Modern technology and the internet has connected us all globally. We can easily watch a music video or film from another country or get updates about the international news within seconds. Be it the Olympics being held in Tokyo or an update from the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, we have access to everything through the internet. It has made us a part of the “Global Village”
“Global Village” was a term coined in 1964 by a media and communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan believed that with the emergence of new electronic media and technological advances, the whole world would be a part of the “Global Village”. He believed that there would be total involvement by each and every person. He called it "one world interconnected by an electronic nervous system." The electric age will be the age of inclusiveness and deep personal involvement.
Internet as the global village
On the internet everyone is the producer as well as the consumer of content. People are involved extensively by getting updates, sharing opinions and creating content. The Internet is used for information, education and entertainment.
The Internet as the Global Village connects us with the world. It leads to cultural intermingling by breaking the cultural barrier and knowing more about cultures of other continents. This cultural impact can be negative or positive. It can lead to the shrinking as well as expanding of world culture.
It also promotes unity and togetherness among different communities across the world. People express their solidarity or support to other countries through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. In the black lives matter movement last year, people across the globe united against racism and many used social media to show their protest.
It has made the flow of information easier. We can receive constant updates across the globe without much effort, just by using the internet. Gone are the days when we had to wait for days to receive a letter. The internet helps in the process of communication across different countries. It is so simple to connect with people worldwide by using social media, calling, texting, video meetings etc. Especially during the pandemic, the world was connected to each other using the internet.
It has also opened up new job opportunities. People can work from home for a company situated in a different country using the internet or work as a freelancer and have clients from different parts of the world. With the popularization of online meeting apps like Zoom and Google Meet, it has become easy to work virtually, no matter where the company is located. It has also helped in building a new form of trade to different countries. E-commerce has made it easy to buy things from different areas through online payment.
Internet has connected us with the rest of the world and has built a global community which is similar to what is popularly termed as a Global Village.
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