Globalization is an umbrella term used to describe the reach of any system from a national or isolated area to an international or global one. Some examples of systems that may, or can be “globalized” are currency, business, or information. For the purpose of this course, our primary interest is the distribution of information on a global scale.
It would be hard to state that information has truly been globalized by the increasing popularity of the Internet. This is because the location of Internet users and hosts, globally, are concentrated primarily in wealthy nations. With only “4 percent of the world’s population on-line,”(Norris 2000) one can hardly call information transfer via the Internet “global.”
It would be hard to state that information has truly been globalized by the increasing popularity of the Internet. This is because the location of Internet users and hosts, globally, are concentrated primarily in wealthy nations. With only “4 percent of the world’s population on-line,”(Norris 2000) one can hardly call information transfer via the Internet “global.”
In, Information Poverty and the Wired World,” Pippa Norris describes the disparity between those capable of receiving information electronically and those who cannot. Those with easy access to the Internet can enjoy a plethora of information at very little cost, whereas, those with little or no access fall further behind. This in-turn enforces the widening gap between the advancement of rich and poor societies.
Currently, Internet access is a right not a privilege. Although funding and awareness can help provide opportunities in our society and local region for Internet access, it is difficult to surmise a solution globally. It is also questionable if some societies are interested in providing cyber communication at all, for a multitude of reasons tied to politics, religion, etc.. China, for example, treats Internet access as a privilege not a right. It attempts to control information internally and trans-nationally by threatening and allegedly attacking Google when it would not comply with its demands.(2010; 2010) It is my belief that human rights are, and should, be tied to the basic necessities of a living organism, and not defined by an Internet capable device.
Work Cited:
Curran, J. & Park, Myung-Jin. (2000). De-Westernizing Media Studies. London & New York: Routledge.
(2010) China condemns 'groundless' US criticism of web control. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8474011.stm. 05 October 2010.
(2010) Timeline: China and net censorship. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8460129.stm. 05 October 2010
Norris, P. (2000). Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. Vol. 5, No. 3.
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