The 21st century has ushered in a new era in man’s ongoing quest for a better life and a better world. For the first time in history, we can now claim to live in One World. Globalization has removed many of the gaps that have existed between and among nations. While the physical divide is still present, the impact of the Information Highway on how we communicate and live in the present day is simply staggering. Through globalization, cultural exchange is now open and dynamic. Economies have also been merged, with the economic life of a n Asian country affecting other nations in other parts of the world, and vice versa. Rapid improvements in information technology have allowed us to exchange information and communicate almost everywhere, anywhere, and anytime. The nature of business and how it is done had also improved by leaps and bounds all because of globalization.
An example of the remarkable effects globalization is the invention of the telephone and the television. Television has enabled young people and adults to have the ability to share cultural and ethnic experiences with others. The t.v. has allowed generations of people to see how other people live, think and feel in other parts of the globe. In full color, we can now meet new peoples and cultures without even having to take a single step outside our home. With just the use of a remote, right in the comforts of our own home, we can explore different worlds that we would not have known without the visuals and sounds transmitted through our t.v. Telephones have also greatly improved communication. Gone are the weeks and even months of waiting for that letter. Anybody can talk to anyone who has another phone regardless of distance or location in the planet. With the aid of satellites, 3rd generation phones allow us to make a phone call, send a video, or even receive an e-mail. Because of these developments in the field of communications technology, now, no two countries are really apart. These breakthroughs in communication have revolutionized business, commerce, and even the personal lives and relationships of millions of people.
Indeed, globalization has spawned a new age of connectivity in culture, society, economy, social life, technology, and politics. Globalization, as a general term, is best understood as the spread of ideas about the environment, democracy, human rights, and less complicated issues like fashion and fads. The mass marketing of computers and the wide availability of Internet services have brought many parts of the world together, as if we are all woven on a single pattern or web of daily life. Countries today do not just export raw materials or the usual projects. Global exchange is now taking place as the market of ideas, culture, and beliefs expand through the use of technology.