Adam Coss

Marion Jensen

IST1100

17 January 2015

Module 1 Essay

I must admit that this class is already quite interesting and Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat is a very interesting read. The concept of globalization isn’t entirely new to me. Recently, I have signed contracts with multiple suppliers for my online retail business that are communicating with me from across the ocean. As Friedman has suggested, it has been fairly easy to gain entry into an international business. While my business has just started, it has cost less that one thousand dollars to build from the ground up. This is entirely attributed to the technological growth of communication and the internet.

Friedman has outlined this growth into three different versions. Globalization 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Globalization 1.0 was about physical strength and industrial progress. More importantly, it was about how countries moved this strength and expanded their industries to other nations. How may a country expand through industry rather than borders. Globalization 2.0, which was roughly around the time of both world wars, was created by a growth through the industrial revolution. The catalyst of this Globalization 2.0 was decreasing transportation cost through steam engines and the railroad. Later, the growth would continue with the increased use and lower cost of telecommunications, such as the telegraph and telephone. More importantly, the creation of the internet has matured the global economy in the way that we were able to send information to each continent within seconds. Friedman contends that Globalization 3.0 started around 2000. The driving force in Globalization 3.0 is the individual, which I can definitely relate to. In 3.0 the individual expands globalization by being able to collaborate in small or large groups from any city in the world in real time.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was a very important moment for many people. There are many changes that have happened due to this event but Friedman points out how the fall of the wall affects globalization. While the dismantle of a physical wall makes for obvious expansion, there is also a psychological aspect that some haven’t considered. The mental barrier that expansion is impossible was also dismantled when the Berlin Wall fell. This allowed people to free their thinking about what boundaries truly exist in the global economy.

The story of Netscape is one that I find fascinating. While I grew up in the time that the internet was booming, and it still is, I have to admit that I completely ignored Netscape altogether. I didn’t get my first PC until Internet Explorer had already outpaced Netscape. The story of Netscape is so important because without them, we likely would have a very different system for accessing the internet today. It would likely be difficult and expensive, much like switching internet service providers. With their continuing effort to keep the World Wide Web as available as possible it helped to ensure that anyone with a connection could gain access, regardless of computer platform and monetary status.

The internet has certainly allowed for a huge amount of opportunities in every country. While some countries are designing and building the plans for future ventures, other countries utilize the power of the internet to offer highly sought after services that some of us don’t have time for or simply don’t want to do. Which is not to imply that these jobs are worthless, because these jobs have credited billions of dollars in profit for countries that would still be struggling to make a name on the global stage.