (Albrow, 1996). Advances in technology have made modes of transport more fuel efficient and it becomes much cheaper to transport goods. . Everyday products in millions are transported by airplanes and cargo ships to the most distant countries in the world. In the present era, people living in third world nations, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, can enjoy the same food as people in the US and England (Back, 1994). This is one positive thing that globalization has brought in the present world. Globalization has made businesses global so that people from all over the world can use the best of products and have many alternatives from which to choose. This is of great benefit for most Middle East, Asian and African countries that are able to use superior US- and European-made products (Bauman, 1998). Not so long ago in developing countries, even those people who earned well and could afford luxurious items used inferior products. Globalization has created a need for people to use the most modern and superior products (Featherstone, 1995). Globalization has bought the world closer through social media and television, where people can see what is ‘trending’ and use the same products as the rest of the world. The popularity of Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites – and the convenience to use them from any part of the world – gives access to the latest in fashion, celebrity news and lifestyle that people all around the world could follow (Featherstone, 1990). In the 1990s, Apple products were generally only popular and used in American and European countries. Social media gave the opportunity to the rest of the world to see how popular iPhones were with celebrities in American and European countries. This further inspired people to use these products, much like their favourite stars on screen. Today more iPhones are sold in India than in Sweden, Spain and France combined. This is what globalization has done. It has brought people under the same platform to choose and buy, based on preference. Globalization improves the quality of products produced in a country. When foreign investors enter the domestic market, they produce the most superior products. This motivates local manufacturers to improve the quality of their products, as they know they will have to produce only the best in order to compete with foreign companies (Friedman, 1990). The general public gains the most from this, as they are able to use local and foreign products at very competitive rates (Giddens, 1999). When foreign companies enter the market, then the local companies also reduce their price to attract consumers. Furthermore, globalization provides a number of jobs for the local citizens of a country (Hannerz, 1984). With more and more companies entering the market, more and more jobs are being offered to people on a regular basis. The economic recession of 2008 greatly supported the cause of employment, especially in developing countries (Held, 2004). When local industries were laying off employees, foreign companies like P&G and Unilever retained them in most developing countries despite the number in sales went down. More than 30% of people in developing countries held their jobs in multinational projects and companies in countries such as India, Pakistan and Malaysia (Gills & Piper, 2002). Another distinctive feature of globalization is that it influences politics in the global world in the present era. Globalization has made the world more peaceful, where humans can live in harmony. Laws are made to make the life of people better and they are made taking the opinion of the public into consideration (Held & McGrew, 2007). It has become easier for politicians to contact and maintain a close relation of cooperation with each other. The war against terrorism is a perfect example of this. After the September 2011 attack on the USA, many countries supported the global war against terrorism. These countries unified and voted to authorize the United Nations Organization to fight terrorism, which was then a threat to the USA and other European countries (Mullard, 2007). This showed the unified interest of politicians in fighting against universal crime. The war saw the decline of power in countries such as Afghanistan that were ruled by extremists. Since the war against terrorism began, no major threat from Afghanistan has emerged. There has also been no major act of terrorism in the past 10 years. This shows that a universal approach by politicians can help to fight the worst of crimes and lead to global peace. Other than fighting terrorism, globalization also helps a country to protect other countries. Globalization in the current era helps to make the life of people secure by dealing with extremists. The idea of human rights has grown in concept in the past few decades. Women were once considered inferior to men and had a minor role to play in society. Globalization has enabled women all across the world to find better jobs and be self-sufficient (Robertson & Lechner, 1992). For example, in most Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh it was hard for women to seek education. Globalization has helped their cause by making them aware of the situation of women in Europe and the other developed countries, and has inspired them to seek education (Devasahayam, 2007). Today Pakistan has 60% more schools and colleges dedicated for women than in the early 1990s. Education also fulfils the prerequisite of a job. In the 1990s, only about 5% of women were employed in major cities in Pakistan and only 16% in Malaysia. Today more than 22% of women in Pakistan and 35% of women in Malaysia have jobs (Lazreg, 2000). This again owes much to globalization for making women realize that they can work, earn and be self-dependent. There are now laws in these Islamic countries, such as Malaysia, so that women cannot be contained at home. If they want to work and contribute, then the male members of the society cannot stop them. This was something that did not exist in previous generations in the country (Robins, 1997). Globalization has not only brought rights for women, but also for animals and nature. People globally have become much more aware of the damage caused to nature and have aired their opinion on such matters (Sklair, 1993). The concern