Thomas Friedman's Flatteners

In Friedman's book, The World Is Flat, he discusses events and technologies that are flattening the world and increasing globalization. According to Friedman there are ten flatteners that changed technology and how we operate. In my opinion, the most crucial flattener is flattener number 10, Sterioids. The tenth flattener is new communications technology:digital, mobile, personal, and visual. Computing, instant messaging and file sharing, wireless technologies, voice over Internet Protocol, videoconferencing, and computer graphics all make up the steriod category. Friedman states that, "the sum is more than the parts. " Each flattener has a purpos in itself but is much more appreciated and successful when joined with others. The flatteners have a domino effect, they each were discovered by the other and play off one another. For example, the computer itself is good, but when you add the internet, Skype, games, etc. the value of the product increase tremendously.

What did the steroids do for technology? People can talk to people. Computers have become faster, and can be accessed easier than they ever have been. Individuals can see and to talk to one another from across the world. By downloading one simple application, people are able to communicate from across the world freely. Smart phones give poeple internet access anywhere. They can check emails, connect to the internet, and even Skype directly from thier phone. Being able to work on the go has made businesses more efficient and productive. People no longer have to be at the office to do work, they can be in a car, at the mall, or at home. At all times, they can be working, no matter the time or place. This has had a tremendous impact on the business world. From teh first computer game graphics to what we have now has been improved to be ten thousand times better. The quality has increased. "Video games are particularly more important in this regard, because in addition to their very realistic images and great sound, they are highly interactive and increasingly collaborative." (The World Is Flat, pg. 194)