THE GLOBAL WILDERNESS

THE GLOBAL WILDERNESS

I am beginning to discover that what we call the Global Village is actually more of a wilderness. It is easy to get lost in a wilderness of modern though somehow confusing technologies. To understand what I mean, all you have to do is open a window in the internet and chances are soon you will find yourself being offered so many other sites, all seemingly interesting.

If you are a senior citizen who happened to learn how to use the computer by trial-and-error method with some help from not too interested ‘tutors’, you may soon find yourself nowhere out of this modern wilderness. Then you are suddenly surrounded by angry spams and other wild computer ‘animals’ all trying to swallow you or capture you into their waiting caves often so alluring and so inviting to disregard.

No wonder the youngsters would exchange even their food allowances or school fees for the thrilling experiences offered by this modern jungle. But even the supposedly experts on this matters do not always agree.

”According to McLuhan, modern communication technologies such as radio and television globalize communication by allowing users from all levels of society around the world to easily connect with each other and exchange ideas instantaneously. On the Internet, physical distance is even less of a hindrance to the real-time communicative activities of people, and therefore social spheres are greatly expanded by the openness of the web and the ease at which people can search for online communities and interact with others that share the same interests and concerns. Therefore, this technology fosters the idea of a conglomerate yet unified global community. Due to the enhanced speed of communication online and the ability of people to read about, spread, and react to global news very rapidly, McLuhan says this forces us to become more involved with one another from countries around the world and be more aware of our global responsibilities. Similarly, web-connected computers enable people to link their web sites together. This new reality has implications for forming new sociological structures within the context of culture”.

“There is some disagreement in the consideration of the Internet as promoting the idea of a global village. Modern theorist Glnn Willmott says McLuhan's idea of the global village is a clichéd phrase that does not take into account the corruption of the Internet by government and corporate censorship and control over information on the web (news and entertainment information in particular). The notion of the digital divide also signifies why the idea of a global village is problematic; if not all people are connected to the Internet equally (notably minorities and the economically disadvantaged) and those that lack web access are excluded from global news and participating in online communities, then modern communication technology does not truly promote a global village as McLuhan described it for all people”.

As I said earlier it is easy to get lost in this global wilderness but one good news is: you will eventually find your way home if you are patient enough. I still recommend to other senior citizens to try to be up-to-date by learning how to use the computer. Believe me, it is not only interesting but truly rejuvenating.