Globalization

The increasing trend towards globalization in today's society is changing forms of communication, and in turn relationships. Since media has proliferated into so many mediums, communication is now instantaneous and can occur in variety of ways such as over the phone, through e-mail, on aim, on Facebook, on Skype, or on other various social networking sites. Consequently, physical distance is being trivialized since individuals communicate in the same way with their neighbors as with people scattered throughout the world. Media in my opinion is bringing people closer together by facilitating communication, since people can easily maintain difficult long distance relationships in a variety of ways. From what I have glimpsed at college and from my friend's experiences, there are more long distance relationships from high school still carrying on strongly in college. This is probably due to the fact that couples can communicate a lot easier and as often as they want, in contrast to the past where it was only possible through "snail mail." I attached an interesting article here that explores how college students maintain their long distance relationships primarily through new media such as phones or aim. This article also delves into how these new technologies add to the increasing number of successful number of long distance relationships, which I discussed briefly.
This dependence on new media for communication is central to many Americans as it assists them in their time crunch. Telephones, e-mail, and various other mediums compress time which is very helpful for the all too busy average American. Time is of the essence, and something we always have too little of, so the extra minutes we save daily in these forms of communication add up to days in the long run.
Another major component of globalization is that media is becoming more accessible to people worldwide. Since vast networks of communication have been established, mainly through the Internet, certain ideas, images, and sounds are transmitted to cultures across the world. The Web has been equated with more interconnectedess worldwide as humans across the world can go online and access the latest music, comment on any issues that they care about with people they would never have met in real life. No longer do people live isolated in their homes as new media today connects them to the entire world, a world of nearly unlimited options. Consequently, aspects of culture are easily being traded and incorporated in other various cultures, creating new unique forms of music, different types of consumerism, and so forth. As you can see in this picture many negatives are associated in terms of Western ideals (and restaurants) springing up in very historical places such as Rome, because they are so popular and in such high demand.
Overall globalization is playing a significant role in today's world. Relationships can occur over the Web without even having met the other person, and all in all with the enhancement and ease of communication, relationships are becoming a lot easier to maintain. Additionally, media by breaking down physical distance connects us to remote places of the world, which is very exciting. However, we will have to see in the upcoming years whether globalization is as positive a trend as we believe.