As the world learns to live with the parameters of a global village, some cultural, political and economical disruptions are inevitable, both positive and negative. No matter how earnestly or how half-heartedly world leaders try to adjust national policy to accommodate globalization, unforeseen consequences are bound to occur. Among the recent developments in globalization, two trends stand out: social networking and economic inter-dependency.
Social Networking
Nowhere has the challenges of globalization more evident than in the effect that the internet has had on the global community. The advent of real-time communication through social networking among the peoples of the world has proved more powerful than many could have imagined. Social networking has been instrumental in empowering populist movements, some of which have already successfully overturned harsh and restrictive regimes.
Internet communication has had negative effects as well, including an overall decline in the accuracy, insight and depth of news coverage. Increasingly, media outlets feel pressured to present news in short segments rather than in lengthy analysis. The internet now boasts a host of bloggers and pseudo-journalists who profess expertise in a variety of subjects. This has led to a gradual shift towards a view that a belief system based on opinions is as legitimate as one based on facts.
Economic Inter-Dependency
The recent global financial crisis also proved how powerful globalization has become. People are becoming increasingly more aware that the economies of the world are intertwined. Not only are the banking systems of the world inter-connected but more than ever before, countries are dependent upon each other to maintain a level of trade and labor. This increasing inter-dependency is likely to have profound effects on nationwide belief systems that have been in play around the globe for centuries, such as nationalism, imperialism and isolationism.
When it comes to globalization, environmental concerns play a huge role. Pollution in one area of the world affects other areas. Resources plundered in one nation lead to shortages in other countries. The world must learn to work together in order to meet the environmental, political and economical challenges of the future.