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Jevremovic Daniel
Dr. Scott Lankford
English 1A Honors
In the book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman writes about a “Flat World” that is interconnected, with information and ideas moving freely across the globe, between individuals. In my own life I utilize technology as a web developer, to communicate with clients all over the world, collaborate, and generate solutions for them. Friedman’s opinion that information technology will heighten global interaction and level the global economic playing field holds absolutely true in my own world. In both Friedman’s book, The World Is Flat and my own life, work and ideas flow freely—and in my case this free movement is crucial to the work that I do as a web developer.
In
The World Is Flat, Friedman tries to establish the argument that because
of technology, “It is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and
compete in real time with more other people on more different kinds of work
from more corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any
previous time in the history of the world” (Friedman 8). The technologies
involved in Friedman’s contention include computers, e-mail, fiber-optics,
teleconferencing, and new software. Unlike with the rise of previous
technologies, the adoption of information and internet-related technologies has
been extremely rapid. For instance, in roughly ten years the number of internet
users has risen from around 16 million to 1.093 billion, an increase from 0.4%
of global population to 16.4% (“Internet Growth Statistics”). The significance
of this growth is that over half of these internet users are in
Of course, there are some jobs that cannot be outsourced because they are too specialized or too localized. Unfortunately for me, web development can be done by anyone with the know-how, anywhere in the world. As Scott Kush, a former web-developer for Sun Microsystems told me, “Web-development is essentially just software development that is oriented towards applications that can be run or distributed on the World Wide Web.” Web-development is the programming behind web-applications and has nothing to do with web-design or graphics, and therefore is not an inherently creative industry—anybody can do it. As Friedman describes in his chapter “The Untouchables” it is only those who are creative and adapt that will be ensured jobs in the new global economy. In other words, to have longevity as a web-developer in Friedman’s world it is necessary not to just have technical knowledge, but to take that knowledge to the next level.
In order to be creative with web-programming I try to find more efficient solutions to deal with my clients’ requests and work faster with fewer errors while still innovating. Friedman describes a new type of worker called an ‘adapter’ or ‘versatilist’ and it is exactly this type of attitude that is crucial for me to succeed with web-development. Already, simple HTML as a basis for a website or web-application is completely outdated and old principles about web development no longer apply anymore (Morris). Since I work freelance and based on contract, all of the learning I do is based off of my own initiative, similar to Friedman’s example of Marcia Loughry, an employee at EDS who trained herself to advance up the ranks. Loughry states, “I concluded I was solely responsible to [keep learning] by myself, that the resources were available, and that it was just a matter of me taking the initiative” (Friedman 291). Friedman’s purpose of this interview with Loughry is to demonstrate how in the ‘Flat World’ individuals must be self-motivated and that information is everywhere if one has the desire to learn. I can recall countless nights paging through books about new types of code that I had not learned yet and sitting at my pc trying to integrate new techniques into my work. The importance of learning for me of course, was the same as for Loughry, the more I know, the more competitive and marketable I can be.
The
only reason I have to learn as a developer is to obtain skills that no one else
has, so that I will always have a role and a job to do. As a specific example,
I recently became familiar with a programming language that is becoming
increasingly popular called
The
benefit of becoming familiar with
Friedman describes what made my type of collaboration possible best in what he calls “The Triple Convergence.” Friedman describes the first part of the convergence as
a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform
enables individuals, groups, companies, and universities anywhere in the world to
collaborate—for the purposes of innovation, production, education, research, entertainment, and, alas war-making—like no creative platform ever before. This platform now operates without regard to geography, distance, time, and, in the near future, even language (205).
