We explain what social globalization is, its characteristics and its impact on society. Also, its advantages, disadvantages and effects.
What is social globalization?
Social globalization is the interconnection of people and the exchange of information, ideas and customs on a global scale. It is based on the speed and expansion of communications, which overcome geographical barriers thanks to the use of the Internet and mobile telephony. It also responds to people's greater access to services such as international transportation.
On the other hand, social globalization It is part of the more general phenomenon of globalization, a process of global integration that gained momentum from the end of the 20th century with the global expansion of free trade after the end of the Cold War and the development of information and communication technologies (ICT). It is mainly an economic and technological phenomenon, but it also impacts politics, culture and society.
Some characteristics of social globalization are long-distance relationships through social networks, migratory movements, new forms of work and international pressure on problems of global interest, such as human rights or environmental protection.
See also: Types of globalization
Characteristics of social globalization
Social globalization can be characterized as follows:
- It is a process of interconnection between people worldwide which is part of the broader process of globalization, in its economic, political, technological and cultural aspects.
- It is driven by information and communication technologies such as the Internet and social networks, which allow contact between people separated by great distances, belonging to various countries and cultures, and improve the quality of life of many by expanding access to goods and services.
- It implies an increase in migratory movements favored by the lowering of transportation costs and the extension of communications, which intensifies international tourism and the flow of people seeking to study or find work in other countries.
- Enables the dissemination of ideas and the creation of international social movements who pressure to assert rights and freedoms or organize to defend certain causes of global interest, such as human rights, environmental justice or the fight against inequality.
- It involves the creation of new job categories as workers from various parts of the world connect with their clients, employers or co-workers through social networks, online collaborative work platforms, e-commerce and mobile telephony tools. Among the new categories are “digital nomads,” who do not have a fixed workplace and sometimes travel while working.
- Combines the trend towards greater global connection and solidarity with a certain isolation of people at the local level due both to social relations through virtual means and to the frequent transfers and removals of the population and the deterioration of neighborhood or community relations, at least in large cities.
See also: Characteristics of globalization
Impact of globalization on society
Globalization has a strong impact on different areas of society.
In social relationships
Social globalization helps keep people connected beyond geographical barriers, mainly thanks to the Internet and social networks, and, in many cases, due to lower transportation costs.
Furthermore, it influences daily practices, since new technologies establish new habits (such as the almost constant use of cell phones) and encourage the exchange of ideas and values between countries and cultures.
In consumer habits
One of the main impacts of globalization on society has to do with the consumption of goods and services. Globalization increases people's access to goods and services from different countries thanks to electronic commerce (e-commerce) and virtual wallets, which sometimes means an improvement in the standard of living.
It also favors the opening of international brand stores in the world's large cities, which contributes to a certain homogenization of tastes, consumption and fashion.
At work
Social globalization transforms work through practices such as:
- Productive relocation, that is, the installation of factories in less developed countries to pay lower wages.
- The emergence of “digital nomads”, that is, people who work remotely with their computers or cell phones and who do not have a physical work space.
- The expansion of labor competition worldwide, a product of digital jobs and labor migrations.
New forms of income generation have also appeared through the monetization of content on social networks.
In politics
Globalization impacts politics through social movements that demand rights, freedoms or other causes. This is because there is greater international pressure to respect certain rights and causes of global reach arise, such as the defense of the environment, freedom of expression, human rights, women's rights and the opposition of some groups to globalization.
On the other hand, protests also appear on specific issues in some countries that are made visible worldwide through social networks, such as the disapproval of the attack against the headquarters of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015 (under the slogan “Je suis Charlie”) or the demand for justice for cases of abuse and violence against women that took the form of global or regional slogans such as the “Me Too” movement that emerged in the United States or the slogan “Not One Less” born in Argentina.
Advantages of social globalization
The main advantages of social globalization are the following:
- Allows people from different countries around the world to connect with each other through the Internet, social networks, mobile phones and international flights, which facilitates the creation and maintenance of emotional, work, educational, cultural and political ties.
- Facilitates access to information and the exchange of ideas and values beyond national borders, and the knowledge of different social and political experiences that contribute to generalizing the claim for rights and promoting social inclusion and understanding between cultures.
