Meaning of Globalization (What it is, Concept and Definition)

Globalization is the process of bringing together different societies and nations around the world, whether in the economic, social, cultural or political spheres. However, the main emphasis given by globalization is in the existing market integration between countries.

Globalization has allowed for a greater connection between different parts of the planet, making them share common characteristics. In this way, the idea of Global village, that is, a globalized world where everything is interconnected.

The globalization process is constituted by the way the markets of different countries and regions interact with each other, bringing goods and people closer together.

Customs, traditions, foods and products typical of a particular location are now present in other places that are totally different. This happens thanks to the exchange and freedom of information that globalization can provide.

The breaking of borders generated a capitalist expansion where it was possible to carry out transactions and expand the business - hitherto restricted to the domestic market - to distant and emerging.

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Types of Globalization

Globalization is the combination of several aspects that unite civilizations from different corners of the globe. The main factors that characterize the formation of globalization are: economy, culture and information.

economic globalization

The emergence of economic blocks - countries that come together to foster trade relations, such as the Mercosur and the European Union - was the result of this economic process.

The impact of globalization on the labor market, on international trade, on the freedom of movement and the quality of life of the population varies in intensity according to the level of development of nations.

The period in which economic globalization intensified most was in the middle of the 20th century, with the Third Industrial Revolution (also known as the "Technical-Scientific Revolution").

cultural globalization

The approximation between the different nations of the world also provided the exchange of customs, cultures and typical traditions. These, in turn, go through the process of acculturation, that is, when various cultural elements are mixed, creating a kind of "mutation of cultures".

In this way, cultural values and symbols that originally belonged to a region or nation are now present in all corners of the world and vice versa. As a result, there is a growing need for a greater debate on tolerance between cultural differences.

Learn more about acculturation.

New information technologies and the constant exchange of consumer goods between countries (products, films, series, music, etc) contribute to cultural globalization.

O halloween, for example, a typical festival in North America, started to be celebrated in other places, such as in Brazil, due to the absorption of the customs of these North American countries.

information globalization

The development of information technologies, with emphasis on the advent of internet, was the main responsible for the emergence of the concept of this type of globalization.

With online social networks (such as Twitter, for example), people who have access to the internet can receive and send information instantly to all parts of the world.

Combining cultural globalization with the need to transmit information that can be received and interpreted across the planet, the idea of determining a globalized language also emerged. That is, a language that can serve as a link between all the others.

Currently, the English language is considered the most adopted among all countries as an alternative to guarantee communication, mainly through the internet.

Economy	Culture	Information
Economic blocks	Acculturation / Cultural hybridism	Internet
Transnationals / Multinationals (capitalism)	Expansion of cultural diversity vs. Xenophobia	instant communication
Internationalization of capital flows.	"Mutation of cultures"	globalized language

Effects of Globalization

The globalized world is built by a set of "networks", be it information, transport, commerce, etc. All these aspects become interconnected, generating greater spatiotemporal interaction between nations.

THE expansion of companies and creation of multinationals it is another significant effect for the contemporary world from globalization. In this way, companies present in a given country start to operate in other nations, generating jobs and the possibility of commercial exchanges between regions.

However, it is also necessary to highlight the negative point of view of this new scenario. In some cases, the presence of "global companies" in underdeveloped countries represents their exploitation, whether of labor or local raw materials.

Globalization has also led to the creation of economic blocks, groups of countries that unite for the development and growth of their respective economies. The European Union, Mercosur and NAFTA are some of the best known economic blocs.

shrinking the world

With technological development, distances were "shortened". As shown in the image below, the travel time has been accelerated over the years, making it easier to travel long distances around the world. This facility contributed to the consolidation of the globalization process.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization

Like many other highly complex phenomena, globalization has positive and negative points:

Strengths

Important in the fight against inflation and helped the economy by facilitating the entry of imported products;
Consumers had access to better quality and cheaper imported products, as well as more accessible and better quality national products;
With multinationals, globalization allows investors from other countries to invest abroad and vice versa;
Promotes technological development;
It enhances international commercial exchanges (goods and services);
It opens doors to different cultures, traditions and the possibility of getting to know customs from other countries in a more accessible way;
It improves the relationship between countries on different continents.

