Innovations in communication and transportation have made it easier for ideas and cultures to spread, fostering a more interconnected global community. For a long time, U.S. companies controlled most of the internet until China began developing its own domestic industry. Due to advances in technology and communications, China has been able to create applications, such as TikTok, which has turned into a global phenomenon.
Challenges and controversies around globalization
Globalization isn't without both its problems and naysayers. Some of the top critiques of globalization are the following:
1. Globalization's effect on wages and labor
Was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the admission in 2001 of China to the World Trade Organization a good thing, or did they result in a decline of the Midwest's industrial base? Critics of globalization would argue that outsourcing labor and production to other countries comes at the expense of people who live in the countries where those companies are based. For example, the industrial Midwest used to be one of the most economically successful areas of the U.S. However, due to both automation and the effects of globalization, many jobs have shifted overseas, and the results have been devastating.