Globalization of communication

These technologies dramatically lowered the cost of global communication. Phone calls that cost dollars per minute in 1990 became effectively free over the internet. Information could be transmitted instantaneously across the world. The implications were vast:

• Cross-border family ties became easier to maintain despite migration
• Global supply chains became feasible at unprecedented complexity
• Political movements could organize transnationally
• Culture, news, and ideas spread at unprecedented speed
• Surveillance capabilities expanded dramatically for both governments and corporations