Globalism

Broadly defined, globalism means “networks of connections spanning multi-continental differences, drawing them close together
economically, socially, culturally and informationally” (Das 2011;18). Globalization in turn is generally conceived as the process promoting
and intensifying multi-continental interconnectedness, and thereby increasing the degree of globalism. The phenomenon of globalization
assumes progressively increasing globalism, which in turn, stands for an intensification of network of connections or multiplicity of
relationships among economies and countries.

Looking at the definition of economic globalism can increase our understanding of globalism. It is a constructive and creative
dimension of globalism and visualizes global economy as an integrated marketplace. In its most fundamental form, it implies that cross-
boarder flows of goods and services, factors of production, in particular, financial assets as well as diffusion of technology takes place in a
frictionless manner. Making political boundaries less significant, this process creates a single market in inputs and outputs and unifies
global commodity and factor markets. It crafts complex economic relations of mutual support and interdependence between global
economies. A network of micro and macro-economic linkages evolves and enlarges and in the process national economies integrate in a
global one. This is how economist perceive and comprehend globalism.
 Informationalism

By definition, informationalism is the “technological paradigm that constitutes the material basis of early twenty-first century societies”
(Castells, 2004;10). Over the last quarter of the twentieth century, it replaced and subsumed industrialism as the dominant technological
paradigm. Industrialism, associated with the industrial revolution, is a paradigm characterized by the systematic organization of technologies
based on the capacity to generate and distribute energy by human-made machines without depending on the natural environment although
they use natural resources as an input for the generation of energy. Because energy is a primary resource for all activities, by transforming
energy generation, and the ability to distribute energy to any location and to portable applications, humankind became able to increase its
power over nature, taking charge of the conditions of its own existence not necessarily a good thing, as the historical record of twentieth
century barbarian acts shows. Around this energy nucleus of the industrial revolution, clustered and converged technologies in various fields,
from chemical engineering and mettalurgy to transportation, telecommunications, and ultimately life sciences and their applications. It is the
technological arrangements in the network society, networks that determine the structure of society have had the ability to make decisions
and receive feedback in real time as carriers of globalization. Informationalism shows the importance of knowledge, information, and
communication in the globalized world when human labor is increasingly in volved in the production of immaterial goods.
 The Genesis of Network Society

At its source, there was the accidental coincidence, in the 1970’s, of three independent processes, whose
interaction constituted a new technological paradigm, informationalism, and the network society, inseparably
intertwined. These three processes were the crisis and restructuring of industrialism and its two associated modes of
production, capitalism, and statism, the freedom-oriented, cultural, social movements of the late 1960’s and early
1970’s, and the revolution in information and communication technologies.

The genesis of the network society was a mere accident in history; the coincidence in 1970’s, of three major
independent processes that took place around the world; the revolution of information technology; the cultural and
social movements of the 1960’s and 1070’s; and the crisis as well as the restructuring. The term network society was
coined by Jan Van Dijk in his 1991 Dutch book De Netwerkmaatschappij (The Network Society) and by Manuel Castells
in The Rise of Network Society (1996), the first part of his trilogy “The Information Age.”
 Technology, Economy, and Culture

The first remark refers to the independence of the origins of this technological revolution vis-à-vis the other two processes. The invention of the
microprocessor, the personal computer, the digital switch, the internet, or the DNA recombinant were not responses to business demands or to the needs
of capitalism. Military funding and sponsorship were essential, as technological superiority was seen appropriately as the mean to win the Cold War
without actual fighting between the superpowers. But even this dependence on the military was generic to the whole process of technological innovation,
not specific to some of the critical technologies that were developed. Miniaturization and advanced telecommunications were essential for a missile-based
warfare, and they were deliberately targeted by companies under defense contracts. But computer networking, through the internet was a byproduct of
computer scientists’ experimentation for their own scientific curiosity, as the internet did not have military applications until everybody started to use it in
the 1990’s.
Technology deeply affected the global economy because its usage has been linked to the transformation of the marketplace, improved the standard
of living, and more firmed international trade. Technological advances have significantly improved operations and lowered the cost of doing business.
Technology also affects the everyday life and has a strong influence in culture. It is incorporated in all aspects of culture including the government.
Technology shapes different cultures and differentiates one from another. It allows society to intermix culture or even eliminate bad cultures.