Our Global Village: mini essay 1

In a world where new media and technology are heavily used to function on a daily basis, our access to information is constant. Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan who was and still is considered a crucial figure in Media Theory coined the term ‘Global Village’ in regards to the level of access and connectedness we experience through our use of technologies. When McLuhan spoke of this Global Village that we are a part of, he was referring to the boundaries that no longer apply to us when we wish to communicate or interact with other people on a global scale. For example, we now have the ability to sit in one time zone and have immediate communications with a person in a different country. This lifestyle with instant communications breaks down the barriers of ‘time and space’. This 24 hour access we have been given, has allowed us the opportunity to stay connected and involved in issues and events all over the world at any time of the day.

This global village that we have found ourselves apart of has helped to increase globalisation and introduce new customs and ideas into different cultures all around the world. McLuhan (2014) said that ‘it becomes inevitable to assume that what happens to other people and cultures can happen to us’ and through connections from our global village this can be a reality. The global village has allowed us to extend our horizons and experiences in regards to our futures and opportunities that open up with this new and better level of connectivity. A new range of employment positions have opened up and through travel, business and trade has been able to flourish in a local and global sense.

When McLuhan introduced this concept to the world he was predicting the direction in which technology would head. The developments that these new media’s and technologies have experienced are extremely influential and important with our day to day lives. When we use these modern devices and programs we are unconsciously taking part in the global village and other cultures all over the world.

References:

McLuhan, Marshall, Moos, Michel 2014, Media Research: Technology, Art and Communications, e-book, accessed 26th July 2015

McLuhan, M (n.d), Understanding Media