GLOBALIZATION THROUGH COMMUNICATION

ABSTRACT
The importance and role of communication are over-riding and all pervading in business as well as in all human endevours. Communication is so constant and widespread that one cannot escape its influence. Without it people would be isolated and unable to give and receive ideas. Civilization itself would be impossible. However, the breakthroughs in communication in the past decades and in our 21st century have spurred increases in cross-border trade, investment and migration so large that many observers believe and we now claim we live in “one world” the globe world. Globalization is the process by which people in the world are unified into a single society and function together. This paper tried to show how communication platforms have spawned a new age of connectivity in culture, society, economy, social life, technology, and politics in relationship of millions of people in the globe.
INTRODUCTION
When in the 1960s the pioneering media thinker, Marshall Mclulan coined the term “the global village”, he had in mind the impact of electronic media on the society. Today the notion or phenomenon called globalization has become a highly controversial one in political and social discourse; there are many perspectives as there are groups with conviction on the concept. In general, globalization refers to the trend towards countries coming together economically, through education, society and politics, and viewing themselves not only through their national identity but also as part of the world as a whole.
Lubbers and Koorevaar (1999:2) provide one of the most useful definition of globalization.
Globalization in their definition is a process in which geographic distance becomes a factor of diminishing importance in the establishment and maintenance of cross-border economic, political and socio-cultural relations. This process reaches such intensity that relations change fundamentally, and people become aware of the change. The potential internationalization of relations and dependences create opportunities, but also cause fear, resistance, actions and reactions.
Arguments for globalization include the following:
• It is reducing poverty worldwide
• It is allowing access to technology in developing countries
• It promotes world peace
• It has benefited women and children’s rights
• It raises life expectancy.
The term globalization or global village can be traced to McLuhan (1965); and it emanates from his message that the medium is the message. This view can be applied to aspects of the new media such as the internet and the world wide web. Globalization is a highly controversial term and its definitions are influenced by different perspectives: social, cultural, political and economic. In commenting on the role of globalization, Soola (2002 17-18) presents a political and socio-economic view in:
Globalization marks the historic watershed in the west’s attempt to consolidate the gains of colonialism and its drive for expanded spheres of influence. Ostensibly designed to actualize the dream of the global village..it has… become a weapon of subordination, dependency and marginalization…. It serves to further accentuate the socio-economic and technological divide between these bipolar economic regions of the world, the south being the worse off.
Aborisade (2005: 3) claims that, “the history of globalization is the history of economic trade and economic expansion facilitated by technology”. This has resulted in economic relations and activities influencing technology. The notion of globalization was built on the concept of a global village that reflects a world that is interconnected and interdependent and its agents are information, the new technologies and economic neo-liberalism.
A major disadvantage of globalization is that it does not promote development in the sense that it leaves other parts of the world economically, socially, culturally and technologically dependent on other privileged parts of the world. In spite of the immense opportunities that the new media present, they also carry great risks: the globalization of the world economy/trade and the uneven international news flow pattern will lead to developing nations lagging even far behind in economic growth and development.
UNIVERSAL METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
Jayaweera (1991: 17) defines communication as “an interaction process through which persons or groups relate to each other and share information, experience and culture”. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000) defines communication as the activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or giving people information. The definition points to the fact that communication involves sharing or exchange of a number of things. It includes sharing information, ideas and feelings between people or among nations. Communication is a two process. When you communicate, you perceive the other persons responses and react with your own thoughts and feelings. This is only by paying attentions to the person that you have an idea about what to say or do next. So it is through communication that collaboration and co-operation occur.
There are many methods in which communication can be transmitted universally. Some of these methods include the following.
Printed material
A great deal of our post consist of printed documents in the form of brochures, magazines, and newsletters, many of which originate from outside, although this format is also common for cooperate communication. Depending on the production values and the number of colors, printed materials can be expensive to produce and replicate, except at high volumes
Fax
This uses public telephone system as a way of delivering paper documents from one place to another, especially in a situation where a hard copy original is not essential.
E – MAIL
This has become the primary means of delivering short text messages within organizations that are networked. As e –mail between organizations become more common, the medium will increasingly take the place of fax, particularly as whole document can be sent as e-mail attachment. E-mail provides many cost advantages when compared with the use of paper or the telephone.


