The World is Flat: Reflection 1

The World is Flat: Reflection Paper

Samuel Jerome Gilbeaux

North Carolina A&T State University

The World is Flat: Reflection 2

The World is Flat: Reflection Paper

After watching the presentation from Thomas L. Friedman about his book “The World is Flat”, I

have realized many different things about our current world. Watching Friedman’s presentation

was good due to the fact that it supported some of my own ideas and supplied new ones to think

about. Although some of Friedman’s points were hard to understand, the majority of his points

were quite clear. One of the major points that stuck was Friedman’s view on the outsourcing of

jobs. If a person is not knowledgeable about the new world and the way it works, they could

have a very biased view on how bad outsourcing is. However, with an understanding on how the

new world market is being shaped one might come to the conclusion that outsourcing might not

be as bad as it seemed in the beginning. With the world at the center of one’s viewpoint,

outsourcing could be a good thing. When jobs go to developing countries it promotes a better

way of life for that country by helping the economy. Friedman says outsourcing is one of the ten

“flatteners”, and these flatteners are leveling the economic playing field around the world.

Before watching this presentation I too thought that outsourcing was a terrible thing that only

hurt our country. However, now its more clear how it can also be a help to our country due to

the collaboration with other economies around the world. It was very interesting to hear about

how certain events and technologies came to be and how they helped shape the current world we

live in. When Friedman talked about his three eras of globalization, one couldn't help but agree

with him, his views on the events that changed the world were both very accurate and thought

provoking. However, when he got to his third era of globalization it really got me thinking about

the world we live in now. Friedman described the third era of globalization as a point in history

where the world is no longer globalized by countries or industry, but it’s globalized by

The World is Flat: Reflection 3

individuals all around the world. When I heard this, it really made realize that this current world

we live in is just now in the beginning stages of its revolutionary abilities. When one really looks

at this current world, they can see how easy it is to promote themselves on a global scale. This is

evident with websites and applications such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

With these platforms, one can project themselves around the world in a matter of seconds, and

their ideas and points of view are projected along with them. Even though it seems like this is no

great feat in this day and time, we have to realize that the technology that would allow us to

achieve these feats is just a little over a decade old. After thinking about this, it’s easy to realize

that there is so much potential for the new era of globalization. It seems to me that this new well

of potential is like a child that needs to be fostered by people who are willing to take a risk.

However, much of this potential is being held down by people who know a lot about this new era

of globalization but are, in Friedman’s words “not telling the children”(Friedman, 2005). It’s my

point of view that the world can only progress in this day and age if information can be shared

and cultured into new ideas and industries. People at the head of society and industry should not

withhold information that could in the long run advance society to a whole new level.

Another point that Friedman made that struck home for me was his answer to the last question he

received. He was asked his opinion on how to keep an open society safe. This question has the

potential to open the doors for a huge debate on how this would be achieved, but Friedman’s

answer seemed to me to be the best solution. His solution to this question boiled down to the

people that would be a part of this open society. In an open society, information would be very

easy to attain and utilize, and with this availability also comes the potential danger. That’s why

the security of the society would depend on the society itself. There would have to be a large

majority of people having positive ideas and imaginations in order to keep an open society safe.

The World is Flat: Reflection 4

Friedman also used America as an example in his explanation of keeping an open society safe.

His point of view was that in order to help society, America must go back to exporting hope and

not fear. With the recent 9/11 attacks on America, we as a country became a society plagued by

fear and if we allow it to, that fear will spread around the world and do a complete 360 and come

back to bite us and cause even more devastation. We as a country cannot become so distracted by

a single event that we will change anything and everything that made our country what it was

and is. Once we get back to becoming an example to other nations around the world, the idea of

an open society will become more and more appealing to everyone. Innovations and inventions

can come from anyone around the world, but this can only happen if people are provided with

the resources to foster imagination and creativity.

After watching this presentation we must be sure that we as students will take into account the

opportunities that are before us and other people around the world in this amazing day and age.

With so much potential for growth and human development it would be a shame to sit back and

watch other people take hold of it without having any input of our own. However, we must

realize that this potential cannot be grasped with just our own understanding. It will take an

understanding of the current world and its workings to successfully bring out all of the wonders

that this new era of globalization has to offer. This begins with the promotion of ourselves and

the promotion of ideologies that will push the world towards a new viewpoint of the world we

are inhabiting.

The World is Flat: Reflection 5

References

Friedman, T. (Writer) (2005). The World is Flat [Web]. Retrieved from

http://video.mit.edu/watch/the-world-is-flat-9145/