REYES, IV C.

BS PHARM 1-E 4:30-5:30 (MWF)

PROCESS QUESTIONS
1) Compare and contrast globalism and informationalism.
Globalism, at its core, seeks to describe and explain nothing more than a
world which is characterized by networks of connections that span multi-
continental distances. It attempts to understand all the inter-connections of the
modern world — and to highlight patterns that underlie (and explain) them (Nye,
2002).
Globalism is a phenomenon with ancient roots. Thus, the issue is not how
old globalism is, but rather how “thin” or “thick” it is at any given time. As an
example of “thin globalism,” the Silk Road provided an economic and cultural link
between ancient Europe and Asia (Nye, 2002).
At the same time, it is important to note that globalism does not imply
universality. After all, the connections that make up the networks to define
globalism may be more strongly felt in some parts of the world than in others. For

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example, at the turn of the 21st century, a quarter of the U.S. population used the

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World Wide Web. At the same time, however, only one-hundredth of one percent

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of the population of South Asia had access to this information network (Nye,

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2002).

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Informationalism, on the other hand, refers to a technological paradigm
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that replaces and subsumes the previous paradigm of industrialism (Castells
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1996). Informationalism is connected with the information revolution that begins
after World War II, covering developments associated with computer science and
its various expressions in electronics and telecommunication networks.
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Informationalism manifests itself in the added importance of knowledge,

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information, and communication in the globalized world where human labor is

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increasingly involved in the production of immaterial goods (Hardt & Negri 2000).

2) What are the barriers to our collective learning in the age of

information?
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While globalization allowed the expansion of information, access to

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learning in this modern technology is not a universal matter that is available to

every person around the world. The internet and other technologies are limited by
certain barriers. These barriers include lack of electricity, illiteracy, weak financial
systems, and government regulations.
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Up to this day, there are still millions of people around the world who are
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not fortunate enough to experience the benefits of today’s age of information.

Mainly due to poverty, people are not able to go to school and learn. They are
deprived of their rights to learn, access to clean water, electricity, and safe shelter.
In addition to this, there are also some barriers that are imposed by the
government. Just like that of China’s infamous “The Great Firewall of China”. In
1996, Beijing enacted a set of interim provisions for governing computer
information, and in 1998, the Ministry of Public Security launched the Golden
Shield project — a national filter that blocks politically sensitive content from
entering the domestic network.
This censorship tactic scheme has long been nicknamed the Great Firewall,
and has undergone periodic upgrades since it was first introduced, given that

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people’s efforts to cross the Great Firewall have been non-stop. Some describe the
interplay between the Great Firewall and Chinese netizens as an ongoing “prison
break”(Lam & Wu, 2017).
All of the aforementioned barriers are just some of the many factors that
hinder our learning in today’s age of information. These are just proofs that we still
have a long way to go in bringing the world of modernity to all of humanity.

3) Will geopolitical boundaries and physical barriers still be relevant in

the future given the nature of information and information revolution?
Some countries have boundaries defined by nature, others are arbitrarily
established lines. Some governments have little or no restrictions on going to or
coming from a neighbor, while others have built walls to protect their borders.
Geopolitics have a lot of influence on how a country deals with its boundaries.

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A boundary is a physical or imaginary barrier that separates two things.

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National boundaries refer to different borders that outline the territory of a

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country.

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While national boundaries are basically a political denomination, they can

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be defined by geographical barriers, cultural differences or arbitrary political
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decisions. That is why we find some boundaries that are straight lines, some
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boundaries that are very sinuous curves and some boundaries that follow rivers,
mountains and coastlines.
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Given the nature of information and information revolution, some

geopolitical boundaries and physical barriers may still be relevant in the future.
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There will be countries that may loosen up their guards to accept the inevitable
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flow of goods and information through globalization. However, they may still be
resistant nations that will reject information revolution and try to impose their own
rules in their motherland.
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COLLECTING POSTS, CONNECTING WORLD

1) Which theme has the most number of posts?
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Based from the posts my friends are currently buzzing about right now,
status about one’s personal life, opinion regarding various matters, memes, news
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about COVID-19, and life dramas are the most resonating of all. However, if i were
to choose one, life dramas would most probably be the most talked about topic.
2) Which post has the most number of shares?
Memes have the most number of shares, especially those memes that relates
to college hardships.
3) What are the common themes that you and your classmate have
identified?
Life dramas, memes, and COVID-19 news may have been some of our
theme’s commonality.

The Contemporary World

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 REYES, IV C. BS PHARM 1-E 4:30-5:30 (MWF)

4) Have you posted anything in the past that is similar with the posts you
listed down?
Yes, I have. Sometimes, I randomly vent out my frustrations on my twitter
account since I do not usually use Facebook. However, lately I have decided to limit
my use of Twitter in order for me to achieve serenity and peace of mind.

REFERENCES
The Influence of Geopolitical Factors on National Boundaries. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-influence-of-geopolitical-factors-on-
national-boundaries.html
Aneesh, A. (2012, February 29). Informationalism. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9780470670590.wbeog300

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Globalism Versus Globalization. (2016, December 15). Retrieved from
https://www.theglobalist.com/globalism-versus-globalization/

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Lam, O & Wu, J. (2017, September 1). The evolution of China's Great Firewall: 21

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years of censorship. Retrieved from
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https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/09/03/evolution-chinas-great-firewall-21-
ou urc
years-censorship/
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The Contemporary World

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