Letters / Reports
In spite of the increase in electronic communication, we all seem to receive our fair share of message on paper. This may be if there is no e-mail link between the parties because a hard copy is required to meet audit or legal requirement or perhaps the recipient prefers to read from paper than screen.
Phone
It is universal and with the advent of voice mail and mobile phones is now possible to reach people practically anytime, anywhere. Conferencing facilities also make it possible for meeting of three or more people to take place remotely.
Radio / TV
Both are universal forms of mass media which rely on electric power to get their messages to the audience.
GLOBALIZATION THROUGH COMMUNICATION
Rapid improvements in information technology have allowed us to exchange information and communicate almost everywhere, anywhere and anytime. The nature of business and how it is done globally have also improved tremendously through communication.
Through communication we observe the following trends in globalization:
Increase in international trade at a faster rate than the growth in the world economy.
Increase in international flow of capital including foreign direct investment.
Increase in world production output and consumption.
Greater trans – border data flow, using such technologies as the internet, communication satellites and telephones.
Development of global telecommunications infrastructure.
Greater immigration, including illegal immigration and others.
Another remarkable effect of communication on globalization is in the use of telephone and television. Telephone has made it possible for young people and adults around the globe to share cultural and ethnic experiences with each other. The television has also allowed generations of people to see how other people live, think and feel in other parts of the globe. In full color, we can now “meet” new people and cultures without even having to take a single step outside our home. With just the use of remote, right in comfort of our homes, we can explore different worlds that we know without the visual and sounds transmitted through our TV. Telephones have also improved communication. Gone are the weeks and even months of waiting for letters. Anybody can talk to anyone who has another phone regardless of the distance or location in the planet. With the aid of satellites, 3rd generation phones allow us to make a phone call, send video, or even receive an e-mail. Because of these developments in the field of communications technology, no two countries are really apart. So these breakthrough in communication have revolutioned business, commerce, and even the personal lives and relationship of millions of people.
The mass marketing of computers and the wide availability of internet services have brought many parts of the world together, as if we were woven on a single pattern or web of daily life. Countries today do not just export raw materials or the usual projects. Global exchange is now taking place as the market of ideas, culture, and beliefs expand through the use of technology.
Because of the electronic media, vast amount of important information can reach any part of the world in no time. Business establishments, whether big or small are using the internet in many ways to build or expand their company’s growth. With the ever improving technology comes new markets, high demand for products and also greater competition. Making investments in information and communications technology is now a must for any business enterprise.
Another form of improved technology is the fusion of the internet and the fax machine, giving birth to internet faxing. Internet faxing is faster and more economical than traditional faxing. It is a general term which refers to the convenient use of faxing technology over the internet. It is a method of using e-mail or a particular website like FREEIFAX that offers internet faxing services. FREEIFAX has combined the speed and efficiency of e-mails and the low cost sending or broadcasting documents. Through e-mails, the faxes are sent faster and frees the subscriber from the time consuming task of making several phone calls to check if the transmitted document actually got through. This kind of service enables business companies to save time and money. Additionally FREEIFAX internet does not require the purchase of another additional configuration or phone lines. All that is needed is a computer with an internet connection and e-mail account.
To avail one of this internet service, all one has to do is to visit the FREEIFAX site and signup. By signing up, consumers are allowed to gain access to incoming and outgoing fax messages. These messages are accessible in most of the world where there is internet connection.
FREEIFAX is one of the internet faxing companies preferred by many individuals around the world. It boasts of thousands of satisfied users around the world. Again many economists claim that internet has created advantages for small and medium sized businesses around the world. This advantage can be utilized while avoiding many business obstacles by using internet faxing properly.
In our world, there are many places that we can’t get within a day’s travel, but some people can reach such places via telephone or internet. Because of these modern modes of traveling and communication, citizens of a nation are more conscious of the world at large and may be influenced by other cultures in a variety of ways. Time and space matter less, and even language barriers are being overcome as people all over the world communicate through social internet forums’, various media sources and a variety of other forms of communication.

IMPACT OF COMMUNICATION ON GLOBALIZATION
We have attempted in this paper to examine the concepts of globalization and communication. It is obvious that communication has both positive and negative impact on globalization. Some of the positive impacts have so affected the globe today in the following ways:
Communication facilitates information among generation of people and promotes economic developments of nations.
Communication promotes world peace. Nations today experience relative peace among themselves; this is as a result of peaceful coexistence, deliberations resulting from communication with one another.
The interactions that exist among countries of the world through communication has made these countries to be socialized and recognized.
There will be no successful transaction of business amongst countries involved in world trade if there is break-down in communication. So effective communication promotes world trade.
Communication promotes exchange of ideas and technology. Communication between two or among nations bring the countries in contact with one another’s culture, thereby creating the opportunity for exchanging forms of technology and other ideas.
Some of the negative impacts of communication on globalization are as follows:
Communication among the nations today has contributed to wide spread of corrupt practices among nations.
Improper communications on politics, economics and even language barrier can cause misunderstanding among nations which can create havoc and enemity among the nations
Improper deliberations and breakdown in communication among nations could result to war among nations.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This paper considered the role of communication in the globalization trend. The study looked at the universal methods of communication which includes printed materials, fax, e-mail, phone, radio, TV, video conferencing, internet forum, and other varieties of communication. The paper tried to establish the fact that citizens of our great nations are more conscious of the world at large through the use of the modern modes of communication.
Time and space matter less and even language barriers are being overcome as people all over the world communicate using different mode of communication. Furthermore, that the breakthrough in communication in the past decades and in our 21st century have spurred increases in the share of economic activities taking place across national boundaries otherwise called globalization. This globalization also goes beyond just the international trade in goods and services, it includes the way those goods and services are produced, the delivery and sales of services, and the movement of capital.
Finally the effects of globalization through communication are well established.
The impact of communication on globalization has both positive and negative effects. The breakthroughs in communication have revolutionized business, commerce, and even the personal lives and relationships of millions of people in the globe.
In conclusion therefore, the challenges of globalization necessitate that countries develop their information and communication infrastructure and create an enabling environment for information and knowledge sharing. To this effect, the paper recommends that African countries and other nations of the globe create opportunities to embark on nation-wide awareness programmes on modern information development issues and take concrete measures that would facilitate their digital inclusion.
 
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