The concept of a ‘global village’ paints the picture of many individuals from different cultural, social and economical backgrounds connecting together through various mediums. It is a positive convergence of progressing design technology and modern society. This conceptual term initially introduced by philosopher Marshall McLuhan explained how individuals will (and currently do) use technology to communicate and educate one another, regardless of their global positioning and physical whereabouts. McLuhan (2009) describes such continuous development of worldwide interconnectivity by stating:
“Just as books and their private point of view are being replaced by new media, so are the concepts that underlie out actions, our social life and changes”.
This quotation recognises that print media promotes individualism, an isolated experience where one reads alone and therefore is primarily educated through the same format. Considering this, it can be understood that prior to technological developments and the advance of the internet (social media!) the ‘global village’ consisted of limited routes, social webbings and connections.
Time and space nears irrelevant as new media allows for immediate and perpetual global connectivity. We no longer have to “see the world, and each others through the printed lines of the page” due to the media platforms we have instant access to (Marshall McLuhan 2009). As social networking grows we experience ‘re-tribalising’ through continuous sharing of ideas, experiences and opinions compared to prioritising oneself within a slower paced lifestyle (ibid). It is a matter of a single ‘village’ being a forum of communication for billions of individuals through trade, finances, communication, sharing, debating and education. As components of this village we are recipients of daily educational information, learning materials and experiences which we must embrace rather than discourage. By accepting the global village as the expanding framework that it is, we can acknowledge and learn from the fact that the media heavily influences the way in which we communicate and approach our own lives.
Globalisation no longer only resides in the pages of books, as information access is beyond limitation. With the answers to almost every question, query or concept at our fingertips it is impossible to argue that new media developments are both bringing individuals together, whilst simultaneously eliminating the necessity for face-to-face, physical interactions. The internet is a global mass medium, a domain accessible via mobile and stationary devices that encompasses diversity throughout the world. McLuhan writes of new media being alike to a new language, a “new codification of experience collectively achieved by new habits and inclusive collective awareness” (McLuhan & Moos, 2014, p. 28). These collaborative actions implemented by individuals across the globe are what sustains the notion of a developing global village. We have advanced into a bigger, busier society through the avenues which we have available to us. No longer do we wait for the newspaper to be delivered or a letter to be posted, simply because of the instantaneous nature of the internet.A world that once was reliant on books to educate, converse and trade is now an elaborate digitally dependant, virtual marketplace.
References
McLuhan, M & Moos, M 2014 “Technology, Art and Communication”, Taylor and Francis Group, Hoboken
Marshall McLuhan: the world is a global village (CBC TV) 2009, YouTube, Future of Health Technology, 24 March, retrieved 28 July 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDnPP6ntic>.
