Even in relatively backward countries like Africa which is constantly crippled by extreme poverty and hunger, its Internet users make up for 14.2% of the world's population. Not only that, even the Asia region whereby its people lead comparativly lower standards of living than the other Western regions, managed to emerge as the number one region with the most Internet users. Frankly spaking, I was extremely surprised with the results of these statistics as I have always thought that it was the Western contries which dominate the Internet domain.

Most importantly, from these statistics, we are able to see how widely-used and popular the Internet is. The West are not the only priviledged ones whom get to enjoy the conveniences of the Internet. Even poorer and less developed countries like Africa contribute a significant number of Internet users. All of these, makes it clear that the Internet enjoys a high usuage and immense popularity all around the world, regardless of the particular country's economic status.

The Internet provides us with an extremely vast range of information and services. From the latest news on BBC, to fashionable shopping sites, to first-hand information on how to take good care of you first child etc, the Internet provdies them all! With a click of the mouse, we are able to source for any and every sort of information we require. All we have to do is to simply Google it, and we there have it!

With the Internet, we no longer have to go through the hassle of having to painstakingly search for a book in the library for reaserch purposes, no longer do we have to fly all the way to a certain country to get something we want, no longer do we have to feel disappointed for not being able to watch our favourite singers perform etc. Also, we can easily make new friends and without any direct face contact with the help of websites such as Friendster, MySpace etc
We can also do the same when communicating with our family and friends through the use of specialised online chat services such as MSN Messenger, ICQ

Everything is just a simple click away! In fact, the Internet brings about so much conveniences that it feels as if every single aspect of our lives is being meticulously looked after.

However, it is also the same Internet which brings to us an abundance of conveniences which erodes a country's greatly valued state soveriegnty. Due to the Internet's remarkable ability to allow Man to share information rapidly and easily with one another, governments are no longer able to maintain absolute sovereignty of the state. The main reason being, governmnts do not possess control over the Internet and hence, are unable to restrict the information which is being share through the Internet. This may lead to a leak of confidential information which can greatly threaten the soveriegnty of a state.

1) Aspects of Gobalization:

With reference from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization:

“Globalization has various aspects which affect the world in several different ways:

• Technical - Development of a global telecommunications infrastructure and greater transborder data flow, using technologies such as the Internet, communication satellites, submarine fiber optic cable, and wireless telephones
• Informational - increase in information flows between geographically remote locations

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2) Technology; Past and Present

With reference from: http://www.globalization101.org/index.php?file=issue&pass1=subs&id=35

Information Technology (IT) is a driving factor in the process of globalization. Improvements in the early 1990s in computer hardware, software, and telecommunications have caused widespread improvements in access to information and economic potential. These advances have facilitated efficiency gains in all sectors of the economy. IT provides the communication network that facilitates the expansion of products, ideas, and resources among nations and among people regardless of geographic location. Creating efficient and effective channels to exchange information, IT has been the catalyst for global integration.

Recent advances in our ability to communicate and process information in digital form—a series of developments sometimes described as an "IT revolution"—are reshaping the economies and social lives of many countries around the world.

Products based upon or enhanced by information technology are used in nearly every aspect of life in contemporary industrial societies. The spread of IT and its applications has been extraordinarily rapid.

Just 20 years ago, for example, the use of desktop personal computers was still limited to a fairly small number of technologically advanced people. The overwhelming majority of people still produced documents with typewriters, which permit no manipulation of text and offer no storage. Fifteen years ago, large and bulky mobile telephones were carried only by a small number of users in just a few U.S. cities. Today, more than half of all Americans use a mobile phone, and in some developing countries, mobile phones are used by more people than the fixed line telephone network.

But perhaps most dramatically, just fifteen years ago, only scientists were using (or had even heard about) the Internet, the World Wide Web was not up and running, and the browsers that help users navigate the Web had not even been invented yet. Today, of course, the Internet and the Web have transformed commerce, creating entirely new ways for retailers and their customers to make transactions, for businesses to manage the flow of production inputs and market products, and for job seekers and job recruiters to find each other.

The news industry also has been dramatically transformed by the emergence of numerous Internet-enabled news-gathering and dissemination outlets. Websites, chat rooms, instant messaging systems, e-mail, electronic bulletin boards and other Internet-based communication systems have made it much easier for people with common interests to find each other, exchange information, and collaborate with each other. Education at all levels is being transformed by communication, education, and presentationl software and by Websites and other sources of information and analysis on the Internet.

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Basically, the above extract is an introduction to technology, which is considered to be the drive behind the flourishment of the economical aspect of globalization. Specifically, the Information Technolgy, that is the development of computer-based information systems (software applications and computer hardware). Not only that, the extract also provides comparisons of the level of technological advancement Man has managed to achieve back then and now. Even though these are just rather simple and common examples (eg. Internet), they hold much importance and relevance to the life we modern Man are living in today. The main reason being, these examples show us how rapidly technology has advanced throughout the years and how much convenience and comfort it has been able to bring us.

IT has enabled to Man to communicate with each other without having to meet face-to-face (handphone). IT has allowed Man to gain easy access to all sorts of information needed(Internet). IT has enabled Man to document his information in a simple and systematic manner (Micosoft). Most mportantly, IT has enabled globalization (especially the ecnomical aspect) to integrate more successfully, efficiently and rapidly.

From an economical aspect, any type of information is extremely valuable and vital. And IT, allows this exchange of information amongst people to take place easily and efficiently. Therefore, without the emergence of IT, globalization (i.e economy) will not have been able to happen so quickly and effectively.