By Mohamed Abdi
If Marshall McLuhan had been alive today, he would have marvelled at the way communication technology has transformed the world and made it a global village. McLuhan (a Canadian) was a media and communication theorist who coined the term “global village”. He envisioned a world where communication and information could flow freely, unhindered by geographical barriers. He defined a “global village as the interconnectedness of people worldwide through modern technologies, allowing them to share information and experiences. When McLuhan introduced the global village concept in the 1960s, the magnitude and use of the internet was a sort of science fiction. (Back then, only American high military personnel could utilize something resembling the internet, despite its sluggishness and cumbersome usage.)
Marshall McLuhan argued that advancements in electronic communication technology would eventually reduce distance and isolation and would connect citizens of the world to feel as if they live in one community. He presented two examples (television and computers) and emphasized their potential capabilities. At the time, television was already breaking down barriers among people in Western countries, but its use did not spread throughout the globe. As time went on, the use of television proliferated, permeated the world, and became one of the earliest forms of visual electronic media. Television enabled people to watch and witness events occurring in real-time across the world, thereby shrinking informational barriers among them, irrespective of their particular places of residence.
McLuhan’s vision of the global village fully materialized after the use of the internet was made public in 1993. It has transformed the way people communicate, access information, and interact with each other. Irrespective of their geographical location, people can instantly connect and exchange news and information. And the internet is the power enabling such global connectivity and rapid communication to transpire among people; the global village phenomenon has democratized access to information and enabled individuals and institutions to seamlessly engage in mutual activities and remotely work on projects and policies. Of course, advanced electronic communication technology is the wheel propelling and prospering the global community regarding its collaboration and collective production. People who live in different countries pull in the same direction and work for the same organization, and even work on the same projects.
The rise of social media platforms has intensified the achievement and impact of the term “global village” introduced by the aforementioned communications guru, who has not lived to see its wonders. The global village has become a borderless phenomenon enabled by the ubiquitous communications technology, which has eliminated communication barriers between people wherever they may live. Those barriers do not exist anymore, as people turn on their smartphones or computers and communicate (in the blink of an eye) with anyone they want, regardless of that person’s geographical location. To reiterate, the concept of a “global village” has put down roots and become an indisputable reality, for communication technology has shrunk distances between countries and made the world an interconnected community.
Although the world is interconnected, a digital divide exists. Digital divide is “the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet, and those who do not.” In simple terms, the digital divide refers to those who can afford to have internet connections, own computers or smartphones, and those who cannot afford to do so. Currently, 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have internet connectivity or advanced communication tools, preventing them from being part of the global village revolution; they are unable to harness the power of the global village due to their economic status.
While electronic communication technology still evolves, the global community will continue to be connected and engaged in even more advanced methods of communication. Had Marshall McLuhan been around today, he would have been astounded at how the world is interconnected. His theory has become a reality in full swing. McLuhan was a Canadian communications theorist born in 1911 and died in 1980.
Mohamed Abdi
Email: Mohamedabdi203@gmail.com
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Mohamed is a Somali-Canadian writer