Globalization through Cyberspace - Essay Example

Globalization through Cyberspace The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights profoundly d that “globalization is a phenomenon which has wrought fundamental changes within every society” (“Statement on Globalization”). We live in an era of globalization. From our waking moments to sleeping hours, our lives are unconsciously and inexorably linked to someone somewhere across the globe. Some of us may be fully aware of this phenomenon, but at most times, most of us remain oblivious to the fact that globalization is with us everywhere we go. It is in the shoes we wear, the cars we drive, the food we eat, the games we play, and the television shows we watch. Globalization has made our world smaller, more tactile, and certainly more interesting. Many phenomena have contributed to globalization. Multinational investments, importation and exportation, immigration and emigration, are just some of the trends that have managed to expand our country’s borders. A global phenomenon that has promptly changed the economic, political, and socio-cultural landscape of the world is the Internet and the World Wide Web. Although the Internet is interchangeably used to refer to the Web, and vice versa, the “Internet and the Web are two separate but related things…{the}web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet” (“The Difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web”). It was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense “…to create a non-centralized network designed to survive partial outages (i.e. nuclear war) and still function when parts of the network were down or destroyed” (“History of the Internet”). When Sir Tim Berners-Lee of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) came up with the idea of the Web, he probably did not expect how his idea would be embraced by so many people and businesses around the globe. Berners-Lee had one purpose in mind when he invented the Web, and that was--communication. “The dream behind the Web is of a common information space in which we communicate by sharing information” (Berners-Lee). The need to expand this dream to a bigger audience prompted Berners-Lee and other followers to come up with better and faster ways to access other people and information through computers. The “Gopher protocol…Erwise…ViolaWWW, and the Lynx” were some of the earlier technologies adapted to expand the coverage of the web (History of the Internet). The Internet, the Web, and the World Wide Web are used interchangeably in this paper as generic terms to refer to the process and system of linkages through a “global network of computers” (Sen). The development of the Mosaic Web browser was crucial to the World Wide Web phenomenon. “Mosaic is the celebrated graphical browser that allows users to travel through the world of electronic information using a point-and-click interface” (Wolfe 1). The fact that it was also made available to the public ushered in a wave of eager users who were ready to explore this technological innovation. In 1993, “CERN had agreed that anyone could use the Web protocol and code royalty-free” (Jayaram). This gave way to cheaper and even more widespread access to the Web. More importantly, it became a technology that was within the reach of the poor and developing countries of the world. “Whether you are a university professor with a high speed Internet connection or a poor kid in Asia with access to an Internet café, you have the same basic access to research information” (Anderson). From its inception, the Web technology has grown and improved considerably. Many Web browsers were developed; among these were “Netscape, Mozilla, and Firefox” (“History of the Internet”). The Web has contributed greatly to globalization. Many businesses eagerly embraced the Web as an economic tool. They opened their websites to trade their wares, to publicize their companies, and to entice the bigger international crowd. “Electronic commerce is a major component of the emerging global open marketplace for information, goods, and services” (Adam, et.al 117). EBay and the Amazon.com pages became markets for anyone who wanted to buy and sell anything from old books to new clothes. The Web also became an advertising goldmine for many businesses. It became possible to easily exhibit and advertise products and businesses to anyone anywhere with Internet access. Tourist destinations, airlines, hotels, and resorts were found and booked by a simple click of the mouse. Images of prime tourist and vacation spots at the far side of the world were readily available through the Web. The choices of holiday getaways were expanded to include these areas which, about 15 or so years ago, seemed so far and so foreign. Now, many developing nations with prime tourist destinations are enjoying good business and are generating income from foreign investors and visitors. “For countryside, tourism and recreation professionals, the Internet provides an excellent and cost effective means of promoting sustainable tourism initiatives” (Jones 13). The Web is not just economically advantageous to many businesses. Generation X has also found great uses for this technology. Social networking websites like “MySpace, Xanga, Friendster, and Facebook” presently cater to the needs of the younger generation of users who have a constant need to expand their network to a bigger and more diverse crowd (“History of the World Wide Web”). The Internet has made it possible for people from different countries to meet, socialize, and develop relationships without having to personally and physically meet. “Internet use has diffused from white, young North American men to the rest of the world. Gender and age have ceased being barriers” (Wellman, et.al). This social network is now being used by many socio-political activists to gain support and attention for their causes. Networks like “e-movements…e-activism… e-protest…” are gaining ground through the Web (Petit). Globalization has provided a “…big lens, a big framework, through which we look at the world, order events, and decide what is important and what is not” (Friedman). From a political standpoint, the Web has made many countries open to international scrutiny. Their actions or inactions can be easily seen by and broadcasted to an entire arena of judges and jurors. This was exemplified in Mexico when “…by using the Internet as tool to disseminate their cause, the Zapatistas found crucial support and solidarity locally as well as internationally” (Reis 10). Consequently, the government could no longer ignore the clamor of the Zapatistas. The introduction of YouTube has also created a forum for anyone who has anything to share to the rest of the world. Many talents from different parts of the globe