Just a little while ago, it seems, my Dad brought home his first cell phone. Black, big, and bulky, it had a little digital screen, and you couldn't change the ring tone. We all stood in awe of the amazing piece of technology, not realizing how much more high-tech it would become in a few years. Now my Dad's cell phone is a small, flip-screen phone, camera, video-maker, gaming device, instant messaging machine, internet browser, and music player. Globalization has had many effects on people's lives, something that we will look into with the following posts. One of the ways that globalization has changed the world, bit by bit, is by the use of communication technology.
Communication technologies, some say, started with the printing press. People were able to share ideas and information more easily and quickly. Today, our range of communication technologies are on a mega scale. Cell phones, internet, radio, computers, and TV to name a few. Today, messages and information can be sent across the world with the click of a mouse. But how does this effect us?
Needless to say, there are some great benefits from all the technology around us. We can stay in touch with relatives in different countries, we can talk to a friend whenever we want, we can find out what is happening on the otherside of the planet. Communication technology can make life very enjoyable.
However, it can also hinder society. Personal lives have changed over the years. Now, most people my age have cellphones, ipods, and play alot of video games. This doesn't damage society, but it's how people use these technological devices that can cause problems.
A family friend of ours, who takes frequent business trips, told me recently that almost as soon as people get on the plane, they plug in ear-buds and start listening to their ipods. Often he tries to make conversation with the people around him, and, he notes, that over the past 10 years, he has found less and less people who can carry on a meaningful conversation (i.e. not just replying with a one word answer, and actually asking questions back). He believes that due to the high amount of video game playing, and sitting alone listening to music, people (young people in particular) are getting less and less conversation time with other people. This leads to people being less social, and having awkward social skills because they are not interacting as much with others.
Another effect communication technology has had on my generation is the increasing need, or addiction, to communicate constantly. This can lead to people checking their Facebook accounts when they should be working, or being on MSN when they should be getting ready for something. Not only does the addiction often waste the person's time, but it can rack up high costs. Check out this link that tells the crazy - true - story of a girl who sent 14,528 texts in one month from her cell phone!
I believe it's right to say that globalization is responsible for all the communication technology we have today. People want to spread ideas, stay up to date, and keep friendships. That's not a bad thing. The bad thing is the negative effects this has on us, whether we realize it or not. Worsening social skills, anti-socializing, and wasting time is not a good thing for a society that wants to be prosperous. To properly respond to this type of globalization, I think we have to take things into consideration. It's good to use technology, as long as it doesn't take over our lives, change our social skills, and keep us from being less than we ought to be.
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