Lincoln assassination reported 12 days later! How globalization impacts communications
Friday, September 19th, 2008Hard to say what came first …Chicken or the egg… or better still…in today’s age Communication or Globalization. ‘Mass’ to ‘individual’ are the commonly used terms as communication has reached new dimensions. What happens is transmitted across channels and news wires in a matter of seconds. Consider this to a scenario in 1865. US President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Reuters News Agency reported it first…. 12 days after the event…!!
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Era |
Force of change |
Change agents |
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1492-1800 |
Muscle power, Horse power, Wind power, Steam power |
Countries |
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1800-2000 |
Hardware-from steamships and railroads to telephones and mainframe computers |
Multinational Companies |
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2000 onwards |
Software and new applications, creation of global fiber optic network |
Individuals |
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A peek into the changing times. Source: Think ASEAN! |
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It is interesting to note how globalization has changed through the years and the power to change that was once in the hands of the powerful is now in the hands of those who have the knowledge. Change is no longer driven by nations or by huge multinationals. Individuals today drive change. Those who have the knowledge, are connected, and dare to share drive change. Similarly, easy access to information has transformed the average man on the street into a knowledge based world citizen. Empowerment of masses has made it all the more important for corporates today to use tools that are end-user centric.
Philip Kotler’s book Think ASEAN, shows some interesting observations on Globalization, its impact and future trends. Immensely impressed by this book, I will focus on some of the observations from this author and the relevance (cause and effect) of this with the changing times.