Several past posts have contained concepts advanced in Thomas Friedman’s book – The World Is Flat. Friedman’s analysis positioned the Internet among the key factors that have brought both positive change and challenges to our world. Free access to the Internet allows oppressed people to gain a broader perspective. The Internet allows the work of U.S. workers to be outsourced to those willing to do this work more cheaply. Open access serves as a challenge to the productivity of the U.S. education system. In head to head competition, if one cannot do the same job for less, one better be capable of solving more significant problems or providing more creative solutions. etc.
The flaw in Friedman’s analysis may be the greed of U.S. based multinationals. Friedman’s idea that you cannot hide behind walls assumes a lack of collaboration from those on the other side of the wall. It appears Google, Yahoo, and other technology companies are willing to help countries that compete with the U.S. economically and subject the unfortunate to mistreatment keep the walls up by censoring the information that gets over the walls. (Human Rights Watch) I thought this issue had been resolved a couple of years ago. Now, it seems the big tech players have gone soft again perhaps in fear that a competitor will take advantage of any show of resolve.
