POL 607 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Virtual Community, Global Politics, Digital Divide

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Politics and Public Administration
• Course: POL 607
• Professor: Robert Marshall

Document Summary

The inventions of improved tools, better ships, more effective weapons, and sophisticated machines have been instrumental in shrinking space, making connections, and generally moving history along. Technological change has always been a necessary but not sufficient cause of globalization. Technology has provided the means but the main motives for forward momentum as have been trade, religions, adventure and war. The printing press revolutionize the diffusion of information and helped to undermine elite control of politics and religion. The ict changed and enabled the globalization of business and professional services. Recognition of globalization of production and demand came with the information and technology agreement in 1997. 40 countries accounting for more than 90% of trade agreed to eliminate all tariffs on sic categories of key products related to ict. Powerful computers and microchips have now created the cyberspace, virtual communities etc. This means that communities who have access to this kind of technology can talk instantaneously.