Global+Village

=McLuhan and the Global Village=



Marshall McLuhan believed that with technology such as television, radio, computers, Internet, and telephone, we have created a global village. We use the telephone and radio to extend our ears and use the television and computers to extend our sights worldwide. We are increasingly linked across the world. Now to communicate with someone overseas, is like communicating to someone in our own village. Communication has become as quick as face-to-face communication even when miles away.

In some sense, we can view the “village” metaphor as a simple notion, a space in which people can communicate quickly and know all the occurring events. It can also be viewed as a way for us to shape our global society. The consequences to our everyday actions can no be seen and heard easily. There’s this sense of ‘one being’.

However, although there is this idea of a “global village”, there is still evidence of an unequal flow of communication media. With the idea of a global village comes the idea of the digital divide. The digital divide is a multidimensional phenomenon according to which although there is an increase in worldwide connectedness, there are still many places and people who are left out. Much of the developing world and undereducated or underclass people are outside the village walls. The digital divide covers concepts such as the global divide, social divide and the democratic divide. According to the global divide, there is a difference in the access of internet between developed and under developed countries/nations. The social divide refers to the gap created between countries that are "information" rich and those that are "information" poor. Finally democratic divide refers to those people who use digital resources to engage and participate in a society's governance and those who don't.

In addition, certain big corporations have a tight hold on the communication medias that create this global village. Included in this are [|AOL Time Warner] (CNN, WB), [|Disney] (ABC ESPN), [|Microsoft], [|AT&T] etc… Many of these are also US owned and operated companies. In the past the US has had quite an impact of the world, but that is reducing in today’s society. The import of outside media is being limited by countries worldwide.

The content that flows between borders has prevented countries from isolating themselves. New ideas and values are flowing between nations. Despite the positive impacts, such as international cooperation, people/countries are afraid to become this global village. A lot of countries are afraid to lose their culture because of incoming information from around the world. Countries don’t want to lose their national sovereignty.

Friction between the contrasting values between a culture and media agents results in cultural abrasion. Further more, cultural deflation is a common ground, according to which the most vulnerable aspects of a culture are easily influenced by foreign media belief systems. Yet another outcome of such information flows is cultural deposition, in which foreign beliefs and practices cause cross-cultural fertilization. Due to cultural proximity, an audiences’ wish to view programs of their own or similar culture, there has also been a slight, and therefore there’s this urge to push out outside information (news, events, programming). With global village comes culture clash. For example, it has been said that the clash in culture in the media between Arab nations has been one factor in causing terrorism. With all this said, how can there be a global village?

With all the negatives to the idea of a global village, this shows that we aren’t quite there yet. It’s just the building blocks for what may be one day. Perhaps eventually everybody may be connected, but is there still this strong community when there are billions of people on this earth?

The global community is referred to as Civil Society within the field of International Relations.

=Works Cited=
 * For more information on **Marshall McLuhan** click here