The Internet, Social Media and Texting (an activity that requires cell phone usage) are some of the greatest novelties of our time. As technological wonders, they are ‘game changers’ in both peoples’ private and public lives. State and local governments depend upon them to run smoothly. And they have opened up new avenues for conducting commerce across continental barriers and ocean bodies. By the same token, the widespread use of these technologies has also caused many businesses to flourish. Popular ISP initiatives like the Spectrum Double Play and Rhode Island Internet projects deserve special mention in this respect. Though these examples are by no means exhaustive.
A Little Bit of Both Sides of the Debate
But these modern necessities have largely arrived with a paradox in the making. As per one perspective, they make the world a smaller place. The popular arguments pertaining to globalization and free trade deal with this concern at length. And if you didn’t already know this, you can find many research papers online that vent on this subject. Heck, you’ll probably be able to pen a dissertation of your own after you’re done reading even two of these complicated manuscripts!
According to another understanding, these technologies have made the world a larger place. This side of the argument requires more exploration. So in this blog post, I’ll try to provide an explanation on exactly how this is so. And I promise that in a moment’s time, you’ll see what I mean.
How the World has Actually Become Bigger?
The Internet projects a virtual reality all of its own. Its globally-spanning network connects computers with each other, and in turn people. For many individuals, this reality has become much more immediately accessible than what their mundane existence offers.
Think about it.
On a purely psychological and emotional level, the real world is a scary place. Full of people who seek to do you wrong along every turn. And then there’s the element of a deep-rooted hypocrisy, which reeks from even those people who are normally considered ‘well-meaning’. To top everything off, there’s the fact of limited resources (that are fast depleting) paired off with the concern of many mouths to feed. A situation which is also sometimes referred to as the ‘economic problem’ in business school textbooks.
Some Natural Questions that Arise…
Why would anyone in his (or her) right mind want to deal with such a bleak world? One where negativity, in all its unappealing forms, is prevalent in almost every direction that one turns to. And where goodness (in all its beautiful and rejuvenating forms) is fast turning into an impractical concept. A way of life reserved for only those of us who aren’t strong enough to become tyrants in their own right!
All of these are probably the reasons why a lot of people have limited their social contact with one another. And in doing so, they’ve embraced the virtual world maintained and advanced by the web. We can think of social media as the interaction space of this arena. While personal computers, mobile phones, tablets, and pocket pagers are the tickets that provide access.
And what happens when these two worlds (the real, and the created) run side-by-side to each other?
They gradually start to merge into one.
Setting up a larger world order than the one our ancestors imagined. Or thought could be possible one day.
A New World Order in the Making
The ‘internet-reality’ (as some scholars call it) has created a lot of distances, while it has bridged others. In this regard, the popular influence of social media is an area of special interest for many researchers.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are well-known, today, for creating ‘thought bubbles’. These are imaginary and creative fields of fixed ideas; occupied by people who become their staunch defenders. And who maintain an almost religious devotion to their continued maintenance.
This issue came into full relief during the 2016 U.S Presidential Elections. The followers of the Trump campaign supported strong ultraconservative and ultranationalist views. Regarding their lives, their faith, their country, immigration, and government. The same ideals upheld by far-right political elements all across the globe.
Similarly, fans of the Clinton campaign championed strong liberal and globalist views. Many of which fell (and continue to do so) in sharp contradiction with the other camp. The heated debate surrounding abortion rights and government spending is a key talking-point for these people.
Recently, I signed into a number of online American political forums with my Spectrum internet Deals connection. And (like many people looking at things from the outside), I wasn’t really surprised to see the thought bubbles working in full swing. With each trying to stall the advance of the other – by any legitimate, as well as other, means possible.
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