To What Extent Do We Live in a Globalised Society - Essay Example

To what extent do we live in a globalised society? by The of the The of the School TheCity and State where it is located The Date To what extent do we live in a globalised society? It is beyond any doubt that living in a social environment should be placed among the most important prerequisites that contribute to the development of the inner potential of a human being. However, it must be noted that not only a person is able to evolve within a society, but the latter also evolves. Thus, the modern day features a peculiar phenomenon that is usually referred to as globalization. One should note that it has a considerable impact on the societies all over the world. This paper will argue that the modern society that people live in as a globalized one. To begin with, one should note a simple fact: at the present moment people who have the sufficient amount of money are able to visit any country that they want regardless of the distance. In spite of the fact that this may not seem surprising as nowadays everyone is used to long distance flights, this very ability reflects that at the present moment the mankind is able to enjoy unprecedented freedom of movement (Bauman 1998, p. 70). Indeed, this may be largely regarded to be one of the most indisputable examples of globalization which stands for eliminating borders, most of all in the minds of the people of the world. What is more important is that the development of technology has contributed not only to international tourism, but also to exchange of knowledge and skills. One of the most extreme examples of it is the so called brain drain: the situation when specialists in one particular area flee from their home country in order to find a good job and decent living in another country. Nevertheless, the idea that a person might be born in one country and move to a different one to work there is an ordinary one for the contemporary people. Moreover, many companies encourage their employee to relocate in order to gain new experience. All this supports the process of globalization. However, it must be noted that the above mentioned phenomenon may be witnessed not only in the field of economic, but in other areas of social life as well. For example, different researchers point out that the art of the modern people which is beyond any doubt should be regarded as manifestation of the public opinion to a certain extent is much more globalized and much more cosmopolitan (Lyon 2000, p. 89). Indeed, people are no longer surprised when an exhibition of a foreign artist is carried out in their country. In addition to that, the art itself no longer bears some characteristic features of a particular cultural background; so, in the aesthetic world nationality of an author does not play a particular role. Keeping this in mind, one should also note that the very perception of art has also been influenced by the process of globalization. For example, people, neither artist nor the audience, no longer adhere to the predetermined framework of a particular artistic movement, but would like to gain their own personal experience of an art work, trying to understand the message of the author. This results in the fact that authors from all over the world are able to present their work and the audience with gratefully accept them without categorizing them in terms of a particular movement as it was in the previous times. The process of globalization of society is also largely seen on the governmental level. Thus, some of the leading countries of the world such as the United States of America or those which are famous for the effective social policies, such as Canada, represent a new approach towards building a state that features rejection of the necessity to build a nation state (Kivisto 2011, p. 172). Instead of that, they promote the idea of multi culture, tolerance and cosmopolitism the effectiveness of which is reflected in their success. On the other hand, some of the countries which were traditionally known for one particular nation that build them also show the signs of adopting the above mentioned approach which means that the idea of globalization is being effectively promoted all around the world and many states that originally did not adhere to it are changing it position. For example, such countries as the Russian Federation which has a long history of dominance of a particular ethnicity over other nationality gradually adopt the multicultural approach towards constructing the social life which opens it for the world as well as new and fruitful interactions with it. Considering the extent to which the modern society is globalized, one should also pay attention to some of the factors that can effectively contribute to the development of this process. First of one, it is quite obvious that due to the evolution of production, some people as well as organizations were able to concentrate a considerable amount of money in their hands which they invested into developing business (Martell 2010, p.52). In this case globalization is seen as an effective way to open new markets for the companies. Keeping in mind that the economies of different countries are constantly driven forward, the process of globalization of the society becomes almost inevitable. In addition to that, there is one more factor that plays an important role when it comes to the development of the above mentioned phenomena. Thus, the advancement of economics has been largely preconditioned by the breakthroughs of technology. Indeed, the latter allowed the former to spend less time producing a unit and contributed to return on investment. What is more important is that technology also made the global communication a reality – the prerequisite for an effective implementation of the concept on in question. One can hardly argue that technology plays an important role in the life of the modern society; it largely facilitates the process of globalization and makes the latter more connected to the other groups of people. One should also note that the modern social life features a unique phenomenon which was not known in the centuries before, namely the emergence of international organizations. While some of them claim to stay neutral in the majority of the issues, some of them work actively to promote globalization. A suitable example would be the World Bank. The latter global financial institution invests a considerable amount of money, reinforcing the relationships between different countries (Sassen 2007, p. 138) which leads to increased global cooperation which is a prerequisite for globalization. What is more important that the above mentioned concept might be seen on much more concrete examples that are taken from daily life. Thus, people in the modern society are used that they are able to consume goods that are created by the domestic companies as well as those which are located overseas. In other words, no one is surprised when one sees, for example, Chinese products on the shelves. Nevertheless, this is a rather important economic phenomenon which reflects the global connections between many countries of the world. In addition to that, there are also extensive supply chains that ensure that good are able to travel safely from one country to another. Finally, the influence of globalization on the modern society may also be seen in the way people perceive it. Thus, the idea of democracy is being highly praised among the people nowadays. Indeed, the majority of countries find it necessary to enshrine certain democratic ideals in their constitutions. In addition to that, the public tends to condemn authoritative regimes and favours the development of democracy across the globe. There is no doubt in the fact that this spread of democracy is closely connected to globalization which brings its own values and urges the people to adopt them as the latter are likely to enjoy all the benefits of globalization in this case. What is more important is that the modern society often admits the necessity to develop what’s called global civil society – the community of people life of which is governed by law and the application of it is similar regardless of the national boundaries (Seidman 2013, p. 277). Indeed, the above mentioned international organization strive to create a world where people will be connected by various universal values and form a homogeneous community that lives according to the generally accepted rules and does not feature borders that are based on one’s nationality or cultural background. Keeping in mind of all the evidence that was analyzed in the above mentioned paragraphs, one might conclude that the modern society might be regarded as a globalized one to a large extent. Indeed, the development of technology largely contributed to an increase in the productive forces of the countries and created a new world which features freedom of movement and freedom of action for the individuals who are willing to try themselves under different conditions. In addition to that, the modern society is subject to experience influence of different international organizations many of which contribute to the development of globalization and increase global interdependence of the countries. All this makes the society quite globalized. \ References Bauman, Z 1998, Globalization: The human consequences, Polity, Oxford. Lyon, D 2000 Postmodernity, Sage, London. Kivisto, P 2011, Key Ideas in Sociology, 3rd edn. Pine Forge Press, Los Angeles. Martell, L 2010, The sociology of globalization, Polity, Cambridge. Sassen, S 2007, A sociology of globalization, W.W. Norton, London. Seidman, S 2013, Contested knowledge: Social theory today, 5th edn. 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