1&2 Replys

Reply to 2 post, choose one of their examples and extend the discussion of interdisciplinarity beyond what is in their posting. Make use of the course material for this week by bringing in elements that resonate with you. – The post are about - What are some examples of globalization? Choose one of your examples that interests you the most. How does interdisciplinarity work in regard to this example.

Post 1 - I was made in Belgium, Western Europe. My girlfriend is half Chinese, half Indonesian. I am employed by a US company, which relocated me from Paris, France to Denver, Colorado. I have worked in Munich, Germany, in Brussels, Belgium, and even in Hong Kong. My girlfriend’s car is Japanese and my car was assembled in Mexico. The shirt I wear today carries the tag “Made in Vietnam”, and I’m typing this post on a keyboard probably made in Taiwan. Later this afternoon, I will have a phone conference with a team in Sydney, Australia. Then, I will head home, which is in a suburb of Denver that virtually none of my very geography-aware compatriots would be able to put on a map. By comparison, my grand-parents on my father’s side used to live on a farm where I would have struggled finding anything non-Belgian. The number of people who live like me is increasing whereas there are less and less people living like my grand-parents. Every day, the world feels a little bit more like a “global village”.

I work in the payments industry, and thus an area of particular interest to me is the globalization of payment methods. When I was a teenager, I didn’t know what a credit card was. Every payment was made in cash. When I was in Belgium, I would pay for groceries in Belgian Francs. If I crossed the border to Germany, I had to pay the restaurant check with German Marks. But more and more, payments are made with plastic cards (or even Apple Pay or Bitcoin these days). The trend away from cash and toward plastic cards and other digital means of payment started here in the US, but it is spreading rapidly to other countries. This trend is not just related to the field of economics. Psychology is involved because the shift from cash to electronic payments requires changes in the way people think about what they can afford, among other things. Technology is involved because, for instance, credit card payments require technological platforms that weren’t available decades ago. Some other disciplines, like history, might be involved as well. Thus, looking into the evolution of electronic payments requires an interdisciplinary approach, as does the search for solutions to potential problems this trend has created.

Post 2 - The assigned materials and concepts for the course Global Society center on the topic of Globalization. This term is best defined as the principle of businesses or organizations operating at an international level (BusinessDictionary.com Staff, n.d.). McDonalds is perhaps one of most visible entities to function globally. Over time it evolved from a staple of Americana to a dominant leader in the fast food industry while transcending race, culture and societal norms. The company's revolutionary practices such as the Speedee Service System that perfects food preparation are now commonly referred to as Mcdonaldization principles  (Ritzer, 2014, p. 1).

 There are many examples of globalization in everyday life and each have managed to become essential to the modern world. The phenomenon of social media centers around connecting people together from all walks of life. It was founded in the early years of the internet and first featured in online chat rooms. Today, the most successful business that functions within social media is Facebook. The company has an estimated 2.5 billion users, this is in spite many of these users residing in underdeveloped countries that lack common byproducts of current civilization such as roads and formal government institutions (HALE, 2015).

 Humanitarianism is another area where globalization is prevalent as it concerns the support and awareness of human interests. There are countless organizations devoted to humanitarian efforts which are mostly non-profits. Many for-profit business entities also have divisions within their internal structure dedicated to funding various charities and fundraising projects. One of the most well-known organizations involved with humanitarianism is The Red Cross, it regularly assists with relief efforts stemming from disasters and crises (Kiesel, 2013). There are hundreds of Red Cross chapters stationed all over the world to dispatch aid to those who need blood transfusions, food and funds (Kiesel, 2013).

 Social Media especially is powerful within globalism because it can span across multiple fields. These fields include politics which was most apparent during the 2016 Presidential Election, social movements like the twitter hashtag YES ALL WOMEN that was created in response to the 2015 San Bernardino Shootings and other current events such as the 2017 Manchester Bombings (Patel, n.d.). Each of these events were chronicled on social media with people across the world providing commentary and support. The ability of social media to be interdisciplinary, helps to maintain its relevance for future generations.

References

BusinessDictionary.com Staff. (n.d.). Globalization. Retrieved from BusinessDictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/globalization.html

HALE, B. (2015, 16 June ). The History of Social Media: Social Networking Evolution! Retrieved from History Cooperative : http://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-social-media/

Kiesel, H. (2013, February 17). Red Cross' 150 years of helping between fronts. Retrieved from DW: http://www.dw.com/en/red-cross-150-years-of-helping-between-fronts/a-16597140

Patel, N. (n.d.). Which Social Media Accounts Really Matter and Why. Retrieved from Kissmetrics Blog: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/which-social-accounts-matter/

Ritzer, G. (2014). The Mcdonaldization of Society: 8th Edition . Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications .

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