Thursday, January 12, 2017

Technology and Globalization


In 2005, Thomas Friedman released his book, The world is flat, discussing the role that technology played in the globalization of the world and, in his view, equaled the playing field for all people, regardless of where they were born or lived. I find it interesting that "uploading", the concept of online collaboration that the internet provided, is considered by Friedman (2005) to be possibly the most disruptive role that technology has had towards globalization. This blog falls under the "uploading" concept, and while my writing about globalization and technology is certainly not very important in the grand scheme of things, the idea that anyone with access to the internet, anywhere in the world can create a blog certainly is a powerful idea. Now a normal person can carve out a corner of the internet and share their ideas to the world. While the ability to perform online collaboration is one idea Friedman (2005) has in mind when he talks about the flatness of the world, is he correct or can the role of globalization be explained in other ways?

In response to Friedman's thesis, Professor Florida (2005) of George Mason University, outlined a counter argument that argues that globalization has caused the world to become increasingly "spiky". By "spiky", Florida (2005) argues that urban centers are becoming increasingly important as more people move to live in cities (p. 48). However, more important to Florida's (2005) argument about the spikiness of the world is that production and innovation are now centered around a few key cities (p. 49) Globalization has therefore caused a higher level inequality to be created, with the peak production centers such as New York or London benefiting, while second tier cities, such as Detroit, are left facing increased competition (Florida, 2005, p. 51). Recent rises in anti-globalization and nationalist parties across the globe seem to support Florida's argument and explain the backlash against the inequality produced by globalization (Roubini, 2014).  

I personally find that Florida's argument is more persuasive and accurate, however, both arguments are right to highlight the role of technology and its effect on globalization. The Internet's role in the increase in globalization is undeniable. And as technological progress continues, I am unsure whether that will lead to more inequality and spikiness or a flatter world that Friedman (2005) has argued. It is certainly possible that within my lifetime a human level artificial intelligence will be created, and as Bostrom (2015) argues, that will most likely lead to a cascading effect of super intelligent machines. I like to believe that the creation of AI will lead to a flat world as discussed by Friedman (2005), where people will have every chance to succeed regardless of location in the world, solely based on ability and effort. However, without the controls that Bostrom (2015) warned of, I can see instead AI leading the world being even spikier than it is now, and this time it will be humanity that is left in the valleys.

References

Bostrom, N. (2015, March). Nick Bostrom: What happens when our computers get smarter than we are? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talk/nick_bostrom_what_happens_when_our_computers_get_smarter_than_we_are

Florida, R. (2005, October). The World Is Spiky. The Atlantic Monthly, 48-51. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/images/issues/200510/world-is-spiky.pdf

Friedman, T. L. (2005) The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York, NY: Picador. 

Roubini, N. (2014, June 2). Economic insecurity and the rise of nationalism. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2014/jun/02/economic-insecurity-nationalism-on-the-rise-globalisation-nouriel-roubini 




7 comments:

  1. Nice post. Your point about anyone now having the ability to share their thoughts is amazing. In the space of 15 years, we now have a world in which any individual can post in any medium - text, image, audio, video - and connect with others of like mind. The good news is that we have the ability...the bad news is that too many take advantage of that ability, creating a web awash in crap! How we as leaders sift through this information...that is the next several weeks in this class!

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  2. Nice post, Christopher. I have been drawn to the conversations surrounding technological innovation and its relative impact on world economies. As you described, Florida (2005) provided a great deal of evidence to show that the proverbial rich are getting richer when we consider economic growth in large urban centers.

    How then do we address this growing and visible backlash to globalization? Does it suggest that some reinterpretation of our values is required? Stefanescu and Bekesi (2015) suggested that such a reinterpretation is a natural reflex to world modernization caused by technology. What do we do though when many sectors are rejecting this reinterpretation or have considered it and choose to reject globalization? It seems a great challenge to both continue to innovative and modernize when many fear what it will mean to them personally.

    -The Ayes Have It

    Reference

    Stefanescu, F. & Bekesi, D. (2015). Value and change in economy. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 24(2), 265-273.

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  3. Christopher:
    I enjoyed your post this week and your recognition of the disparity that remains across the world and supports Florida’s (2005) views on a spiky world. Have you witnessed or experienced any ways that technology or the digital world is breaking down these barriers? Friedman (2005) reminds us that even Taliban leaders hiding in some of the most remote places in the world use technology to spread their message. Could this be to recruit others, reach those who have technological advantages, or perhaps a combination of both?
    Thanks-Krista
    https://rd2dochazen.wordpress.com/

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  4. Nice post, Christopher!
    I'd like to agree with Dr. Watwood's assessment that the democratization of internet content is great, but it has also contributed to a "web awash with crap" (lol!).

    Something I think is fascinating about the "upload" idea is its double-edged effect on communities. On one hand, as we're discussing, it has flattened and democratized the world. Valuable content generally gets picked up and filtered by the masses. Sometimes, too, not quite as good content makes its way around... but the point is that we're driving the dissemination of content, and that's a very powerful thing.

    On the flip side, the ability for anyone to upload has led to a powerful fragmentation of community and demassification of communication. If you have an interest, no matter how obscure, unique, or perverse, you can find a community of like-minded individuals with which to engage. Communities seem to be getting smaller as we become more and more connected, but perhaps those communities are creating closer/deeper relationships.

    I wonder what will happen (and we're starting to see it), as news outlets and other information sources start to fade from prominence. This is certainly affecting our perceptions of power and control. A leaders, we need to be aware of how the power of the masses is evolving.

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    Replies
    1. James, two points. First, the growth of niche communities is well documented in Clay Shirky's (2008) HERE COMES EVERYBODY.

      Second, I had the opportunity to hear Lester Holt of NBC Nightly News a few years ago talk about how the web was impacting journalism. One point that stuck with me, news organizations no longer "break the news" - that happens on Twitter or Reddit. What he saw the emerging role of the news organizations becoming was the vetting of news - shifting through the often conflicting emerging stories to find truth.

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    2. Good point, Dr. Watwood... "news" has definitely changed in the last decade, and continues to change!

      I'm excited to dive into Shirky's book this week.

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  5. Appreciate that you went more deeply into the impact of uploading. Not only is that empowering but we are now aware of so many opinions, thoughts and facts (although they take lots of research to prove) that previous generations had no knowledge of. So whether you are on the side doing the uploading or reading/watching what has been uploaded it changes one’s perception of humanity. All elements are represented; the glorious highs and depressing lows. You end your blog with a powerful and frightening portent – that humanity could be left in the valleys. And I think you are absolutely right. We are at a critical juncture where we need to establish a very positive relationship with technology and hope that maybe it can help humanity establish a better relationships with itself than we have managed to do thus far.
    Thanks - Tricia

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