Drew Cogbill | Thesis Blog

From a NYTimes article, 28 May 2008:

“Africa, where 29 percent of the population owns a cellphone, according to Gartner, is just one of several promising markets. In India, market penetration is 34 percent, well below the United States, at about 70 percent, and Western Europe, at more than 90 percent.”

Essentially, the room for mobile phone growth in emerging markets is huge, not to mention the fact that these markets are huge in comparison to existing markets (the US, Western Europe).  This is discussed and understood, but specific statistics are essential in making the argument of how creating an affordable communication system for those living in these markets can, beyond being extremely helpful to individual lives, be economically possible.

This talk of Friedman’s from 2007 summaries up much of his thoughts about globalization from his book The World is Flat.  It seemed worthwhile to watch as it provides the context for much of the general public about technology in emerging nations.

Friedman talks of 3 eras of globalization:

1. Globalization 1.0 1492-early 1800 (large to medium, countries went global)
2. Globalization 2.0 early 1800s-2000s (medium to small, spearheaded by companies for market and labor)
3. Globalization 3.0 2000-present (small to tiny, spearheaded by individuals)

Friedman asserts that ideas, especially ideas about technology, are now widely distributed by individuals and that this impact will only continue.

available on iTunesU - “The World is Flat 3.0“