Week 12 Post Class

This week’s discussion on the global public society centered primarily on the question of whether this society exists, and if so, to what extent.  Prior to the readings and online lecture, I was of the mind that a global public sphere did indeed exist, and that it was well on it’s way to thriving.  This belief was based loosely on the level of Internet access and proliferation of transnational NGOs throughout the world.  In hindsight, I would modify my response to say that the global sphere is emerging (slowly), and for the same reasons, but is not yet fully functioning. 

The points brought up by both Dan and Kyra stood out as imperative to delving deeper into the question.  Particularly, is a social contract required of a global society?  If so, then this global society is still in its “unicorn” state, as no such contract has been enacted.  In class, I believe an excellent case was made that a social contract is not a requirement for a global society, essentially because an agreement between states does not equate to a social contract; it becomes more of global governance at that point. 

Many examples of an emerging global sphere include Internet sensations such as the ALS bucket challenge, the Arab Spring, and even the mannequin challenge.  While Internet is a powerful tool for reaching out and improving the world we live in, it often has the power to divide the world as well.  I really liked Erica’s point about the African countries with the easiest access to Internet; these countries possess largely tourist-centered economies.  Considering this, one can see that most of the Internet usage in these countries is not utilized by the local population, which means that the Internet is not as widely spread/accessible as we may think.

Developing a true global public society is a complex and sometimes seemingly impossible feat.  Taking the societies of the world and all of their differences and bringing them into a singular sphere will take years to accomplish at the rate we are currently moving.  Katherine mentioned the “Big Bang” of political authority and that because we are in the middle of this big bang, we cannot see the total fruition of the global society, nor will we until we are significantly past its forming.   My favorite point from class this week came from Kyra when she mentioned that until being human is placed above politics we will never be where we need to be to form this global society as an important part of international relations.