Negative points

Concentration of wealth. most of the money stays in the most developed countries and only 25% of international investments go to developing nations, which increases the number of people living in extreme poverty;
Some economists claim that in recent decades, globalization and the technological and scientific revolution (which are responsible for the automation of production) are the main causes of increase in unemployment;
Acculturation can de-characterize the cultural customs of a given country;
Improper cultural appropriation, causing the distortion of traditional signs and symbols of nations;
Exploitation of raw materials and cheap labor (when developed countries settle in poorer countries);
Dissemination of criminal and illegal activities that were previously concentrated in only one region to the rest of the world;
Use of the internet as a vehicle for illegal activities such as prostitution, pedophilia, drug trafficking, weapons and animals, the increase of criminal organizations, the "money laundering" and, consequently, the increase of "heavens tax".

Characteristics of Globalization

It is not static, that is, it is constantly evolving, developing and transforming;
Acculturation (adopting, adapting and mixing different cultural elements);
Creation of economic blocks, whose main objective is to strengthen trade relations between participating members;
"Global Village" (world as a single large community, due to technological advances in transport and communication systems);
Expansion of Capitalism;
Strengthen business relationships;
Internationalization of capital flows;
Privatization of state companies (Neoliberalism);
"Breakdown" of border barriers;
Travel time through reduced space;
Presence of multinationals / transnationals;
Advances in communication technologies and means of transport;
Emergence of multinationals;
Information transmitted instantly (internet);
Increased competition and economic competition.

know more about characteristics of globalization and economic blocks

Origin of Globalization

The complex phenomenon of globalization began in the 15th century (Age of the Great Navigations), when the European powers of the time began to explore the oceans, discovering new lands. However, only with the Industrial Revolution (18th century) is that globalization begins to develop and take shape.

Another important step towards the development of globalization took place in the mid-19th century, with the consolidation of technologies that would serve to shorten distances, making trips faster, such as electricity and the ship to steam.

With great technological advances that the 20th century brought, allied to the capitalist system that was consolidated worldwide with the fall of the Soviet Union, there is a great need to expand the commercial flow between nations.

Innovations in the areas of telecommunications and information technology, especially with the Internet (Fourth Industrial Revolution) were decisive for the construction of a globalized world.

In summary, the globalization process can be divided into four main phases:

1st Phase: Great Maritime Discovery and Navigation (15th century) - Industrial Revolution (18th century)

2nd Phase: Industrial Revolution - 2nd World War: expansion of capitalism.

3rd Phase: 2nd World War - fall of the Berlin Wall, end of the Soviet Union and the socialist regime (Cold War - 1989).

4th Phase: New World Order: total domination of capitalism.

See also the meaning of Post-Modernity and learn more about the Berlin Wall.

Globalization in Brazil

Like most capitalist countries, Brazil also maintains itself in the international market, participating in the purchase and sale of products and services among other nations.

The country belongs to an economic bloc (Mercosur), guaranteeing its participation, in partnership with other nations, in the formulation of economic strategies aimed at the growth of member countries.

In 1990, with the introduction of Collor Plan (Neoliberal), Brazil starts to adopt a series of measures that accelerate its consolidation in the globalized world.

The growth of industry, the privatization of state-owned companies (with Neoliberalism) and the emergence of multinational companies are some of the important factors that have helped to strengthen the country in this new scenery.

Learn more about the meaning of neoliberalism.

Globalization and the environment

With globalization, the impacts were extremely aggressive and negative for the environment. The interests of corporate capitalists are based on unsustainable exploitation of nature's raw materials, polluting and contaminating natural environments.

One of the principles of contemporary globalization is the consumption. In order to produce products that correspond to the number of existing consumers, the amount of raw material extracted is enormous. Most companies do not do this extraction process with environmental responsibility.

The consequences are climate change, environmental catastrophes and other events that harm the lives of humans and other living beings.

Globalization according to Milton Santos

Milton Santos, a famous Brazilian geographer and intellectual, addressed globalization in his latest books. He mentioned its economic aspects, and analyzed the role played by companies in the internationalization of capital, as well as the financial flows and the impact they have on local culture.

Milton Santos theorized and criticized some of these features of today's world, and towards the end of his life, he suggested a solidarity globalization, which was centered on values that were not linked to hegemony.