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Globalization and Communication in the Information Age: Technology with a Human Touch?
In the new millennium, the rapid increase in electronic communication poses new opportunities and issues. The possibility that the world can be connected electronically is on the horizon. What will this mean for the human and cultural dimensions of communication?
We want to hear from you! What are your thoughts on this topic?
Some questions to consider:
- While electronic communication has greatly facilitated our lives, what are the social and individual costs of these technologies?
- Can human values be preserved with expanding electronic communication? If so, how?
- What happens to countries that lack electronic communication resources?
- Does the "globalization" of information technology affect cultural integrity negatively or positively? Why?
How to Use the Online Forum: The Online Forum is not a "live" chat room, but a message board. To add your comment, please scroll to the bottom of this page. You may enter your own thoughts, ask questions or respond to others' comments. Note: space for comments is limited; please be concise in your entries. The Minnesota International Center reserves all rights to remove and/or edit offensive entries.
| Steven Clift |
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| March 1, 2001 |
Minnesota, USA |
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Speaking of the next technology, check out the impact of short text messaging via cell phone in the Phillipines: http://mail.tc.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0102&L=do-wire&D=1&F=&S=&P=1589 Steven Clift http://www.publicus.net
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| Al Bertke |
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| February 21, 2001 |
USA |
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I have been communicating to people around the world for years by email. I may never see them in person but we can share ideas. Recently I received an email asking about my views on an article I had on the web. I found out that this person was a student at the University of Malta. I gave them some resources and they were able to order these books from Amazon.com. The Internet also brings together people who are isolated and find others of like mind. MIC's program on the Internet being a challenge to national sovereignty with Michael Maibach on Feb. 20 brought into focus for me the need for governments to realize that we are one human race and one global planet and that we need to work hard to live in a pluralized world.
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| Rob Scarlett |
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| February 21, 2001 |
USA |
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With regard to the "questions to consider", I believe they are very important questions; however, I do also have the impression that they are the same questions that (should) have been asked as each new communications technology emerged, throughout history ... from jungle-drums, to smoke-signals, to pony express, to telegraph, telex, telephone, fax and, now, to the Internet. I get the feeling that it is not the communications technology itself that is important; rather, it is the continuing debate over values that is important; ... and how we can make certain that technologies serve the values that we agree upon (if we can). We better get on with this debate, before the next communication technology emerges, i.e., Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP)! Regards, Rob
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