Date : 3 April 2007
How the Internet diffuses tensions and promotes glocalization.
The Internet started in the 1960s. However with creation and explosive proliferation of the world wide web which made it easier to use in 1992 made it popular.
The Internet allowed two main things in the media of the world for the people. One it allowed people to gain a glocal (that is not a spelling mistake) viewpoint. Two it allowed Internet and computer literate people to publish their viewpoint on the web. Local viewpoint means the viewpoint contained in the local news papers which are more easily accessible to the majority. The local viewpoint is usually restricted to the people of your country or city. Global viewpoint means what most of the world thinks in general about a topic. Glocal is related to glocalization which is a term which means the viewpoint of the people sitting halfway around the world and what they think about your local news.
Looking up glocalization in google we get :
• the interaction between the particular character of places or regions and the more general processes of change represented by globalization. media.pearsoncmg.com/intl/ema/uk/0131217666/student/0131217666_glo.html
• Glocalization, a neologism and contraction of globalization and localization, entails one or both of the following:*The creation of products or services intended for the global market, but customized to suit the local culture.*Using electronic communications technologies, such as the Internet, to provide local services on a global (or potentially global) basis. Craigslist and Meetup are examples of web applications that have glocalized their approach.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glocalization Now for an example : I am sitting in Karachi. I get a local newspaper. Inside the news paper I would get viewpoints like comparisons of Pakistan with India on some aspect. This is an example of a local view point. People in the rest of the world (other than in India and Pakistan) might have the viewpoint that people in these two countries may kill each other if they meet because they might get the global viewpoint. To get the glocal viewpoint you could look at each side and see that they prefer to watch each other's television programs and are able to relate with each other better. When the Internet got popular in the mid 1990s the there were many chat rooms and some people on used to give negative remarks about the other side. After more than a decade of the Internet, I believe that the tensions that were created by the partition have reduced significantly and people are more understanding of other viewpoints. I believe that the creation of computers which can translate spoken human languages from one to another and access to the majority of the world population to such technology shall allow people to communicate their thoughts. This shall allow people to get the message contained in the Phil Collins song : “The other side of the story”
Then the chances of 'lines being drawn” and then ultimately being “united in defeat” shall be reduced significantly. In the years 2000-2020 it is important to understand the concept of glocalization to be able to do business successfully. Example of a global business product : Proctor and Gambles, Pringles Chips : They are the same all over the world. Example of a glocal business : McDonalds in India : Veggie burger. McDonalds in Singapore : Sticker on the entrance mentions “Halal”. Malaysian customer influence. In the 20th century Singapore McDonalds did have pork burgers. KFC and Pizzahut : Mentions Halal in Karachi. KFC has a spicy version with red chili powder to suit the tastes of Pakistan. To be able to sell a product it is not enough to just start exporting globally. It is important to understand apprehensions, of the people in the target city. That is what glocalization is all about. The proliferation of the Internet makes it very easy to understand the viewpoints and then plan your products accordingly. One size does not fit all.