Globalization has made world a smaller place

Definition: What is globalization?

_The process of growing interdependence of economies, societies and nations across
large distances
_Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of people and societies and the
interdependence of economies, governments and environments
_Process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society
_Integration of national economies into the international economy through
trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and spread of technology

How does globalization make us one world?

Globalization is much more fun than economics and trading.
It's the ability to transfer information at rapid speed. Many different people have the power
to communicate, despite living in distant places.
Our sense of global community has been accomplished by worldwide communication
technology, such as internet chat rooms, blogs, and video reviews.
Land and satellite based communication systems are doing for modern man what
photography had done a century ago; bringing the world home to you, instead of you having
to go out and visit each part of the world.
The expanded horizon, now, has become a much more personal place. You can talk with a
family in a far away country that is scheduled to be bombed by your own deluded military.
Truly comprehending the helplessness and immensity of the situation your fellow humans
are facing, and they in turn can grasp your own Laissez Faire attitude.
What can be accomplished through this new medium is that people become aware of their
common sensibilities, and gain from one anothers' culture, before they are told second-hand
what to think of their new enemies (prior to capitulation.)
More needs to be done before this is realized. Technology is required that seamlessly
connects images of a place with videos of the various ways groups use that place, along with
an account of daily life from individuals in each group. This immersion into another's life
gives us a respect for the differences and similarities of people throughout the world, and a
better idea of the over-arching structure that connects cultures throughout the world.
We may yet profoundly affect one another, causing true globalization to occur. Ultimately
this cohesion could bring lasting peace, by forcing governments to settle disagreements
liberally.

Globalization: Is the World Getting Smaller or Larger?

By Peter Kaufman
The transformations that I find most fascinating and sometimes mind-boggling revolve
around globalization and technologytwo things that seem to go hand-in-hand. Although
there is no singularly agreed upon definition, globalization is often understood as the process
through which products, people, ideas, culture, and capital, are transferred around the world
creating a system of global integration. Whereas in the past some nations or societies could
stand alone and be self-sufficient, today all nations and almost all people are part of an
interdependent global order.
One of the main driving forces of globalization, or at least the thing that greatly facilitates
this global interdependence, is technology. Because of computers and advances in the
transportation of people and data, goods and services can be seamlessly and easily
transferred around the world. With the technological capabilities we have today, people in a
faraway lands do not have to wait days or weeks to communicate with each other and
exchange items. These sorts of global transactions can occur instantly, in real time.
As students of sociology, we should not be too surprised by this technologically-fueled
global transformation. Globalization was predicted by Karl Marx over 150 years ago
(something I mentioned in part 1 and part 2 of my You Might be a Marxist posts). Writing
in The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels made this prophetic statement: The need of
a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the whole surface
of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connections everywhere
. We have intercourse in every direction, universal interdependence of nations.
As a way to understand both the complexity and ubiquity of globalization, it may be useful
to consider whether globalization is making the world smaller or larger. I find this thought
exercise informative because it compels you to identify two seemingly contradictory
examples for the same concept.
Marx and Engels seemed to be suggesting that the world was getting smaller to the extent
that old and local ways of doing things were giving way to more globalized processes. They
would agree that there is a compression of the world such that people across the globe
share many of the same things. As a specific example, they mentioned how we are moving
from numerous national and local literatures to a world literature.
But literature is just one of many examples that signals the ascendancy of a global culture.
As another example, consider our patterns of consumption. If you have ever traveled, you
know that you are likely to find certain products such as McDonalds, Pepsi, Coca Cola,
Apple, and Microsoft, in all corners of the globe. In the not-too-distant-past, a hungry world
traveler would likely stop at a local restaurant and sample some of the specialized delicacies.
Today, the same traveler is often choosing between chicken McNuggets from McDonalds,
fried chicken from KFC, and a chicken sandwich from Subwaythe exact same choices the
traveler has back home.

Like Marx and Engelss take on world literature, these examples suggest that some sort of
global compression is taking place. Local and unique ways of being are increasingly
replaced by more homogenized and standard ways of being that are shared across cultures.
The world seems smaller because with all of this global integration there is a sameness or
familiarity no matter where you are.