Why do We Fear Globalization?

Globalization can be good or bad and more importantly it is an ongoing process. The best thing that the populace can do is understand and work with it. Dynamite can be used to stop massive fires or it could be a tool for destroying people’s homes. We choose. This is not the first time that the earth has undergone globalization. We had an information age followed by globalization five centuries ago. The planet has adjusted so well that most seem to have forgotten that it was a form of globalization

At around 1439 the printing press was assembled in Wittenberg, Germany; gradually this technology spread to other parts of Europe. The printing press was the equivalent to today’s internet. Information could be spread rapidly throughout the land. More importantly, ideas could be spread and influence people. Prior to this new technology, everything was hand written by highly educated skilled writers. Mass education soon followed so more people could have access to this information. Many gained some rudimentary reading skills. Consider that the printing press could also mass produce pictures and diagrams; therefore, even the illiterate could be influenced.

New ship and navigation technology was also influential during the fifteenth century period of globalization. Smaller ships could travel quicker and more efficiently, even with low wind situations. Navigation technology allowed routes to be mapped out and repeated for future exploration (and globalization). 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue; in 1520, the Strait of Magellan was sailed by the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan died in 1521 near the Philippines, but the voyage continued back to Europe. By the mid sixteenth century Europeans were travelling regularly to the Americas and also utilized the Magellan route to navigate around the world.

New navigation technology and an information age followed by globalization; sound familiar? Airplanes + Internet = more Human Interaction

What was the global impact five hundred years ago?

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Recently I was watching the 2008 Olympics and wanted more since there was a doldrum of coverage during the afternoon. My desire for watching events drove me to the internet in search of cyber-coverage and encountered an interesting fact: YouTube was providing global coverage of the Olympics. Needless to say, I was excited until further research revealed that the coverage was blocked by my nation and also in other free nations. Protection for the large media organizations has censored the freedom on the internet. The Olympics are not forbidden material or copy written events; or are they? I had always seen the competition as a way of bringing the globe together and gaining respect for each nation. Globalized competition. Why are large media organizations afraid of competing with global internet companies? From 1:00 pm until 7:00 pm, there is no Olympic coverage in my area; why can’t I view it on the internet? Globalization is not a threat when there is no coverage. Considering that national coverage does not cover every sport; I also searched for oft ignored sports, not just the popular ones. In a free society, I should be able to view any sport that I want on YouTube. I am not referring to stealing video from others; I am talking about legally obtained coverage. My assumption is that the internet company receives its funding from advertising on its webpage. I have watched the Olympics from three different nations and have come to the conclusion that it is an issue that affects many nations not just the one that I am currently residing in.

In the spirit of covering competitive sports, shouldn’t the media organizations be open to competition?