This aspect of the convergence is
perhaps the most crucial to my world because all of the work I do is dependant
on the existence of the World Wide Web and its utilization. Friedman presents the second component to
his convergence where he asserts that, “The big spurts in productivity come
when a new technology, or a new platform of technologies, is combined with new ways
of doing business, and this always takes time” (208). In other words, it was
when companies and professionals got comfortable with information technology
that it could change the global economy and how people collaborate. The final
part of the convergence was that the
With the open and free flow of information thanks to the aspects of “The Triple Convergence,” it is possible for me not to even have to deal with my age as an issue. The only thing that matters—thanks to the new global infrastructure—for a client hiring developers, is if they have the right knowledge. This is again similar to the case of Marcia Loughry, what matters for me in my profession to get ahead is not age, seniority, or structured qualifications, but real applicable knowledge and flexibility. With regard to the world today, Friedman puts it simply and states, “hierarchies are being challenged from below or are transforming themselves from top-down structures into more horizontal and collaborative ones” (48). Today people must “justify [their] job every day” so a lot of the fat from scrutinizing executives with no real skills is being increasingly trimmed away (277). This makes it possible for me at the age of seventeen to be able to compete, since there is less emphasis on seniority and rank than on actual ability. The emergence of the power to collaborate instantly around the globe means that people are increasingly less restricted from the global economy based on their location or societal status. Companies are merely searching for the best and most capable workers and are willing to look around the globe for them. In short, all of the new technologies associated with the internet’s boom have created a global employment environment that is more based on competency than ever before.
Friedman contends that barring a war or ecological catastrophe that the world will only become more globalized in the future. If this is true, then I and others should focus on obtaining the skills that will be the hardest to get and be the most in demand if we should expect to have any longevity in “The Flat World.” As Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web writes, in an issue of The Economist, “a number of technical innovations along with new social arrangements regarding data are advancing the world wide web towards what we call the Semantic Web” (130). Semantic Web is both a variety of technologies and a philosophy. The ultimate goal of Semantic Web is to better integrate data on the internet so that the tedium involved in finding, sharing, and combining information on the web is reduced. For instance, a computer can be given a specific set of complicated parameters to search for that would normally require a human to do multiple searches on a site like Google. The importance of this is that scientists are planning to further integrate data from around the world and this will mean that even more jobs can be either automated or moved to wherever they can be done for the least overhead. Since I am always competing for work globally, this change will not be new for me, but for others it may be a radical physical and psychological challenge. The best way for those who will face growing competition to adapt is to become Friedman’s “Untouchable” and always be acquiring unique—high demand—new skills.
Ultimately “The Flat World,” global interaction, and information technology will hurt some by taking their jobs away due to competition. However, when I look from my perspective, even where web-development is highly competitive in some cases, new technology will be creating opportunity for those that are motivated to learn. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, “Information technology (IT) and broadband are major drivers of economic change, restructuring businesses, affecting skills and employment, and contributing to growth and consumer benefits,” so those who can adapt with the technology will be able to exploit it to their advantage. The world today is interconnected, and if it becomes more-so as Friedman predicts, people will have to learn to “understand all the new tools now available to them for collaborating and competing” in the new global economy (Friedman 258). I have been fortunate enough to have already adapted to Friedman’s new connected world and grasped at least somewhat how to be successful in it. The technology and developments that Friedman describes in The World is Flat completely envelope my life—I have to use them everyday I work. Without events such as “The Triple Convergence,” my entire outlook would be radically different and everything about my work would not be possible. I am able to compete in “The Flat World” where twenty years ago, I would not have any serious opportunities available. In my own life, “The Flat World” is only a challenge when I cannot learn or adapt, but I know the best way to be prepared for when I truly enter the global economy is to be highly educated and highly skilled, but also an original and creative thinker. As long as I can maintain my flexible status, I will have a role and be successful in “The Flat World.”
Works Cited
Berners-Lee,
Tim. "Welcome to the Semantic Web." The Economist
Friedman,
Thomas L. The World is Flat. 1st ed.
"Internet
Growth Statistics." Internet World Stats.
Kush,
Scott. Personal interview.
Morris,
Charlie. "A Look At the Web Development World Ahead." Web
Developers Virtual Library.
OECD Information Technology Outlook 2006. OECD, 2006.