Actually, what is meant by Globalization? In general, the notion of globalization is the process of international integration that occurs because of the exchange of world views, thoughts, products, and various other cultural aspects.
Etymologically, the word globalization is taken from English, namely globalize which means universal or comprehensive. The addition of the affix “ization” in the word Globalization means a global process. So that the meaning of globalization is a global process of something (information, thinking, lifestyle, and technology).
The globalization process is influenced by many factors, including; internet technology, telecommunications and transportation infrastructure, student exchange, and others. In general, globalization is associated with comprehensive changes in the economic, industrial, lifestyle, and other aspects of life.
Also read: Understanding Modernization
Understanding Globalization According to Experts
In order to better understand what globalization means , we can refer to the opinions of the following experts:
- Anthony Giddens
According to Anthony Giddens, the meaning of globalization is the intensification of social relations globally so that it connects events in one location to another and causes changes in both.
- Laurence E. Rothernberg
According to Laurence E. Rothernberg, the notion of globalization is the acceleration of the intensification of interaction and integration between people, companies and governments from different countries.
- Emanuel Ritcher
According to Emanuel Ritcher, the meaning of globalization is a global network that unites people together that were previously scattered to become isolated into world interdependence and unity.
- Martin Albrow
According to Martin Albrow, the notion of globalization is the whole process of a population that is connected to a single world community, a global community.
- Malcom Waters
According to Malcom Waters, the notion of globalization is a social process that results in less important geographical restrictions on socio-cultural conditions, which are manifested in human consciousness.
- Dr. Nayef RF Al-Rodhan
According to Dr. Nayef RF Al-Rodhan, the notion of globalization is a process that includes the causes, cases and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities.
- Selo Soemardjan
According to Selo Soemardjan, the notion of globalization is a process of forming an organizational and communication system between communities around the world to follow certain systems and certain rules.
- Achmad Suparman
According to Achmad Suparman, the notion of globalization is a process that makes things or behavior a characteristic of every individual in the world without being limited by areas.
Also read: Positive and Negative Impacts of Globalization
Globalization Theory
Understanding globalization and its theory
Several experts explain their theory about the occurrence of globalization. Among the famous figures who put forward the theory of globalization are Cochrane and Pain who stated that globalization is influenced by three main actors, namely;
- Globalists, namely those who believe that globalization is a reality that has real consequences for how people and institutions around the world work.
- Traditionalists, namely those who do not believe that globalization is happening and consider it a myth or something that is exaggerated.
- Transformalists, namely those who are in the midst of globalists and traditionalists. They believe that globalization is taking place, but consider the influence of globalization to be overstated by globalists.
In addition, an expert named George Ritzer also put forward his theory about globalization. According to George Ritzer, the era of globalization was marked by innovations in the field of communication. One example is the discovery of television and telephone which ultimately made the global community aware of this.
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Factors Causing Globalization
The factors causing globalization
The globalization process occurs due to several factors. Referring to the definition of globalization above, some of the factors that cause globalization are as follows:
- Development of Information Technology and Transportation
Information and transportation technology plays a major role in the globalization process in the world. Increasingly advanced technology makes buying and selling transactions between countries easier.
One example is the E-commerce business (read: the meaning of e-commerce ) where we can transact without having to come to the seller’s location.
- International Economic Cooperation
Economic cooperation between countries in the world is also a contributing factor to globalization. The ease of making international trade agreements has resulted in the globalization process occurring continuously.
- Ease of Delivery of Goods and Services
Communities between countries can send goods and services to one another. This ease of delivery of goods makes many foreign products enter the country and are adapted by the community.
For example, Korean fashion products are quite popular in Indonesian society. When Indonesian people use products from other countries, there is a process of assimilation or the amalgamation of cultures between countries.
- Conflict Between Countries Is Less
The increasing awareness of the world community of the importance of international relations results in reduced conflicts between countries. When countries engage in international relations, globalization occurs.
- Natural Resources Decrease
There are several natural resources that will definitely experience a reduction every year. For example, petroleum and precious metals.
This has made some countries invest in other countries to extract resources in that country. For example the Freeport gold mine in Papua, Indonesia, which is being dredged by other countries.
Also read: Understanding Society
Impact of Globalization
Understanding globalization and its impacts
Referring to the definition of globalization above, globalization can have a direct impact on the life of the people of a country universally . The impact of globalization can be positive but also negative.
- Positive Impact of Globalization
In brief, here are some of the positive impacts of globalization:
- Information technology is developing very rapidly
- Ease of getting personal needs and needs
- Ease of scientific development
- Information dissemination is faster and easier to obtain
- Increase the tolerant and cosmopolitanattitude of the world community
- Ease of communicating with other people around the world
- International relations between countries are getting better
- Ease of doing online transactions, both domestically and abroad
- Increased relations between countries in the economic sector
- Negative Impact of Globalization
In brief, the following are some of the negative impacts of globalization:
- The potential for crime is increasing because it mimics events in other countries
- The entry of ideas that are not in accordance with the state ideology that creates conflict in society
- People are more consumptive than productive and tend to lose their inner creativity because they imitate trends abroad
- The community is influenced by the culture of other countries that is not in accordance with the local culture so that the local culture is increasingly being eroded
- The emergence of various inaccurate information and even hoaxes that can cause unrest in the community
- Some people become more closed and narrow-minded because they don’t want to be exposed to globalization
- Some societies are becoming more individual and selfish
- There is less interest in the agricultural sector because the technology and information fields are considered more potential
- The emergence of social disparities in society because people are competing to enrich themselves and do not care about their surroundings
- The loss of people’s sense of nationalism because they often compare with other countries that are considered superior or better
From the explanation above, we can see that globalization can have a bad impact as well as a good impact on people in a country. To respond to globalization, we should prepare ourselves so that we can absorb the good things from globalization and fortify ourselves so that we can reject or minimize its bad effects.
