Flat World-It's unintended consequences
I have been thinking and writing about the Flat World for almost three months now , profoundly influenced by Thomas Friedman’s work . However , we the Flat-world types need to also explore the unintended consequences of the Flat World which has been captured rather well by Shreyasi in her post . The instances like the North Korean interception , the Bali bombings rightly exemplify the geo-political consequences of the Flat World .
In addition to her article , a similar post by Pashos Mandravelis draws the connection between technology and terrorism . I was alive to the consequences of the Flat World , but after reading these two articles (by Pashos and Shreyasi) , my concern over the consequences of the Flat World has been heightened and my key concerns are as follows :
The people who bear the consequences of technology applications for terrorism are in most cases those who are in the bottom of the globalization food -chain - "The Common Man". Does the common man have a say on what technologies are dangerous and can he prevent these technologies reaching the terrorists - my suspicion is a big NO , technology is after all knowledge and knowledge cannot be stopped with wired fences ...so the common man has to suffer as new technologies and processes which are flattening the world also find some applications to spread terror and death ......
The developed nations are the early beneficiaries of the Flat World , and within the developed nations , the wealthy .......these are the people who put Podcasting to meaningful use , travel across the world and use google as an information mining tool et al ....but they are a very small fraction of humanity ...the question that I would leave you with is
If the Flat World does not lead to inclusive development ( I am sure it eventually will , but the process might just be too slow and the sharing of economic benefits maybe skewed disproportionately to the wealthy nations ...) , then why do we need a Flat World ...what good is it , if it cannot lead to common good for the greatest number .....??
Do write in , would love to hear from you
9 comments:
So does the boundless, beyond boundary 'flat world' require regulators too?
I am sure the backward sub-Saharan Africa is benefitting too albeit indirectly by this New World but equitable distribution of resources remain a challenge as always. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks for the link
Interesting piece there!
as rightly said...we need a more balanced inclusive approach..while nandigrams will happen, we have to look at greater good and more importantly analyze the ROI in clear, comprehensive, deliverable terms rather than an abstract concept. It would take a generation or two for us to realize the benefits and patience isn't a virtue anymore..
Yes , indeed ....unfortunately the beneficiaries of the flat world are people or entities who may just be a bit insensitive to the geo-political consequences of the flat world. Pankaj Ghemawat -HBS Prof actually argues that the world is not flat ..!!
absolutely...the world isn't and was never meant to be completely flat! I would still want my 'jilipi's from the sweet shop next door in Kolkata rather than fancily packed by someone in China/anywhereintheworld who wouldn't even know how to say it right :)even if it cost me less...ok this was an exterme i agree, but you get my drift...if the world became glass-pane flat where will be our identity?
Agreed , but the arguement of Thomas Friedman and Nandan Nilekani is not probably to make the world glass plane flat , its like ensuring that good and services are produced at optimal costs and sold at a zone of maximum realisation ,and technology indeed plays an important role in the process . having said that , I also see applications of some flatteners like the YouTube and MySpace.com (which are themes of a couple of posts of mine) , in enhancing the institution of democracy ....the question is whether the process is inclusive and fair ....at this point in time ...probably not .....
On a lighter vein , good to know that you are from Kolkata.....cheers
and talking about insensitivity...we are as much responsible to bring in that awareness as everyone else...its a matter of touching and feeling the rewards…rewards have to be tangible and/or recognizable...how many of us will actually believe that there is el dorado if we never even knew the color of gold?
Some rewards are recognizable , the IT and BPO sector and its growth has flattened the Indian society . Think about it ...when I grew up ...the class divide in our society was very high (not saying its not now ...) but the Murthy's and Premji's of the world have flattened the class divide by providing employment opportunities and a quality to a lot a people who could not have thought about such luxuries a generation before .....the son of a maid of a relative of mine works for a Tier -1 IT company , isnt that empowerment brought in by the Flat World .......
You are right…technology has done its bit and will contribute much more in the near future…and there will be some undesired fallouts of that but let’s focus on the positive since much will be derived from it. The trick is to minimize the negatives and maximize the positive.
Going back to ‘flat’ttering(!)…hats off to the Murthy brigade (despite his irresponsible comment on the national anthem issue). I for one is a beneficiary and yes progressively we see many instances like the one you mentioned but these still have to reach the masses by that I mean vast stretches where a decent living (leave aside education) is still a distant dream…
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