Globalisation - The Role Of The Internet

The Internet is both a product of globalisation as well as a catalyst for its expansion, connecting computer users across the world. From 2000 to 2009 the number of Internet users globally rose from 394 million to 1.858 billion! By 2010, 22% of the world's population had access to computers with 1 billion Google searches every day, 300 million Internet users reading blogs and 2 billion videos viewed daily on YouTube. Being able to read this blog from almost anywhere on the planet is a product of the Internet and therefore globalisation!

 

The size of total worldwide e-commerce when global business-to-business and consumer transactions are added together will equate to $16 trillion by the end of 2013.  It has been estimated that the global market for digital products and services is worth $4.4 trillion. These two figures added together ($20.4 trillion) provide an estimate of the size and value of the digital economy. This means the Internet is responsible for 13.8% of global sales.

While much has been written about the economic advantages of Internet-enabled commerce, there is also evidence that some aspects of the Internet such as maps and location-aware services may serve to reinforce economic inequality and the digital divide. Electronic commerce may also be partly responsible for the decline of small businesses. The ease of Internet-shopping and ordering products online has lead to reduced trade in highstreet shops. The Internet has also introduced new social media from which an ‘online community’ has developed. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks. There are also several highly publicised risks associated with the Internet for example cyber-bullying, identity theft and fraud. 

 

The Internet provides access to resources for millions of people across the planet. With cheap smart-phones taking off in Africa and $20 tablets being produced in India, the world is becoming ever more connected by the minute. The increasing level of access to the Internet is a microcosm of the globalisation phenomenon. It is a facilitator to connect people over huge geographical areas, exposing different cultures to one another and makes the planet smaller.