Globalisation's many faces

By Samir Sobhi

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A few decades ago, the commonest form of theft was to snatch laundry from ground floor balconies. Now, thanks to the information revolution, the commonest form of theft is plagiarism, Internet plagiarism in particular. It's not just students copying research from the Internet. In some cases, professors were caught plagiarising the work of their students. Information theft is rampant today, simply because information is the commonest product in today's world. Information travels far and fast, and is shoplifted in the process.

Misinformation, too, is rampant and is travelling far and fast. Let me ask you a question. Have you been affected yet by the world's recent financial crisis? Have you lost a job or a house, or known of someone who did? This whole crisis started through misinformation. It started with lies that worked their way into the credit system, with deception that seeped into the stock market.

I wonder if there is any way to protect ourselves from all that? The thing is, most of the changes we deem to be harmful are happening too quickly for us to adapt. There is a new invention coming into the market every day. There is a new pharmaceutical drug coming out every 15 minutes or so. Which of these is good for us, and which is not? How can the law intervene in time when most laws are becoming obsolete by the hour? How can we stop crime when crime is mutating as we speak?

Someone recently told me that the man who invented globalisation was Genghis Khan, who attempted to conquer the known world nearly eight centuries ago. Genghis Khan needed massive armies to get the job done, and mostly failed. Now globalisation is with us to stay. It has snuck up on us while we were having a good time. Do you know a place where Coca Cola is not sold? Do you know of a business district where Starbucks is not present? This is our life, and we had better get used to it.

This week's Soapbox speaker is senior writer at Al-Ahram.