The World is Flat
Gee, how to start this...
Well, I can start by saying that I think in general that the examples made by Friedman make the world seem a lot smaller than it does flatter. I understand why he describes the world this way, but how I see the world getting much smaller is how distances hardly matter with the kind of communication we have available to us. If anything, the distances allow us to feel even closer (ironic...), since time zone differences allow a 24 hour work day. I wonder what sorts of consequences the shrinking of the world will have. Will increased communication make the distinct cultures around the world as homogenous ("flattened"...) as cable television and corporate radio have done in America, smoothing out a lot of regional differences? Or will it have the opposite effect, since people now have the opportunity stay in their native countries while doing American jobs?
posted by Lindsay Donaldson @ 10:47 AM
1 Comments:
I think both will happen. I think there will be a more common "super culture" that will make more of the world look "the same," but I also think it will allow people everywhere to pursue their cultures no matter how distant or obscure (from our point of view). Witness the plethora of cable (and now Internet) channels that cater to a very small - but committed - audience. There's a concept called "the long tail" that we'll be talking about eventually that addresses this (among other things).
I found your last sentence interesting. While I think I know what you meant when you said "while doing American jobs," I think we need to be careful about thinking of them as American jobs. On a flattened, global playing field, they are just jobs. And once they go elsewhere (and even before) I think we'll be in trouble if we keep thinking of them as American jobs.
Great start by the way . . .
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