The World Is Flat
Three time Pulitzer Prize Author Thomas L. Friedman makes an interesting observation in his book: THE WORLD IS FLAT; A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century.
He declares that there are 3 stages or rather era’s in the evolution of Globalization.
Globalization 1.0 1492-1800
This era of history began with Columus proving that the world was round. “It shrank the world from a size large to a size medium” The key to making a mark in this period was the amount of brawn one country could bring to bear and how creative it was in the deployment of said strength. “The primary questions were: Where does my country fit into global competition and opportunites? How can I go global and collaborate with others through my country?” In many ways, at this time, the common man would be a spectator to the clashing of titans.
Globalization 2.0 1800-2000
Friedman sees the “second great era” shrinking again, from a size medium to a size small. “The key agent of change, the dynamic force driving global integration, was multinational companies”. The Industrial Revolution, steam power, railroadsm the PC, telephones and the early World Wide Web all helped to bring the earth down a second size. The global economy was born and the big question was: “How can I go global and collaborate with others through my company”?
Globalization 3.0 2000 - Present Day
“Shrinking the world from a size small to a size tiny and flattening the playing field at the same time.” Software and the development of a “global fiber-optic networt has made all of us next door neighbours”.
“Individuals must, and can, now ask, Where do I fit into te global competition and opportunities of the day, and how can I, on my own, collaborate with others globally?”
People all over the world are being empowered to make their mark on this nw flat and even playing field, our new planet.
The question is what will YOU do with this opportunity? All it takes is ONE good IDEA and the determination to put it into ACTION.
The World Is Flat BUT I would argue that there is yet no edge of the earth or limit to how far one person can now sail.