I am not Replaceable Yet

           Pankaj Ghemawat discusses in a seminar video that there is quite a misconception about the world no longer being flat. He admits that social media and other types of technology has increased our interactions with others around the world, but refutes the notion that our increase in technology has led to complete globalization. He states that the idea that, “ There is a no border effect,” is an overestimation, which he refers to as globalone.  I was relieved to hear a professor voice this given the depressing articles we had just read about globalization and technology taking over jobs.

Since we just read an article by Thomas L. Friedman informing us that robots are systematically taking the place of what we as humans contribute to work and society, I was feeling deflated.  So many, like Friedman, seem determined to tell us that we are going extinct in terms of our usefulness in society.  This leaves most of us feeling scared and angered, especially since we are working so hard to earn a college degree. We hear on a regular basis that we are constantly losing jobs in America either to people overseas, or to machines that can do the work of ten people and do not require any benefits.  Many, myself included, become nervous that there will not be a place for us in the workforce once we receive our diplomas, and why shouldn’t we?  We are constantly told that we are replaceable.

Ghemawat has given me hope that we are not quite as advanced as the media and general consensus would have us to believe. His statements suggesting that we need to do more fact-checking and remedy our overstatements when it comes to globalization is advice we definitely need to heed. In order for us to operate productively, we need to be accurate in our facts, rather than make general assumptions. I know that I will be sleeping a little better tonight, since I have learned that maybe a robot cannot replace me just yet.