Transcript

It’s always dangerous for a historian to talk about contemporary life because we haven’t had much time to absorb what’s going on. We haven’t had much time to document it, analyze it, and gather the documentary material required to interpret the dynamics of modern life. But one might argue that the early years of the 21st century suggest that we’re living in an era of connectivity characterized by the globalization of the economy, the way in which America’s multinational corporations are in every corner of the globe and, in some respects, are generating more revenue abroad than they are from the United States markets. This is also an era, of course, of connectivity in terms of multimedia technologies and the way in which the immediacy of communication has accelerated the pace, tone, and tenor of modern life.

Take, for example, the extraordinary terrorist assaults on New York City and Washington D.C. on 9-11. Those attacks were facilitated by the ability of the terrorists to communicate across the globe instantaneously. Those attacks were facilitated by technologies that enabled their bombs to detonate when they wanted. Those attacks were facilitated by social media communications. In addition, those attacks were more important than might be suggested on the face of it because they were involved in a connected process of terrorist assaults worldwide.

At the same time, the American economy has become utterly dependent on the creativity, energy, and efficiency of multimedia technology and communications systems. The Great Recession, which has had such profound effects on not only American life but also the global economy, is also a result of connectivity. The housing market that became such a dynamic aspect of the American economy in the 1980’s and 90’s and led American banks and mortgage companies to become increasingly reckless in their loaning of money to people who had no way to pay off their mortgages when they were under stress led not only to the collapse of the housing market of the United States, it led to a collapse of the economy as a result of the interconnectedness of banks and mortgage companies and financiers around the world. What started as a housing crisis mushroomed into an economic crisis of global proportions because of the interconnectivity not only of communications technologies but also of banks, financiers, and governments around the world.

Connectivity is both a strength and weakness of modern life. It facilitates communication, yes, but in some respects it makes it more superficial. It enables more efficient economic activity but it also accelerates that activity and makes us prone to more mistakes of judgment and risk-taking.

This is also a connected century in the sense that social media have become so important to daily life and communications. This is true not just in our individual lives but also our collective experiences. Businesses, government, and universities all are now increasingly dependent on social media and communications strategies.

Think about the Arab Awakening of 2011, specifically the ways in which those grassroots democratic uprisings across the Arab world were facilitated and in some cases ignited by social media. The connectivity enabled by social networking and multimedia communications systems was also a major factor of the surprising electoral victory of President Obama. Barack Obama very shrewdly took advantage of social networking to raise a vast amount of money from a lot of people. The grassroots financing of a campaign was unprecedented at that scale and it was one of the most important factors in explaining the victory of Barack Obama in the 2008 election.

The Tea Party, organized by conservatives who were very upset about the direction of American society, in particular the way in which deficit spending has run amok at the local, state, and national governmental levels, was greatly facilitated by their use of social networking. On the other extreme of the political spectrum, the Occupy Wall Street movement was in some respects enabled by social media in allowing people to connect and learn about a spontaneous gathering on Wall St. in Manhattan in New York City. It was very much a reflection of the new communication power afforded by social media.

Connectivity can become a force for grassroots democratic expression. But it also can invade our privacy. Like so many things, especially so many technological innovations, it’s both a blessing and a curse. Our continuing challenge is to ensure that such technological innovations become more blessings than burdens to American society and the world.

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