Unit 11 – Globalization and Interdependence Advancements in Technology and the Constance of Change in Our Brave New World

What is Globalization? Globalization is the linking of nations through trade, information, technologies, and communication. Nations rely on one another to share resources, labor, and information. We are interdependent, because we must share the Earth’s materials: air, water, and food, for example. Globalization involves increased integration of different societies. It is the reason why Chinese laborers made your iPhone, and you call India whenever you need to troubleshoot your electronics.

Impact of Globalization on American Life The efficiency and the ease of communication has improved dramatically during the past thirty years. Satellite systems have changed telecommunications by allowing cell phones and other technologies to facilitate communication. Television allows audiences to see and hear the news. Internet sources are now just as reliable as television, and the quality of the internet as a source of information continues to improve.

Automobiles Americans rely upon the automobile for transportation, perhaps more than any other nation. The reliance on the automobile for transportation and trucking – as in 18-Wheelers – for trade and commerce – requires an interstate highway system. It also requires en0rmous quantities of oil – refined in to motor oil and gasoline. Internal combustion engines which rely on gasoline have the United States dependent upon foreign oil!

Air Travel Makes Transportation Simpler. Major airlines dominate certain flights and have become very reliable carriers over the course of the last thirty years. Although prices for these flight do fluctuate, almost every American knows today that they can board an airplane and arrive at any other major city in the United States in a matter of hours. We can even take international flights with very few travel obstacles. Confidence in airliners has increased domestic and international travel whether it be for business or for pleasure.

Importing Goods, Exporting Jobs During the first part of the 20th Century, many Americans took pride in purchasing goods that were “Made in the USA.” Today, that is very difficult to do. So many of the products which we purchase are made in China or other nations where cheap labor supplies allow companies to make more money, that manufacturing jobs are disappearing in our nation. Since so many companies have moved their production factories to foreign nations – like Mexico, China, or parts of Southeast Asia – that American jobs have left the country. “Outsourcing Jobs” – or hiring workers in other nations to manufacture goods – is common practice with many American companies.

Cable News Networks and New Media Cable News networks, starting with Headline News Network and CNN in the 1990s, have made news a 24-hour business. News networks have become part news and part commentary in the past fifteen years or so, with arch conservative talking heads and ultra liberal hosts providing editorialized versions of events on stations like FOX-News (a conservative sounding board) or MSNBC (a liberal leaning network) – and everything in between.

NASA – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration The United States government controlled much of the space exploration which took place during the second half of the 20th Century. From the Lunar Landing in 1969 to the long running Space Shuttle program, NASA led the way into space exploration. The jointly run international space station is a more recent contribution to the exploration of space. Missions to Mars and the remote exploration of space by space telescopes continue to bring us greater knowledge of the cosmos.

Advancements in Computer Technology Changed Life in America. The personal computer has changed so many aspects of American life, it is difficult to list them all: Workplace productivity Access to information Commerce News and Entertainment Communication

Bill Gates – Founder of Microsoft, mostly benevolent dictator of the Universe.

Sun Belt Develops Note the large growth of population in FL, TX, and CA. After World War II, the population of the United States began to shift from east to west and – more prominently, from North to South. Inventions like air conditioning and improved public services encouraged migration.

Decreasing Regionalization Since the 1940s and 1950s, Americans have becoming more an more alike in terms of their language, culture, and regional tastes. This is not to say we’re all the same, now. But decreased regional variation has resulted from shared entertainment and information sources – usually provided by national television and radio programming, Internet services, or sporting events and computer games.

US Foreign Relations Have Changed The Cold War has ended. NATO has expanded to include many of the nations in Central and Eastern Europe. US relations with Russia improved during the 1990s, but have become strained again more recently. The threat of global terrorism is a major concern of the United States today.