Question
please respond to the following questions in a minimum of 350 words (you may write much more!) Please number your responses. You do not have to re-write the questions. In addition to your opinion and personal experiences, include concepts that were discussed in the textbook in your responses.
Are We Really Living in a Global Village?
Marshall McLuhan popularized the term Global Village. He first used it in his 1962 book, “The Gutenberg Galaxy”, in which he discusses how electronic media, primarily radio and television, help people live and interact globally. Since the rise of the internet, it would seem that we are truly living in a world where we can interact with people in any place at any time. But this global village may be largely an illusion.
There is no question that through our media – what McLuhan would call the extension of our senses – we are able to travel to places we could never reach otherwise. In an IMAX theater, we can travel to the bottom of the ocean off the Grand Banks near Newfoundland and visit the wreck of the Titanic. Our electronic/digital media takes us into war zones, into the aftermath of disasters, and to celebrations in cities or countries we may never visit. But are we really becoming members of a global village, or are we just sightseers who get a glimpse of something we can’t really understand?
Media reporters Ken Auletta suggests that perhaps there is not a single wired global village, but rather hundreds or thousands of them. Communications scholars W. Russell Newman suggests that McLuhan’s global village concept is misleading: “McLuhan envisioned Americans seeing what was going on live in an African village. But Americans may not want to watch that. And perhaps vice versa.
Questions:
How often do you communicate with someone who lives in another country? How often, if ever, do you communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English? How do you communicate with that person?
Do you think having access to a global communication network gives you a better understanding of people who live on the other side of the world? Was McLuhan right that we are brought together in a “global village”?
Does communication technology make the world a better place? Why or why not?
Solution
Are We Really Living in a Global Village?
Question One
Global Village as a term used to describe the world communities as interconnected by the application of latest media technologies, such as television, web and radio among others, has an impact on cross-culture communication, thus encouraging competitive advantage among international economies. With the emergence of new technological channels such as internet, physical boundaries between countries have become more transparent, hence allowing individuals from different locations to communicate effectively. Personally, I communicate with a French speaking customer through e-mails, which offer an option of language translation on weekly basis (McLuhan et al. 47). I prefer emails to other means of communication because they are universally acceptable and less likely to be affected by communication barriers.
Question Two
Currently, emergence of new technologies mark the transition from oral to electronic mode of passing information, commonly known as communication. Specifically, electromagnetic technology has restructured and reshaped various aspects of life and the human social interdependence. The technology makes it easier for individuals to communicate effectively globally. As a result, one can chat with someone in another country the same way they would talk with a neighbor. The impacts of globalization on world societies indicates that it is a global village as opposed to the thousands of villages that media scholars refer (McLuhan et al. 51). Globalization has enhanced the meaning of communication by making it easier for communities to transfer and exchange ideas. Definitely, I strongly agree with McLuhan et al.’s argument that global communication has united people.
Question Three
Modern technological systems have created major differences in the communication sector. The technologies have improved lifestyles through the introduction of cell phones, internet, and other audio-visual devices, such as video conferencing. I concur with McLuhan et al. that our lives have been affected in various ways, following the dynamic technological changes in the world (54). Advancements in communication systems have led to cultural awareness since people have access to diverse cultures, especially regarding international trade information. Globally, societies depend on various channels to get informed about the prevailing issues, hence making globalization an important aspect of modern communication.
Work Cited
McLuhan, Marshall, et al. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. University of Toronto Press, 2011.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
