Which statement best describes the relationship between globalization and technology at the turn of the 21st century?

Which statement best describes the relationship between globalization and technology at the turn of the 21st century?

• A. It was facilitated by new communications technology that linked almost all parts of the world.
• B. Had become more political than economic.
• C. Had become a way to limit the impact of economic disaster in any one area of the globe.
• D. Only connected countries in the West to each other.

Answer: (A)

Globalization at the turn of the 21st century was driven by rapid advances in communications technology that linked nearly every part of the world. The rise of the internet, email, mobile phones, satellites, and fiber networks created instant channels for flow of information, capital, and goods, allowing businesses to organize production across continents, launch transnational collaborations, and expose societies to ideas and cultures at unprecedented speeds. This tech-enabled interconnectedness means economic and cultural integration expanded dramatically, not just political maneuvering or regional confines. The other statements miscast the moment. Global links were not limited to political activity, but were fueled by economic and informational networks; the idea that globalization served mainly to shield economies from disaster ignores how crises can spread rapidly through global markets; and the claim that only Western countries were connected is inaccurate, since Asia, Latin America, Africa, and other regions became deeply woven into global networks through technology and trade.

Globalization at the turn of the 21st century was driven by rapid advances in communications technology that linked nearly every part of the world. The rise of the internet, email, mobile phones, satellites, and fiber networks created instant channels for flow of information, capital, and goods, allowing businesses to organize production across continents, launch transnational collaborations, and expose societies to ideas and cultures at unprecedented speeds. This tech-enabled interconnectedness means economic and cultural integration expanded dramatically, not just political maneuvering or regional confines.

The other statements miscast the moment. Global links were not limited to political activity, but were fueled by economic and informational networks; the idea that globalization served mainly to shield economies from disaster ignores how crises can spread rapidly through global markets; and the claim that only Western countries were connected is inaccurate, since Asia, Latin America, Africa, and other regions became deeply woven into global networks through technology and trade.