Module 2: 77-136

            As Friedman continued his research of a flat world, it was as if it was continually being smashed with a hammer with every piece of the story that he found. One of the biggest steps toward Globalization 3.0 was the introduction of the PC to peoples’ homes, but at first, it wasn’t much more than a file box and a printer. Documents were transported by hand and creative digital ideas were only shared with people in the same room. Things started to pick up when the internet came along and computers could link to other computers allowing digital content to be shared with anyone anywhere, instantly.

Workflow software is what allowed productivity to soar. It allowed people to connect no matter where they were as if they were in the same office. People could collaborate on projects together that, otherwise, they might even not have met. I think workflow software was important because it proved that the computer age and linking together globally was a real and worth while thing. At first, only those that spent the time to learn how to use a computer could do anything useful with it, but then as more people realized that they could digitize their ideas, share it with the world and get instant feedback, everyone wanted on board. Now our whole world is run on computers because we can connect with each other in so many ways.

Workflow software is not only used by a business to develop a product and market it. It just allows people to do what they would have done together in the same location, now separated by a great distance but linked with computers.  It can bring people together with a new way of doing what they have for a long time. For example, to watch sports you had to be at the game or receiving it on TV. Now E-sports, video game competition, is becoming popular. You can not only watch a live game but participate as well. I can watch a match between two players live on the internet being cast from a team of commentators in California and the players themselves are in Korea and France. Thousands of spectators can discuss the match on live chat while it is happening. 

Another priceless tool is open source software. It is based on free collaboration with anyone over the internet to build, improve and share software. Software companies were trying to design programs to use on computers, but it seems like new software was too complicated to be designed as fast as it was being demanded. Regular people with the know how decided they could make software themselves and share it for free. The top engineers at the biggest companies could not keep up with the brain power of thousands of enthusiasts pulling their ideas together. Open source software was important because it got a lot of people involved in community projects and showed the value in utilizing many brains for endless creative solutions. Open source software drove us further into the future of technology because got people thinking creatively instead of just what was going to make money.

The next thud from the hammer was outsourcing to places like India. Now that business could connect all over the globe and be more productive, it was time to find the place where they could get the most done with the smallest amount of money. A lot of American companies sent the “grudge work” to India where they were willing to gain the business and no better place to put their education to use. One reason it was such a great idea was because it allowed companies to work around the clock easier because of the time difference. I think it was so important because as the world was learning how to use the new technology of computers, it forced us to find creative and cheaper solutions to take advantage of a distance shortening tool.