Is The World Becoming A Global Village

Pradeepkumar MishraMishra 1 Test13 Dec 2006Is the world really becoming a "global village?"Generally, the term “global village” refers to our visualization of world as being a single family, wherein people from all places, from every strata of life, can relate with each other on both social and political level, and thus confirms its dependence on globalization. As stated by 1Sharon White:Although global village term is closely connected with terms of globalization and globalism, it has its own distinctive features which are not common for all three concepts. While globalization mostly does relate to political and economic events throughout the world, global village infringes social, cultural and national aspects. According to the encyclopedia being a citizen of a global village means living in one community created by information technologies and mass media. ("A Global Village: Striving to Survive")Though, it can not be argued that globalization has touched new legends in the last few years, but whether the extent of globalization can be taken as yardstick for measuring extent of transformation of the world into a global village is arguable.1 White, Sharon "A Global Village: Striving to Survive.<http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Glob al-Village:-Striving-to-Survive&id=265677>Mishra2Perception of people in terms of turning the world into global image is occasionally reflected in the contents of cinema or books.But this decrement in the amount of time, taken by people to communicate with each other, along with leading to enrichment of social values also proposes some terrifyingly negative aspects, the most apparent descendant being ‘terrorism’.While the concept of ‘village’ basically nurtures the assumption that people live in constant communication, enhancing their political social, and materialistic development, this concept, by any stretch of imagination, does not entertain any malicious intrusion in the realms of religious and spiritual life.2McMuhan has gone one step further as he states:Instead of tending towards a vast Alexandrian library the world has become a computer, an electronic brain, exactly as an infantile piece of science fiction. And as our senses have gone outside us, Big Brother goes inside. So, unless aware of this dynamic, we shall at once move into a phase of panic terrors, exactly befitting a small world of tribal drums, total interdependence, and superimposed co-existence. 2 McLuhan, Herbert M. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962)Mishra 3A small review of the pervasive discrimination of many ethnic cultures still prevalent in many affluent societies might change our views.While some people are ceaselessly exploring the boundaries of universe, in the name of globalization and unification, their strategy always seems to be centered on exploitation of people on the other end, for fulfilling their selfish means.While www and internet, gloated to be flag-runners of globalization, has brought into proximity, a totally new era and methodology of communication, its contribution has been more on the awakening of people in recognizing the extent of their exploitation, rather than mitigating the inequalities of the society. Even though, the lasting role of internet can be expected to harmonize the inequalities by dissemination of “knowledge”. The term 3“Global Village” coined by 3Wyndham Lewis in his book America and Cosmic Man (1948), has still to turn a lot of stones into diamonds to reach its implications. While consumerism and mutual-dependency for development may have laid the rules to achieve a society unperturbed by geographical and social frontiers, the decisive values required for the achievement of such a society will be truly guided by tolerance, 3 White, Sharon "A Global Village: Striving to Survive." <http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Global-Villa ge:-Striving-to-Survive&id=265677>Mishra4love and equality, a majority of which are still in oblivionin the urbanized life-style.Though pessimism prevails in regards to establishment of world-wide social ties, some instances are indeed laudable, in terms of the success they have scored in socializing people. Online forums and Communities like “orkut” and “hi5” have really changed the way in which people-meet-people and the dominance of such communities in both developed as well as developing countries has resulted into a paradigm shift in the “acceptance factor”. While browsing internet, one can regularly come across new emerging communities and related concepts. Website like http://www.nabuur.com/ have become common which are in the job to collect views and values from people all around the world and advocate building people-to-people global citizenship.Jeffrey Harrow (“A Global Village? Not yet...”), giving his views on “Global Village”, states the factors, more professionally, asfollows:The global village is a nice, and a valuable concept. And in some ways, such as cross-national product development and manufacturing, and customer service, it's already a reality. But until we break the multiple language barrier by one means or another, we will continue to find it very difficult to play in a global pond and get along with our "playmates."4 Harrow,Jeffrey R."A Global Village? Not Yet “Dec 2006 <http://www.futurebrief.com/jeffharrowvillage027.asp>Mishra 5Conclusively, a few turns in the right direction, supported by the need for vision, and indispensable requirement of mutual-dependence, may lead us in the direction of making this world a family, a place where every entity gets due respect and privileges.But, as of now, there is a long way to go, for this world to be given the status of a truly “Global Village”. Works CitedMcLuhan, Herbert M. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962)Lewis, WyndhamAmerica and Cosmic Man (1984)White, Sharon "A Global Village: Striving to Survive." Ezine Articles. Retrieved Dec 2006 from <http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Global-Villa ge:-Striving-to-Survive&id=265677>Harrow,JeffreyR."A Global Village?Not Yet…. “Jeff Harrow Commentary,Dec 2006. from<http://www.futurebrief.com/jeffharrowvillage027.asp>