Globalization refers to the “increasing interconnectedness of people and places through the converging process of economic, political and cultural change.” Currently, the rate of Globalization has continued to increase; the continued increase in the globalization rate can be associated with technological changes and advancements, among other factors. Globalization has brought about both positive as well as negative impacts in the society, but they do not have equal weight in the society; hence the reason for this study is to establish whether it has impacts that are more positive or negative.
Technology has contributed a lot towards Globalization; this is because it is through this that many of the global activities have been possible. It is through technology that information in the society flows very fast as well as money transfer, products are moved from one country to the other, people travel comfortably and fast, and communication is fast. The other factors that have played a major role in Globalization include trade liberalization and financial market deregulation. These are major contributors to Globalization, and they are all because of technological changes. Globalization has made the whole world to be like a village since people have come together globally in terms of economics, culture, and politics.
Because of Globalization, there has been a high exchange of information concerning these areas. Globalization has enabled the exchange and transfer of cultural practices from one country to the other. There are certain cultural practices transferred from people in one country to the other hence resulting in the interconnection between different people in the world. The more Globalization continues to take roots in society, the more it brings in both positive as well as negative impacts.
The issues concerning the impacts of Globalization in the general society have continued to raise concerns among many people. There are those who argue that Globalization has brought about more negative impacts than positive ones, while others argue that there are more positive impacts than negative ones. The question is whether Globalization has a positive impact or negative impact on the general society. (Tomlinson, 1999).
Through Globalization, the positive impacts realized include the following, the less developed countries have continued to receive support from the rich countries. The support of well up countries to the less developed ones has resulted in improvement of living standards of the people in these countries. Globalization has resulted to the reduction of poverty in less developed countries, it means that if it were not for Globalization, the poor countries would have remained poor. This is one of the positive impacts of Globalization in society, and that has contributed a lot to the view that Globalization has more positive impacts than negative ones in society.
On the issue of governance, Globalization has also resulted in international cooperation; it is achieved through the formation of bodies that bring together different countries towards achieving a specific goal. For instance, bodies like world trade organizations and economic forums unite different countries together to address certain issues in the global society. Some of the issues addressed and solved by these bodies include environmental problems as well as social problems.
Some of the environmental problems which are addressed through Globalization include environmental pollution, whereby there are bodies formed globally to address the issue. They come up with programs aimed at reducing pollution in the countries, for instance, the use of non-oil products as fuel that does not produce dangerous gases in the atmosphere. (Asgary & Walle, 2002).
Due to advanced technology, Globalization has resulted in the adoption of a global culture. This is because there are practices and things done currently which have become like culture in every part of the world. For instance, the use of the internet, fax machines, and satellites have outdone the old national cultural boundaries. They are adopted in every part of the world, and they have broken the cultural backgrounds since another can easily obtain information concerning one country. This would not have been the case if it were not for the globalization spirit. Most of the resources are distributed in the world due to Globalization, like communication and transport technology.
Distant countries are linked together through communication, commerce, and travel, these are the basics for Globalization since they bring different people together politically, economically, and culturally. Globalization is termed as the most fundamental reorganization of the world’s socioeconomic structure since the time of the industrial revolution. This is because it is through Globalization that improvements are made in social and economic life; we learn a lot from each other through Globalization hence adopting other better ways of social life. (World Public Opinion Organization, 2008).
Globalization of governance is one of the characteristics of Globalization; because of Globalization, the issues of governance of states and governments are monitored globally. There are similarities in the mode of governance adopted by different states and countries worldwide; this means that it is easier to tackle issues of governance in a given state since they are all similar. In case there is any governance problem in a given state or country, it is not an issue of that country. It involves the other countries and governments.
This is because there are bodies formed to check into the issues of countries or states’ governance. This is a benefit to the society since no country can suffer in terms of poor governance since there is global monitoring. In addition, when governance problems arise in a country, the global society intervenes to see that such problems are solved. For instance, the issue of Kenya that arose after elections, the global community intervened to see that the problem was solved and a solution was found fast.
From the perspective of health and diseases, Globalization has played a great role; this is because it is through Globalization that research has been done regarding certain health problems in society. Many health problems in the society for a long time were not clearly understood well, because of Globalization, expertise from different parts of the world have combined efforts and solutions to these problems have been found out. If it were not for Globalization, some of the problems would have remained to be a major problem in society.
Also, through Globalization, it has become possible to distribute healthy products to different parts of the world. This has been possible through the different organizations formed to address health issues globally. In most cases, the drugs used in most of the developing countries are distributed from the developed countries. This is possible through the formation of global organizations that ensure that the health needs of many people in society are met. (World Public Opinion Organization, 2008).
Health issues have been highly improved because of Globalization; this is because the information on health issues flows from all over the world. This gives the opportunity to the different people to learn. There are certain people who move from one country to the other, teaching people about health issues and providing help. This would not be possible if it were not for Globalization.
On the other hand, there are certain things that contribute much to the view that Globalization has more effects that are negative. It is not possible to find something that has benefits only at one point there are negative effects realized. Globalization is not an exception to this; there are certain negative impacts on the general society and the environment. Globalization has contributed a lot to the environmental problems in society; the major contribution is global warming. Due to Globalization, many industrial activities take place in the global society. Industries have been set in nearly all the parts of the world, the gases released by many industries have contributed a lot to global warming. Other major negative effects of Globalization include pollution of water and air.
Though there are certain negative effects of Globalization, the benefits outweigh the effects. This is because some of the negative effects experienced are by-products of the great benefits people get from Globalization. For instance, the issue of pollution by industrial operations is very small as compared to the benefits gained from the industrial operations. Through the industries people are able to get the products to meet their needs, also the industries provide job opportunities to many people in the society hence increasing their income and total income in that country.
The benefits provided by industrial activities are higher as compared to the damage caused. Secondly, it is through Globalization that some of the problems are solved. For instance, the issue of global warming has brought people together globally to address it together with other problems in the society. There are certain regulations and programs set globally to govern environmental issues hence ensuring that the issues of the environment are tackled properly. (Raghavan, 1998).
In conclusion, it is clear that Globalization has both positive as well as negative impacts in the society generally. However, both positive as well as negative impacts are experienced, but the positive impacts have more weight than the negative ones, according to the study. Hence, the conclusion made is that Globalization is good and should continue since it has more benefits than than disadvantages.
References
Asgary, N& Walle, A. 2002, ‘Cultural impact of globalization: economic activity and social change’, Cross-cultural management, Vol. 9, No.3, pp. 58-62
Raghavan C. 1998, Globalization’s political economy and the role of state, Third World Economics, No. 191, pp. 16-22. Web.
Tomlinson J. 1999, ‘Cultural Globalization: Placing and Displacing the West’ in H. Mackay and T. O’Sullivan (eds), The Media Reader: Continuity and Transformation, Sage, London, PP.167-172.
World Public Opinion Organization, 2008, Globalization, Web.