- Increases the quality of life of many people who have greater access to goods and services from different parts of the world, to habits previously reserved for a few people (such as international tourism), to a greater educational offer (both online and in person) and to new job opportunities (through migration to other countries in search of better jobs and salaries or through remote work).
- Increases international attention on rights and freedoms such as human rights, women's rights or democratic practices, since the free circulation of information through networks and other digital media helps to disseminate reprehensible facts and allows people, social groups and international organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) or various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), put pressure on governments.
Disadvantages of social globalization
The main disadvantages of social globalization are the following:
- Generates situations of job insecurity and social vulnerability since the frequent moves of subsidiaries of multinational companies can cause labor instability. Furthermore, new forms of remote employment and online platforms may be outside labor legislation, and migratory movements often give rise to irregular migrations accompanied by precarious living and working conditions.
- Provokes the reaction of nationalist movements and xenophobic attitudes of people who oppose immigration, which sometimes leads to extremes such as discrimination or violence against immigrants.
- Affects the environment since the constant transfers of people and goods in means of transport such as airplanes increase the emission of gases that pollute the atmosphere.
- Facilitates the spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19, which became a pandemic due to its rapid spread throughout the world, as a result of international travel and global human interaction.
- Promotes a certain homogenization of consumption habits which reduces the diversity of traditions and cultural interests and causes a relative standardization of tastes and fashions on a global level.
See also: Advantages and disadvantages of globalization
Effects of social globalization
Social globalization has a series of positive and negative effects.
| Positive effects | Negative effects | |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | It allows a greater number of people to access goods and services from around the world and increase their quality of life. | It maintains inequality between people and countries according to their level of access to connectivity and technology. |
| Policy | Raises international awareness of global issues such as poverty, climate change and human rights. | It causes the radicalization of nationalist political movements and the emergence of xenophobic attitudes against immigrants, which sometimes lead to situations of violence. |
| Society | It allows relationships between people to be extended beyond geographical barriers, which contributes to new forms of sociability, work and studies. | It generates a certain isolation and sectarianism as a result of virtual relationships. In addition, it facilitates the operation of certain forms of crime on a global scale, such as drug trafficking networks. |
See also: Causes and consequences of globalization
Examples of social globalization
Some examples of social globalization are the following:
- Migratory movements. Many people travel to other countries in search of better job opportunities or study possibilities. Added to this are migrations for political and humanitarian reasons, such as those of people who come from countries at war (such as Syria or Ukraine) or from places hit by economic crises and political persecution (such as Venezuela).
- Social relationships at a distance. Social networks (such as Facebook or X, ex-Twitter) and mobile telephony allow people from any country in the world to contact in real time with others who live thousands of kilometers away. This helps maintain ties between family and friends and create new relationships. Social networks also make it possible to promote goods and services, in addition to the supply and demand of work (as in the case of LinkedIn).
- Student exchanges and international scholarships. Globalization streamlines relationships between educational institutions and increases agreements between government agencies and universities from different countries. In this way, student exchange programs and scholarships for study and research abroad, such as Erasmus+, Fulbright and Fundación Carolina, are common.
- Educational and cultural content online. The Internet and social networks expanded access to educational and cultural content, including the offer of online courses and careers. Many of these courses and careers are taught by public or private university institutions and have official qualifications. In other cases, they are taught as massive open online courses (MOOCs). Some examples are those offered by various universities through the Coursera and edX platforms.
- Global demands for rights. People exchange information and lobby governments on issues of regional or global interest through social media and other media. For example, the video of the murder of George Floyd during a police arrest in Minneapolis (United States) in 2020 was spread on social networks and sparked a wave of digital protests around the world with slogans such as “Justice for George Floyd” and “ “Black Lives Matter.” This is in addition to the activity of international governmental and non-governmental institutions. For example, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS) and some NGOs such as Amnesty International prepare and disseminate reports in cases of alleged human rights violations.
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References
- Bauman, Z. (2001). Globalization. Human consequences. Economic Culture Fund.
- Hashemi-Pour, C and Lutkevich, B. (2023). Globalization. TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/
- Lechner, F.J. (2009). Globalization. The Making of World Society. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Osterhammel, J and Petersson, N. (2019). Brief history of globalization. From 1500 to the present day. 21st century.
- Steger, M. B. (2020). Globalization. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
