Globalization has truly altered the economic landscape, but it hasn’t flattened it yet (Florida, 2005). Friedman’s (2007) viewpoint on geography no longer being a barrier for innovation has several truths. First, remote parts of the world now have access to technology and have the ability to be full consumers and contributors (Shirky, 2008). Second, people in third world countries are learning how to teach themselves-thanks to classroom education presented on the Internet. However, certain parts of the world have a high concentration of technological consumers and innovators.
If we were to look at a topographic map that represents technology and innovation, we would see that certain cities throughout the globe are experiencing a surge in technology consumerism and innovation. For instance, urban areas in China have seen three times the income as that of rural Chinese workers. In fact, the urban Chinese citizens may be experiencing some lifestyle changes and political views that differ from rural Chinese citizens (Florida, 2005, p.48). Thus if we were to examine the topographic map of today’s technology and innovation, we would most likely view large spikes or mountaintops for high technological usage in some areas and low dips or valleys where very little or no technology is used. For example, the world would indeed look spiky in some areas such as Shanghai and Beijing, but have huge valleys from large cities to rural provinces throughout China.
As urban areas of China continue to grow in technological advancements and financial prosperity, there may be two classes of Chinese citizens created. To speculate, the first type of citizen would be called the “Urbanite” who has an education, works and lives in the city, and utilizes technology in their lifestyle. The second type of Chinese citizen would be deemed a “Rusticite”-or one who has no formal education, works and lives in a rural setting, and has little or no technology involved in their lifestyle. Because China’s Internet activities are monitored by their government, the spread of political ideals and innovations have not been adopted throughout the country. Thus, it may be more difficult for the Chinese to decrease the “digital divide” between its Urbanites and Rusticites. The digital divide is referred to the differences experienced between those who use technology in their daily lives and those who use very little or no technology in their lives.
While America’s citizens do have their digital communications monitored for threats to national security, Americans still enjoy the ability to convene and support ideas on the Internet. Thus a citizen living in rural Kansas as a farmer, may share his ideas in a town hall meeting hosted on the Internet with a prospective presidential candidate. Moreover, the less the “digital divide” between areas with spikes on a “Technological Usage and Innovation Topographic Map”, the higher the probability is that the nation on the map is democratic in nature.
References:
Florida, R. (2005). The world is spiky: Globalization has changed the economic
playing field, but hasn’t leveled it. The Atlantic Monthly, October 2005, 48-52.
Retrieved from:
http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/images/issues/200510/world-is-
Friedman, T. L. (2007). The world is flat: A brief history of the twentieth-first
century, (2nd ed.). NY: Picador.
Chinese Urbanites
Chinese Rusticite
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