Globalization

Globalization is the integration of different economies, societies and cultures through communication, transportation and trade. Basically it is the process of the world becoming a global village where everyone is accessible no matter where you live. When people talk about globalization, they mostly mean economic globalization, which turns national economies into international economies through things like trade, investment, the spread of technology and the presence of military. This doesn't mean that is all there is to globalization, however, since this process is driven by a number of factors, including economic, cultural, political and biological factors. Globalization also includes the global circulation of ideas, languages and even pop culture. As technology increases, so does globalization. The correlation is huge due to social networking sites, the instantaneous nature of webcams and television boradcasting, as well as the technological advances made in travel. The effects on the world have been profound, and they continue to shape who we are as a society. There is much wider availability of a lot of foreign products for consumers as well as companies, which is a big industrial impact. This has aided international trade. Immigration, travel, and tourism have also increased. Culturally, globalization is huge. Multi-culturalism has made its way into the mainstream, because everyone has access to the same things online and through the media. This has allowed the world to enjoy foreign goods and ideas, acquire new technologies and ways of life, and ultimately participate in a world culture. While these are all good things, countries need to make sure they are preserving some of their own unique culture, and a sense of individualism. If this isn't preserved, the world will be extremely homogeneous and while travel will be extremely easy, people won't want to travel abroad if every place they visit is exactly like their homeland.