From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
Global Communication
Global communication is the process of transmitting and receiving information on a world-wide scale.
People have been communicating on a global scale for centuries (Lubbers & Koorevaar, 2000). Isolation and distance have always been factors in the study of Australian history (Wiseman, 1998)and until recent times it was difficult to communicate with other countries, with factors such as distance, time, and language barriers being major restrictions, however with the evolution of technology, global communication has become increasingly easy, faster, clearer and more effective (Lubbers & Koorevaar, 2000). The evolution of global communication can be linked closely to the evolution of technology. As new creations, such as the internet are continually being invented, improved and converged with other products, they are enabling new modes of interaction.
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At present, Global Communication has become incresaingly important as new technologies are evoking fundamental changes in the character of our society.
Evolving technology has changed life on social, cultural and political levels. New technologies are changing:
- the way people work and how business' are run
- how people are able to interact and relate
- the way people learn, create and process information; and
- It continues to alter the way a person views their community and their standing in the world.(Saxby, 1990).
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Global markets now offer the ability to produce cheaper products, access to consumers in foreign countries, new sources of finance and income, new sources of technology and access to a world of people with know-how. (Stevens, Miller & Michalski, 2000). One example of this is the
internet which has altered the world drastically in the last ten years. Never has
social interaction with people around the world been as easy as it is at present. Not only can a person automatically send an email to any area in the world, but they can send simultaneous copies to a variety of locations or post a message able to be retrieved by anyone with access. There is also the option of video conferencing and the ability to access the internet from a multitude of facets such as the usual Personal Computer (PC),
a mobile phone, and even a
refrigerator.
With all of this
reach, there are plenty of
limitations to technology aswell. The internet for example is only available to a small number of people, focused in Western nations.
NUA has estimated that world wide there is a total of 605.60 million users online as of September 2002. With the
world population estimated at 6,232 million in 2002 this means that under 10% of the population are connected, while over 90% do not have access.
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In the last several years
powerful companies in the computer and communication world have acquired a global status. These companies have outlets in most forms of communications including telecommuniations, the internet, film, publishing and television. One such company is
AOL Time Warner, with interests in specific areas, such as
America Online Internet,
Time Warner Book Group,
Time Inc. Publishing,
Time Warner Cable,
Home Box Office Television Network,
New Line Cinema Film Company,
Turner Broadcasting; and
Warner Bros. Entertainment
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If the past is any indication of things to come, the evolution of technology is likely to continue to increase the ability to communicate globally. Few areas of life are unaffected by new technologies as they are so integrated into Western society (Marx & Roe Smith, 1994).
- In the 1960s and 1970s in America, television began to replace newspapers as the public's preference for news
- In the 1990s cable television became more popular than network television
- The internet has recently become a major news source for people for its continuous updating and availability. (Anonymous, 2004)
These trends have been reflected in Australia and as new and affordable
technologies emerge, communication is bound to be improved. Once price and service costs are affordable as well as a need for the new application arises, there is a surge in purchasing of the technology. Once again take for instance the internet, which was not an urgent need 10 years ago yet can you imagine life without it now?
Kapor and Weitzner (1993) suggest the world is headed for an International Public Network (IPN) as far as the internet is concerned, to seek a proper balance of local content and global information. They suggest that government policy has a continued role in the expansion of networks both locally and world-wide. Whatever the outcome, the last 50 years have seen drastic developments in global communication, that looks set to continue and improve in the future.
Belinda Dickson 09:00, 10 Sep 2004 (EST)
See also:
References
- Anonymous (2004) "Reshaping World Communications" at Headline Series, Issue 325: New York pp. 11-12. ISBN 00178780
- Electrolux (2004) "Electrolux - Screenfridge" www.electrolux.com Accessed 6th September, 2004
- Futuresoft. (2004) "Leading Communications Software - Protocol Stacks, OEM Ready Solutions and Services" www.futsoft.com Accessed 6th September, 2004
- Jupitermedia Corporation (2004) "The Internet and IT Network" www.internet.comAccessed 6th September, 2004
- Kapor and Weitzner. (1993) "Social and Industrial Policy for Public Networks: Visions for the Future" in Harasim, L. (ed) Global Networks: Computers and International Communication, London: The MIT Press. ISBN 0262082225
- Lubbers and Koorevaar. (2000) "Primary Globalisation, Secondary Globalisation, and the Sustainable Development Paradigm - Opposing Forces in the 21st Century" in The Creative Society of the 21st Century: Future Studies, France: OECD pp. 7-24 ISBN 9264171967
- Roe Smith and Marx (ed.) (1994) Does Technology Drive History? The Dilemma of Tewchnological Determinism, London: The MIT Press ISBN 0262193477
- Saxby, S. (1990) The Age of Information, London:The Macmillan Press Ltd. ISBN 0333548329
- Stevens, Miller and Michalski. (2000) "Social Diversity and The Creative Society of the 21st Century", in The Creative Society of the 21st Century: Future Studies, France: OECD pp. 7-24 ISBN 9264171967
- Wiseman, J.(1998) Global Nation?:Australia and the Politics of Globalisation, United Kingdom:Cambridge University Press pp. 70-85 ISBN 0521592275
Belinda Dickson 16:37, 25 Aug 2004 (EST)
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