Has McLuhan’s ideal of a ‘global village’ become a reality?

Mcluhan’s Global Village: Becomes Reality or Not?

In today’s reality, technology has been crucial in everyone’s daily lives. The society is
interconnected by the influence of electronic technology. And it has been a great help for the
communication with another person on the other side of the world. The ideal of Marshall
McLuhan, a communication theorist, of “global village” is that due to the constant use of
technology, the ability to communicate with another is continuously progressing, the culture
shows expansion. It makes everyone’s afraid to live without it, as if it is already a part of one.
McLuhan’s concept was based on the idea that culture would move toward greater personal
interactions, after leaving behind earlier eras of humanity that focused on the spoken and
written word.

This theory can be considered as still relevant up to this days. McLuhan believed that the
world is constantly changing and time has been fast going. According to McLuhan, people
everywhere would be able to discover and experience the same impact of technology, he
compared the time as the electronic age. His research on technological developments and their
effect on human communication helped him to build his theories about the future and how
technologies such as the Internet will influence people and society as a whole. Today, the
internet is seen as a medium that connects people throughout the globe, allowing everyone to
communicate with individuals and groups of people in different places in just one click. Also, one
way to find out about what is currently going on throughout the world is by reading the news.
News articles shares and brings information to one another, and was also broadcasted not only
on television but on different social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook live
streams.

The Internet provides more information to people but makes it difficult to determine its
reliability. News has been constantly spreading throughout different platforms that leads to
different side of the story, opinions and stand about the issue. Imagine the vast spectrum of
stand from different people does have an effect on the communication. It was stated on his
theory, that the cultures of the world to become a global village where cultural globalization will
lead to economic opportunities to both fortunate and less fortunate countries, is disputable.
People are afraid from the rise of conflicts between cultures, or may lead to cultural domination.
The cultural globalization may have a negative impact on other culture around the world. It will
eventually control the standards of the rest of the world.

McLuhan’s theory are still relevant as it becomes the reality of the people living in the 21st
century. People rely on the capability of the electronic technology in the emergence of the
Internet. It is evident that people are now surrounded by it as it is not anticipated. Its underlying
and continuous progression will be an indication of a more pervasive one. The future
generations will be highly dependent on electronic technology. However, it comes with a greater
responsibility for everyone. One should always be responsible in using the technology as one’s
mistake or wrongdoings will lead to a universal effect.