Jayden
Nyman
IST
1100
Module 1
A
globalized world is a world that is increasingly integrated. In Friedman’s eyes
there are three great areas of globalization. All three of the areas have to do
with resources. The resources that were available to us at different times was
how Friedman divided globalization 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. The upcoming of resources
available at different times in the past hundreds of years is what allowed the
world to become more globalized. The size of the world having to do with the available
resources within a given time period is how globalization is divided. Globalization
1.0 shrank the world from a size large to medium, globalization 2.0 shrank the
world from medium to small, and globalization 3.0 is where it gets interesting.
While shrinking the world from small to tiny, it flattened the playing field at
the same time. Globalization 3.0 is about individuals globalizing themselves.
The
fall of the Berlin Wall provided many changes. Friedman looked at the fall of
the Berlin Wall as an event that allowed people to look at the world
differently and to see the world more globalized. People who were held back
because of the wall were now free. In the book the fall is associated with a
get out of jail free card. This meaning that the people who were blocked out
were now a part of the economical mainstream. The fall of the Berlin Wall ended
the Cold War. There was no longer a struggle between two economic systems.
Friedman called the flattener, “When the walls came down, and the windows came up.”
What I got out of the quote was that the fall of the Berlin Wall really opened
up the eyes of the people previously blocked out. The fall of the Berlin Wall
symbolized a new start to an even more globalized world. This brought more
opportunity as well as competition, bringing the market of many to a single
global market. People from both sides now had the same resources; they now all
had a chance to become successful.
The
story of Netscape is important because it progressively changed the way we live
our lives. Netscape went public at a price of twenty-eight dollars a share.
Netscape and the web broadened the audience for the Internet from its origin of
being used mainly by geeks and early adaptors. It now allowed the Internet to
be accessible to nearly all ages. Netscape stated that its goal was to level
the playing field by providing a level web browsing experience across them. The
reason that Netscape is important is because it has made technology what it is
today. If it wasn’t for Netscape there is not a true way to know what
technology would be like today, if I had to guess I would say it wouldn’t be as
advanced.
So
far in The World is Flat I have learned things that have never crossed my mind.
I would say that Friedman is a very interesting person, and how he has come up
with this much information blows my mind. The reading showing us how
globalization started and now where it is today has intrigued me. Globalization
being characterized by size is something I never thought of until I began
reading this book. Once I began to read, I realized that it makes sense that
this world is becoming more globalized as we speak, and with the new technology
coming out all around us globalization will continue to grow. I believe I will continue to have an interest
in this class and the book written by Friedman.
