Is Globalization Inevitable?
“Arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”
— Kofi Annan
As long as one keeps an open mind, this is a fair argument. However, those who believe globalizing is negatively affecting our lives will disagree.
Globalization is a way of life, and, by now, it is going to happen. The world is going to continue to connect, and thus continue to increase communication, transportation, and technology. Ernest Gellner argues that industrial societies’ need for a new kind of shared culture is the primary cause of modern nationalism. This is because nationalism is, more or less, an extreme use of ideology. In order to have an extreme form of patriotism marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries, an individual must believe they are right while others are wrong. This belief is strictly based off one’s ideological views, and will differ all across the globe. However, through today’s modern advancements, we’ve grown into a mass of many shared beliefs that we work with and, at times, agree with across the globe. With that, today, globalization strives off of our ideological beliefs, and we’ve managed to form an imagined community that, globally, comes together as a whole.
Imagination is a global necessity. Benedict Anderson explains that imagination is necessary and begins to point towards the beginning of nationalism. It was the printed language the ignited the differences between the common people, the deciding factor being who could communicate with who. Once communities were claimed, differences were determined, and these differences caused the belief of who was better than who. With that, different degrees of ethnocentrism rose and communities operated by distinguishing those who belong from those who do not. In effect, nationalism was created.
Although, today, we live in a mass producing world that, between various countries, has the economic and technological strength to expand internationally. Due to foreign shares, we’ve, more or less, emerged into one large community all around the world. A special tool that has played a major role in our communication is the internet. With the internet, we can communicate across oceans just at the comfort of our homes. We can start businesses. We can create stars. The list goes on, and it all happens within our globalized community. However, if one cannot compete with the cost and education of such communication, the benefits of globalization can’t be reached.
Crossing over, Cuba made history once the country made an end to internet isolation. CNN’s article written by Alana Tummino and titled “Cuba’s Internet isolation beginning to lift”, explains the miraculous outcomes Cuba reached once the country launched broadband Internet service in two pilot projects in Havana. After this, the number of cultural and business visitors launched within Cuba reaching to a record of 3.52 million visitors (Tummino). On top of that, Cuba is now finally connected with the outside world and a new member of our globalized community. Thirsty for connection, Cubans continue to increase internet connection with 65 WiFi hot spots by the end of 2015, and 80 more by the end of 2016 (Tummino). Even though there is a price to pay and limited internet, the empowerment and engagement Cuba now has within its country and the outside world is momentous.
Step by step, the world is coming together and working with one another to advance in numerous ways. Whether we take steps in the wrong or right direction, we are still taking steps. Through the power of nationalism, we can still individually divide ourselves, but we can also come together and advance ourselves. Overall, from the looks of it, globalization is inevitable because it’s going to happen and we, most likely, can’t stop it, just like we can’t stop gravity.
