Fostering a Global Village?

The term 'Global Village', as penned by Marshall McLuhan, was a way to assess how instantaneous techonlogies have cultivated an interconnectedness beyond the borders of nation-states. This global village has 'thrust mankind into a new information age' (Valcanis, 2011), dictated by the huge stream of content that can be dipped into with any device at the users discretion.

The image of a global village is harmonious, almost utopian  - a place where cultures and technology collide. However, is that the reality? Are we really living in a global village? Has the world become 'smaller' as a result?

 

While technology has promoted an ease when communicating with those of differing cultures and languages in distant pockets of the world, often those who reside in developing or third world countries are neglected. Particularly in a rural setting, villagers are seen creating 'their own form of cosmopolitanism and global life' (Cid Aguayo, 2010) due to the lack of infrastructure that is needed to provide instantaneous technologies. It underlines while members of these poorer societies may be aware of the internet and its intricacies, does that mean they are active and accessible members of a global village?

The notion of a 'global village' may be accurate to an extent, as enhanced communication has created a smaller, more accessible world. However, while there remains a chasm between the world's richer and poorer nations, this notion of a 'global village' will remain a social theory as opposed to a practicality.

Reference List:

Aguayo, Beatriz Eugenia Cid. 2008. "Global Villages and Rural Cosmopolitanism: Exploring Global Ruralities." Globalizations 5, no. 4: 541-554. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 25, 2012)

VALCANIS, TOM. 2011. "AN IPHONE IN EVERY HAND: MEDIA ECOLOGY, COMMUNICATION STRUCTURES, AND THE GLOBAL VILLAGE." ETC: A Review Of General Semantics 68, no. 1: 33-45. Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 24, 2012).

The differing flows of globalisation.

The phenomena that is globalisation is largely defined by five (5) major flows. Whereas physical, cultural, information and media flows are generally two-way and reciprocal in nature, the flow of capital is being dictated by transnational corporations, whose foundations lie in a developed and largely westernised world. As such, it underlines how capital flows are increasingly one-way in direction, lacking in reciprocity and 'balance'.

To underline the differing nature of the flow of capital, one must only look at the rise of western products in developing and third world countries. Transnational organisations like McDonald's, Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola and Apple are instantly recognisable and becoming more commonplace in third world and developing countries, sceptically being labelled as 'consumer colonies of America' (Hachten & Scotten, 2002). While manufacturing of these products are being transferred to developing nations where labour costs are substantially cheaper, the introduction and use of consumer goods and services from develping and third world countries on a global scale is rare. Further to this, transnational corporations are scarcely sourced outside of developed nation-states, due to inadequate infrastructure and resources.

This highlights the infiltration of consumer goods and services, particuarly the one-way nature of the flow of capital from wealthier nation states.

 

References:

Hatchen, WA & Scotton, JF 2002, ‘News communication for a new global system’, The world news prism: global media in an era of terrorism, 6th edn, Iowa State Press, Ames, pp. 3–14

 

Welcome and Hello

Hi,

My name is Will Bowman

I'm a 23 year old student in my final year at Deakin University - I have a real passion for sports and music, and love to hang out with mates.  

I am looking forward to getting out into the big bad world and seeing where I fit - are you?