Chapter 11

What is the OLPC project? Has it been successful?

One Laptop Per Child. By most measures, it has not been a successful program.

What was one of the key points of The Rise of the Network Society?

One is that economic activity was, when the book was published in 1996, being organized around the networks that the new telecommunication technologies had provided. Second, global economic activity was different from the past, because "it is an economy with the capacity to work as a unit in real time on a planetary scale."

Which country has the highest average Internet speed? How does your country compare?

South Korea has the highest Internet speeds. Students will need to look up their own to compare.

What does the term digital divide mean?

The separation between those who have access to the global network and those who do not. The digital divide can occur between countries, regions, or even neighborhoods.

How does Friedman define the three eras of globalization?

The three eras are as follows: i. "Globalization 1.0" occurred from 1492 until about 1800. In this era, globalization was centered around countries. It was about how much horsepower, wind power, and steam power a country had and how creatively it was deployed. The world shrank from size "large" to size "medium." ii. "Globalization 2.0" occurred from about 1800 until 2000, interrupted only by the two World Wars. In this era, the dynamic force driving change was comprised of multinational companies. The world shrank from size "medium" to size "small." iii. "Globalization 3.0" is our current era, beginning in the year 2000. The convergence of the personal computer, fiber-optic Internet connections, and software has created a "flat-world platform" that allows small groups and even individuals to go global. The world has shrunk from size "small" to size "tiny."

What are some of the advantages brought about by globalization?

ability to locate expertise and labor around the world, the ability to operate 24 hours a day, and a larger market for products.

What are Jakob Nielsen's three stages of the digital divide?

economic, usability, and empowerment

What are the challenges of globalization?

infrastructure differences, labor laws and regulations, legal restrictions, and different languages, customs, and preferences.

What does the term globalization mean?

integration of goods, services, and cultures among the nations of the world.

Which technologies have had the biggest effect on globalization?

the Internet, the graphical interface of Windows and the World Wide Web, and workflow software.