found recognition and success through YouTube. “The YouTube team has built an exciting and powerful media platform which finally gives the audience their turn to speak” (Momosum). It shifted the balance of power from the corporate conglomerates to the consumers who saw or heard something they decided was worth a closer look. YouTube has also offered a video forum for social and political issues from global warming to animal rights violation. The YouTube effect enabled the rest of the world to witness the execution of refugees by Chinese soldiers. Through video sharing, many television networks re-aired these images to national TV and eventually prompted “…the U.S. ambassador to China to quickly lodge… a complaint protesting China’s treatment of the refugees” (Naim). The Web also made possible easy access to information and research for many students and academicians around the world. Information is no longer monopolized by those who can afford to buy costly books. “Computers can level the learning playing field, so students at all levels of society have greater economic opportunity” (Adam 118). Information is also made available to those who are not in the academe. Many out-of-school youths and those who cannot afford to go to school can now easily enrich their knowledge through the Web. Online education allows people from different countries to interact and share opinions and knowledge. Online education is “[t]he ultimate classroom--its a space where students from around the world can meet weekly to share perspectives, experiences, and learn from each other. Ever since the World Wide Web knit us all together, this dream has been within reach: its called distance learning” (Albrecht). Globalization through the cyberspace phenomenon has myriad impacts on the way people experience the world. It manages to fit the rest of the world into our computers. As a student, information and knowledge is made readily available through the Internet. The wealth of perspective that the Web offers makes it possible to analyze and understand a subject matter while not focusing on one side of the opinion continuum. The Internet “…has given the whole world a practical source of two-way communication and the capability for everyone to hear both sides of the story. Even though the Internet does not seem to have helped international public opinion about the United States, it has offered something even more important - global freedom of speech” (Dimock). The Web allows anyone to have an opinion and to have that opinion be known and scrutinized by the rest of the world. “Through the reach of the global blogosphere, one person’s casual musings have become an international topic for a virtual conversation about democracy, religion and politics” (Tangen, Jr.). Blog entries can be posted over the net and it allows not just newspaper columnists, editors and reporters, but anyone who can read and write to express an opinion. Blogging provides a powerful forum for people to be heard. “Blogs enter mainstream public consciousness from the margins of the Internet where they originated; they bring a hidden and newly awakened army of interactive participants who may be experiencing the kinds of unsettling (to the powers that be) critical consciousness that is within the goals of an increasingly democratized culture…” (Boese). Globalization through the World Wide Web and the internet has opened up many avenues as far as career choices are concerned. Many careers were and are being spawned by the Internet. These careers include blogging, medical transcription, online trading, and many other lucrative enterprises. “… [W]ith the globalization and the availability of advanced communication technologies such as teleconferencing, video conferencing and Internet, the meaning of jobs associated with a physical location has changed” (Farrar). And because of the Internet, these careers and industries are also made available to Third World countries by many multinational corporations and investors. “With their investments in poor countries, multinationals bring new machinery, better technology, new management skills and production ideas, a larger market and the education of their workers” (Norberg). Globalization has given birth to various phenomena which have brought down industrial, political, socio-cultural, economic, and informational barriers. Political rule is no longer controlled by the say-so of politicians. “…[W]e have to shift away from the kinds of political positions that were dominant for the last few years, and we have to produce a politics which allows us to create an inclusive society locally, nationally, and globally, and to harness these processes for the betterment of human beings” (Brockman 2). The culture, beliefs and practices of other countries and races are being shared to and explored by the rest of the world. Social relations are no longer monopolized by the more gregarious social sets. Information is no longer confined to dusty library books. The World Wide Web and the Internet have become indispensable tools to globalization and communication. Without these, we would remain restricted by the physical confines of our homes, our schools, and our borders. Works Cited Adam, N. et.al. Globalizing Business, Education, Culture, Through the Internet. February 1997: 118-119. Indiana University Department of Computer Science. 28 July 2008 Albrecht, S. Your Classmates in China: Distance Learning Brings the World to You. 2008. Online Degrees.com. 30 July 2008. Anderson, K. Globalization and the Internet. Probe. Org. 29 July 2008 Berner-Lee, T. The World Wide Web: A Very Short Personal History. 7 May 1998. World Wide Web Consortium 3. 29 July 2008. Boese, C. The Spirit of Paulo Freire in Blogland: Struggling for a Knowledge-Log Revolution. Blogosphere. 28 July 2008 Brockman, J. The Second Globalization Debate: A Talk with Anthony Giddens. 30 January 2000: 2. Edge. 28 July 2008 Dimock, A. Globalization, the Internet and Public Opinion. 1 July 2004. Bivingspot. 28 July 2008 http://www.bivingsreport.com/2004/globalization-the-internet-and-public-opinion/ Farrar, M. Online Jobs, The Way to Improve Job Satisfaction. 4 June 2007. Perfect Wealth Formula. 30 July 2008 Friedman, T. Prologue: The Super-Story. 2002. The New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist Thomas Friedman. 28 July 2008 “History of the World Wide Web”. 30 July 2008. Wikipedia. 30 July 2008. “History of the Internet and the World Wide Web”. 2008. Web Developers Virtual Library. 29 July 2008 Jayaram, V. The Origin and History of the World Wide Web. 2007. Hindu Website. 30 July 2008. Jones, M. Sustainable Tourism and the Internet. May, 2000: 13. Countryside Creation. 29 July 2008. Momosum, The YouTube Phenomenon. 2 November 2006. University of Sydney. 30 July 2008 Read More