for nature shown by people all around the world has forced many organizations to meet their corporate social responsibilities. Under these responsibilities, companies refrain from dumping waste in clean drinking water and they also avoid polluting the environment (Allen & Hamnett, 1995). Nearly all the countries in the world today have laws to protect the environment and strict action is taken against factories that do not comply with the rules and regulations regarding pollution. Globalization promises a better future in terms of corporations meeting their social responsibilities and keeping the world less polluted (Bales, 2004). There are also some negative aspects of globalization. One such aspect is drifting away from one’s culture. The influence of globalization is so strong that it tends to move people away from their own traditions. For example, most Islamic countries do not permit the women to wear jeans and T-shirts, but because women in these countries take inspiration from the Western world, they tend to wear such outfits that create some controversy every now and then (Tomlinson, 1999). There are reports of women being abused because of wearing such outfits in Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. Since more and more women have started wearing Western clothes in Pakistan, more and more of them are being abused every day. There is nearly a 20% increase in women wearing Western clothes in the country in the past 10 years and the increase in the abuses against them is even higher. More than 70% of women who wear Western clothes in the workplace and shopping areas report being abused daily. Abuse mostly comes in the form of physical molestation and indecent remarks made to them (Devasahayam, 2007). However, the will of women to wear Western outfits in these countries cannot be blamed to globalization or the exposure women in these countries get from the Western world. They deserve the chance to dress and express themselves as they wish. Economic recession is one other concern brought by globalization in recent times: for example, the global recession that took place in 2008. Though the recession started in the USA, it quickly spread to the rest of the world (Held, 2004). This is because of the trade that takes place in the US dollar globally. When the recession came, the value of the dollar fell drastically, making a huge loss for businesses and individuals who had invested and were dealing in dollars. As the US dollar is a universal currency for trade, any downward shift in the value could lead to great calamity in the stock markets (Held, 2004). This is one major disadvantage of globalization, and countries across the world are yet to deal with this dilemma. Although globalization has greatly influenced politics and brought positive changes in the society that we live in, it also has made some countries very powerful to dictate terms to the rest of the world. The USA, for example, carried out a number of operations in countries they thought were a home of terrorists. There was no solid proof of this, but they received a vote of confidence from major European countries. The US military is still present in Pakistan, with frequent drone strikes to attempt to penetrate militants in the region. The war with Afghanistan is over and so it should be with Pakistan, but the USA military still continues its operations there. Iraq and Libya are two other examples where the USA military was present to overthrow the regime of dictatorship in the countries (Heng, 2010). Globalization has also caused the dominant nation of the world to impose trade bans and tariffs on the less powerful countries. Because Iran does not believe in the Western philosophy, UNO has placed all sorts of trade bans on the country. Iran cannot import and export from major European and American countries. This means that the people living in the country are deprived of European and American products. Moreover, other Islamic countries have also been asked to stop trade with Iran. Saudi Arabia has refused to export oil to the country. Currently, Iran is self-sufficient, but soon a time will come when they will be out of resources to produce products and services for their people (Heng, 2010). If the USA fails to negotiate with Iran, then it could mean trouble for the country. Globalization has made some countries very powerful and there are consequences to be faced if their rules are not applied. This should not be the case in the modern world and every country must have the right to protect itself from war and trade barriers from trade. Conclusion It cannot be denied that globalization presents people with a great opportunity to use anything that they want if it is available in their country. This was not possible in the past, but as countries have cooperated to trade with one another, people are able to use the best of the products. Globalization also helps to maintain peace in the world by fighting global crime. After the war on terrorism, no major disastrous event of terrorism has taken place. There are also some disadvantages of globalization. One such is recession, so that if this occurs in the USA, it can affect the whole world because of the devaluation of the dollar. A further disadvantage is that globalization has made some countries, such as the USA, very strong in relation to other countries, so that they are able to control and influence less strong countries. Globalization has its advantages and disadvantages; if used for the good of people, then it cannot bring any harm in society. Globalization helps to strengthen the bond of friendship between countries by allowing trade between them. List of References Albrow, M., 1996. The Global Age: State and Society Beyond Modernity. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Allen, J. & Hamnett, C., 1995. A Shrinking World? Global Unevenness and Inequality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Back, L., 1994. Globalisation, Culture and Locality. Sociology Review, 7(2), pp. 404-407. Bales, K., 2004. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. London: University of California Press. Bauman, Z., 1998. Globalization: The Human Consequences. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. Devasahayam, T. W., 2007. 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