“They couldn’t quite describe what was happening, but by 2000 they sensed that they were in touch with people they’d never been in touch before, were being challenged by people who had never challenged them before, were competing with people who they had never competed before, were collaborating with people whom they had never collaborated before, and were doing things as individuals they had never dreamt of doing before. What they were feeling was the flattening of the world.”

Excerpt from The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

The author’s statement sums up what many of us have been experiencing but can’t best describe. Though we know globalisation has spreaded and is spreading rapidly, but we do not really know the full extent of its affects especially us, being consumers (lowest of the food chain order).

I believe most of us do not realise that we have shifted from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Or for that matter understand what being in this Information Age means for many of us.

In this Information Age, the playing field has been levelled as information is freely available and accessible. No longer it is just the top people who knows and can decide, but even the lower end. The Information Age has challenged hierachies from below to transform themselves from top-down structures into more horizontal and collaborative ones.

As the author explains, “The genesis of the flat world platform now enables more people to author more content, and to collaborate on that content. It also enables us to upload files and globalise that content- individually or as part of self-reforming communities- without going thru any of the traditional hierarchial organisation/institutions” 

And adding further, he explains that , “we now have access/power to upload/ send out products/ ideas for free rather.”

Personally as a blogger, I have to agree completely =p

The questions that beg to be answered by us:

• What are we doing about it? Are we just ignorant or resistant to change?
• Are we utilising it in the right manner? Or just using it for pleasure and indulgence?
• As Christians, how are we leveraging on it to extend His kingdom in reaching out and connecting others to Him? We can influence many through a global marketplace or cyber communities.