Question

•As the world is getting more and more connected, will the world become uni-cultural in the near future? Which are the homogenizing and which the hydrogenizing forces in general? And in your home country Finland? How do you see the relation of culture and globalization in light of the recent pandemic (incl. how countries are (re)acting)?

Answer 1

.The possibilities for the world to become uni-cultural cannot be concluded even though the world is getting more and more connected with the advanced technology available these days.The interest of people differ from person to person.The place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.People tend to utilise in the resources to get connected more.

The homogenizing forces are as strong as the heterogenizing forces. In short, in the globally connected world, we might not be as homogenized as we assume to be.

For instance, the Internet enables the homogenizing force of English as the world's common language. At the same time, it enables the speakers of various small languages to get connected and build common content [like various regional Wikipedia] like never before. Fifty years ago, were there encyclopedias in all the regional languages? No. Most were in English. Now, you have a diverse set of language in Wikipedia that allows knowledge creation in small languages.

The homogenizing forces are as strong as the heterogenizing forces. In short, in the globally connected world, we might not be as homogenized as we assume to be.

For instance, the Internet enables the homogenizing force of English as the world's common language. At the same time, it enables the speakers of various small languages to get connected and build common content [like various regional Wikipedia] like never before. Fifty years ago, were there encyclopedias in all the regional languages? No. Most were in English. Now, you have a diverse set of language in Wikipedia that allows knowledge creation in small languages.

Globalization/interconnections are also giving a voice to people from various cultures. In the past, you would have had to rely on the equivalent of The New York Times or the BBC to develop your opinions and those would be the majority opinions - highly slanted towards one culture. Now, you have the option of getting a lot more diverse voices heard as the major filters [publishing houses and newspaper editors] are getting replaced by more democratic forms.

We are not getting uni-cultural. We are getting multi-cultural and slowly grasping the diversity of human culture.