6.6 Opportunities for Global Identity - Collaboration and Communities


To what extent should globalization shape identity?

Globalization presents tremendous opportunities for the citizens of the world to lead richer and fuller lives, and to enrich their identities as individuals and as members of communities. Through contact with people all around the world, new discoveries and new ways of doing things are constantly being discovered and shared.


Roy Toft/National Geographic Stock

Opportunities to connect


Deeper and broader connection: We know that globalization is all about the ways in which people are becoming more and more connected with each other. Although they cause problems at times, connections enrich us generally by increasing our understanding of one another. The media, especially the Internet, allows us to share ideas and beliefs with individuals on a one-to-one basis. This technology allows us to create communities of people with similar interests and helps us expand our understanding of how the world works and where we fit in.

As we become more connected with people through technology, travel, trade, and migration, we learn more about their individual and group identities. We learn to see their unique perspectives and worldview. Canada is world-renowned for multiculturalism because Canadians are largely immigrants who brought various cultures and understandings together to form a nation. Most cultural groups in Canada have held to their unique perspectives within the context of Canadian society. Canadians have maintained ties with family and friends in other parts of the globe; this allows them to maintain their languages and cultures. This diversity has made the nation stronger and richer. It has also enriched individual identities because most Canadians have a broader understanding of various races, languages, and beliefs.

Open Source


Open source refers to the belief in open access for the production and design of various goods, products, resources, and technology. The term was first used to describe the development of software applications when computer programmers found that they could develop better and more efficient programs by working together without restrictions than they did by working independently or as part of corporate teams. Open source is based on the belief that ideas are free and should not be owned or copyrighted for profit.

"The future is open source everything."

Linus Torvalds, inventor of the Linux operating system


The open source model has grown from software applications to other forms of knowledge sharing, product development, and decision making. It allows regular people with new ideas and expertise to help solve problems. A powerful example of the open source movement is the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, Wikipedia. There are also open source schools, open source media under Creative Commons, and even OpenCola, an organization that provides a recipe for a cola beverage they claim tastes the same as Coke or Pepsi, both of which have heavily guarded recipes!

For more information about open source, watch this video.

 

 


Criticisms of Open Source

Some people believe that the open source movement cannot last because no profit is involved. They state that people inventing products or thinking of new ideas should be rewarded with money. They should hold intellectual property rights for what they have created. They suggest that if people are not rewarded for their work, they will not be able to afford to create these new products. However, as Wikipedia and Massive Change prove, open source collaboration is sustainable and can lead to greater prosperity while enriching our identities at the same time. No one profits, but all profit!