Abstract
In the same way letterpress stimulated the (nearly) worldwide distribution of ideas, the Internet supports and even demands the faster distribution of knowledge over a wide variety of subject areas in an inexpensive and comfortable manner. Moreover, some information systems accumulate knowledge about persons and specific issues. The Internet can be a catalyst for convergence, conversely it could be responsilble for increased conflicts as well. Cultural convergence is not (only) determined by the Internet and WWW as a communication vehicle, but primarily by broader settings. Most impacts of digitization processes referring to the future cannot be exactly specified now. This chapter describes three potential broadly defined scenaries (inequality, collapse, balance) in the context of digitalization in connection with the organization of the economic, eduation and religious culture.
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Notes
- 1.
In context of the Young Leaders Group of the European Institutes of Innovation and Technology Foundation the author of this book in cooperation with other people introduced at the Annual Innovation Forum 2013 in Brussels a concept about the future mobility of students between European universities with the usage of the possibilities in the area big data [477].
- 2.
Language barriers for a (simple) international exchange and transcultural understanding could also be overcome with the increasing use of help of machine translation. But even if future machines are able to translate spoken words relatively well, it will not be possible in the foreseeable future to let a machine emulate the cultural different ways of communication like gestures or countenance, if it even will be possible.
- 3.
According to Pogge [342], Radermacher [359], Ziegler [523] and many other observers the current world is in a state of glabal apartheid: High relative income differentials allow material feedthrough in many social, cultural and ecological contexts and attack human rights directly, which will not lead to a peaceful and sustainable state in the long term.
- 4.
From the perspective of the former UN Special Envoy for the Right to Food, Jean Ziegler, the following is to be mentioned: Let’s regard external debts of the circa 100 so called developing countries. The revenues these countries make with exports, go right back to creditors abroad. There is nothing left for the promotion of agriculture and the fight against hunger (...) there is already a war conducted, the third global war – against the third world [523, 524].
- 5.
Today the forest is not endangered because of the usage of wood for energy generation, but because forest areas (e.g. rain forest areas) are needed for purposes of agriculture or settlements.
- 6.
In this context, the so called ban on images or prohibition of images exists, which is a provision in the context of the monotheistic religions and is there to counteract a polytheistic idolatry.
- 7.
The author of this originally in German written book criticizes that the translation “Kampf der Kulturen” is more sensational than adequate. Huntington himself was not pleased with this title, however the German publisher won through regarding the intended success at the markets. Huntington critizised, that Clash does not mean Kampf, but Aufeinanderprallen, Aufeinandertreffen or in Konflikt sein in German [272].
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Ünver, H. (2018). Convergence Towards a Global Culture?. In: Global Networking, Communication and Culture: Conflict or Convergence?. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 151. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76448-1_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76448-1_8
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