The above cartoon (in case it doesn't show up or your eyes are malfunctioning) depicts someone with 'Egypt' written on their arm raising a flag that says "Freedom!". The 'F' in Freedom is the ubiquitous logo of Facebook.
We are living in an increasingly globalized society. That is, perhaps, the best way to answer the debate on Globalization - an absolute yes or no is far too simplistic. While there may exist evidence to suggest that the world is not Globalizing, we must take a step back before deeming it evidence contrary to Globalization. We must look at the big, historical picture because this kind of thing has happened before. As Schwartz points out in "The Long View", international trade is not a new phenomenon. "Imperial Rome traded with Ancient China 2,000 years ago" (Schwartz). In an economic sense, countries, states, and groups of people have been exchanging goods, services, currencies and so on throughout history. What has happened, however, is an evolution of international trade and commerce. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the empires of Europe set sail for the New World, motivated by gold and spreading Christianity (the latter more than the former). This idea of spreading influence, gaining access to new markets, and connecting to the rest of the world was just as prevalent then as it is now. The Dutch East India Company wanted access to new markets in the 15th and 16th centuries just as much as oil companies do today.
When we examine a point in time in the Globalization debate, we can't be ignorant to history. Even if currently only "5%" of our Facebook friends are in another country, the entirety of the world had ZERO Facebook friends whatsoever before it was launched in February of 2004. We're witnessing and living through a trend line, not a coordinate point on the graph of life. The fact that 10 years after its inception Facebook was the driving force behind the spread of political and social revolution in one of the most undeveloped and authoritarian region of the world is, quite frankly, amazing.
For whatever reason when I first looked at the cartoon I thought it was a satire on the meaning of freedom, i.e. 'now you can use facebook!'. Of course, I think your interpretation is probably correct.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to note, these kinds of things happened without Facebook as well. Not just uprisings but even spontaneous uprisings. There was one in the Philippines in 2005-6 in which many protesters used texting to get a large number of people out in support of their cause. While this doesn't necessarily contradict your argument, it does show that any single technology or technological platform is responsible and that maybe it is the social networks themselves and not their platforms that cause change.
I really like the point you make when you say that "we're witnessing and living through a trend line, not a coordinate point on the graph of life." This statement really resonates with me because we can look at all the statistics and think we are too globalized or not globalized enough however none of those statistics compare to real life experiences. Experiences that could range from the spread of a political and social revolution or even the organization of a study abroad trip where two different students swap homes and live with the others families.
ReplyDeleteI cartoon was witty and I wonder could freedom through Facebook be utilized in other situations of oppression in different parts of the world?
I agree with what Valerie said, I think it is extremely important to point out that globalization is not a new concept. Your examples of pivotal moments in history show this fact that we have constantly been globalizing as a society. I think that in recent times the major driving force has been technology, as it has played a key role in social movements such as in Egypt. Although the numbers may be small, many of the effects of reaching technology are having a lasting impact on our society. I think that as time goes on technology will play an even bigger role in our connection throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that your point about the world becoming increasingly globalized throughout history and that globalization is really nothing new is important and true. While the concept of globalization has been around for centuries--though it probably was not viewed as globalization at the time--there is no question that with new technology the pace and scope of globalization has increased nearly exponentially. Your point about the rapid spread and rise of Facebook as an instrument not just to connect people around the world, but also as a tool of political justice shows the increasing pace and scale of globalization.
ReplyDeleteI too believe globalization has been around for awhile but has becoming increasingly relevant in our life time. I think there just wasn't a term for this phenomena earlier and globalization is easy to examine and understand with new technologies. The increase in technological advances is definitely going to drive globalization further. This point is evident in your cartoon and was displayed during the Arab Spring. Social media can be a great tool for revolutionary forces to use. I like the perspective you put on your post, while maybe only 5% of your Facebook friends live in another country, ten years ago that was 0%. I think it'll be interesting to see where we are 20-30 years from now in terms of globalization seeing how far we've come recently.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to agree, globalization is not a new idea. It is something that has been around for centuries and there are several examples of globalization in the past as you have mentioned. The fact of the mater is now with all the different types and forms of social media globalization is accelerated and being seen by more due to speed and ease of social media.
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