Its a Flat World, After All by Thomas Friedman Essay

Its a Flat World, After All by Thomas Friedman - Essay Example Friedman discusses the different flatteners of the world which have created a level playing field for all countries. These flatteners include the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Netscape, Workflow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, supply chaining, insourcing, informing, and steroids. In reviewing these flatteners, it is important to understand the context upon which the word flattened or flat is used. Friedman uses the term flat in terms of the level of competence which all countries have in terms of access to information and technology, including economic growth and development. Such information is used in various activities including business, governance, education, and sports. Based on Friedman’s arguments, he concludes that the world is flat because the access to information, technology, and the potential for economic growth is no longer the exclusive province of the developed states (Bijker, 1995). Instead, the economic, political, and social landscape has levele d out and this process has started unfolding ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall, becoming even more apparent starting in the year 2000 onwards. Undeniably, the use of technology and the spread and the access of information have become very much apparent in the current setting. The information represents an â€Å"assemblage of data† (Headrick, 2000, p. ... The information and technology are no longer exclusive or delayed in transmission. For a long, while geographical barriers between countries implied that different nations had different rates of growth; however, geographical barriers have become less of an issue through internet capability (Suchman, 2007). In relation to internet access therefore, Friedman provides strong support for the world being flat and less hierarchical. Since information is no longer exclusive to specific individuals or countries, the possibility of creating technology and innovations from such information is no longer also an exclusive right and privilege of specific countries (Wolf, 2008). This indicates that there are also innovators which can gain access to the same information from any part of the globe and then transform such information to innovations. For a long while, the US and other western nations were the global leaders in technology and innovation (Beniger, 1986). From such technology and innovat ions, they were able to make major advancements in labor-saving technology which increased productivity and made the work hours more efficient. With â€Å"falling communication costs and the broader spectrum of activities that can be coordinated through current forms of computer-mediated interaction,† more economic links were soon established (Kallinikos, 2010, p. 93). From such technology and innovations, the rest of the world looked to the west for dole-outs of these technologies. The adaptation of these technologies was carried out in order for the countries to keep up with western technologies.