Megan Flinders
IST 1100 – Module 1: The World is Flat
In his book, The
World is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman introduces readers to the phenomenon of
outsourcing and increased efficiency and cost savings. The early chapters begin by discussing the
topics of globalization, worldwide events which spurred economic change, such
as the fall of the Berlin Wall, and innovative products and companies which
forever changed the global competitive landscape.
In the beginning, Friedman
takes us through his viewpoint of a flattening global society as he describes
three phases of globalization. He begins
by introducing Globalization 1.0 as the time between when Columbus set sail in
1492 until the opening of trade between the Old and New World around 1800. This era of globalization was about shrinking
the size of the world (from large to medium) and driving integration through
the muscle and brawn of a country. Friedman mentions that the primary questions
of Globalization 1.0 were, “Where does my country fit into global competition
and opportunities?” and “How can I go global and collaborate with others
through my country?” (Friedman, 2005,
p. 9)
Globalization 2.0
was the next era which ran from the 1800s through the year 2000. Once again the size of the world shrank; this
time from medium to small. The driving
force of this phase was the idea of multinational companies. Global labor and markets propelled by falling
transportation costs (mainly due to the steam engine and the railroad) and
reduced telecommunication costs (thanks to innovation and invention) were key
to this phase. The global economy was
introduced in this phase, and increasing integration and globalization of
companies was a central theme. The main questions were, “Where does my company
fit into the global economy?”, “How does it take advantage of the opportunities?”,
and “How can I go global and collaborate with others through my company?” (Friedman, 2005, p. 10)
The final phase of Globalization
3.0 was when the size of the world went from small to tiny. This is also the phase were the playing field
was flattened in terms of competition.
This phase is where individuals had their chance to compete and
collaborate globally. Now the questions
that should be asked are, “Where do I as an individual fit into the global
competition and opportunities of the day, and how can I, on my own, collaborate
with others globally?” (Friedman, 2005, p. 12)
While all phases of
globalization dealt with the flattening of society, the main difference was in what
was being globalized. Globalization 1.0
was about the global integration of countries, while 2.0 incorporated the idea
of multinational corporations and modes of communication and trade. 3.0 was all about the individual’s ability to
connect and communicate, and the leveling of the playing field among corporate superpowers
and the everyday individual (i.e. the JetBlue’s of the world which employ stay
at home mom’s, against the traditional airline companies with fully staffed
offices and corporate agendas).
One of the major
worldwide events which aided the flattening of the world was the fall of the
Berlin Wall. Friedman mentions, “It
tipped the balance of power across the world toward those advocating
democratic, consensual, free-market-oriented governance, and away from those advocating
authoritarian rule with centrally planned economies.” (Friedman, 2005,
p. 52) Capitalism was the resultant economy and
people were forced to learn how to handle this new system. The people and the demands thereof would rule
instead of the antiquity of a top-down governmental system. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a sign of the
times and those who were not on board were seen as on the wrong side of
history. It was a world flattening
event, and somewhat of a get out of jail free card for many, as they were no
longer confined to the meager living standards shared through a communist
government. While some of the older
generation were uncomfortable with a new governmental system which allowed some
to excel while others failed, most of the younger generation looked forward to
the newfound freedom and limitless potential.
The fall allowed
globalization to take flight as more countries were seen as a seamless whole. No longer were nations fixated on individual
policy and well-being, but looked to global efficiencies and potential. Common standards and best practices were
adopted and archaic norms were relegated as ideas of the past. The political constrain on individual reach
was greatly eliminated by the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Along with
worldwide political events, other paradigm shifts in innovation truly enabled
the flattening of the world. The company Netscape was a huge flattening force
which made computers and the internet much more connected and dynamic. Friedman mentions that in the process of
wiring the whole world, “without anyone really planning it, made Bangalore a
suburb of Boston.” (Friedman, 2005, p. 63) One of Netscape’s main benefits was the way
it presented website data (its browser system) and made it user friendly to all
types and sophistications of people. All
the while, Netscape aimed to keep the system on an open protocol, meaning open
to users for free (but those who could pay, i.e. businesses, could buy it on a
disk). Netscape did this to not allow
larger companies, such as Microsoft, to shift the protocols to proprietary that
only their servers could handle. This
allowed all computers to continue the globalization and open connectivity
regardless of what system they were on.
People wanted a universal way to browse the internet, but also a
universal way to access the information.
Ultimately, Netscape unlocked humanity’s innate desire to connect with
each other as a wired society.
Friedman makes many
compelling arguments in the opening pages of his book, and I have seen many of
these events take place on a personal level.
For instance, my husband works for a global company and many of his work
functions are those which have been transferred from the higher cost locations
of New York and London. He, however,
interacts weekly with his global counterparts in Bangalore, New York, Europe
and Asia as they complete projects as virtual working groups. The flattening of society has continued
through various forms of social media and it is evident in his workplace.
I also agree with
the premise of Globalization 3.0 in that all people are able to instantaneously
share their voice through social media platforms of Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and more. Connectivity between
individuals has never been easier. For
example, my family members who live out of state are readily available through
phones, FaceTime and other technological services. Therefore, Friedman’s views were correct in
2007 that our society would only continue to develop and innovate.
