Hange and the importance of adapting to a dynamic world Research Paper

Hange and the importance of adapting to a dynamic world - Research Paper Example He cites the example of the economic growth of â€Å"emerging markets† (612), such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia to support his argument. An aspect of this new order is the shift in power from the nation state to non-state actors: NGOs, the private sector, cities and localities, and the media (617). Economic prosperity, and the dissemination of diverse national perspectives by the media, fosters nationalism and a new view of the world, independent of the Western vision. The Kyoto accord, and the increasing irrelevance of the UN, is proof of this (617). However, Zarkaria quotes statistics to show that the US still remains â€Å"the most competitive economy in the world† (619). Zarkaria believes that if America realistically faces the challenges of the new global order, discards its political complacency, and accepts the necessity â€Å"to allow other countries to become stakeholders in the new order† (621), it can deal successfully with the irr eversible trends of globalization. It must be admitted that Zarkaria’s worldview accurately reflects the contemporary political stage. In From The Young and the Digital, Craig Watkins draws attention to class divisions prevalent in social-networking sites. His main argument is that â€Å"The class divisions which shape American cultural life off-line are clearly discernible in the communities which form on-line† (Watkins, 2009, 506).... ins uses the examples of Facebook and MySpace to show that the social inequalities, class divisions, and racial discrimination, which characterize the physical world, are very much a part of the virtual world. Contrary to early belief in the internet being the great leveler of social inequalities, racial perceptions and biases are very much a part of social-network sites, forming a â€Å"digital divide† (506). Watkins uses the data from his study of such sites to support his argument. White college student’s preferences for Facebook â€Å"illuminate the sharp and powerful differences race and class make in the on-line communities young people participate in† (510). The negative attitude toward MySpace is not just about aesthetics and demographics, but has undercurrents of race, class and geography. Watkins concludes that this on-line division is but a reflection of the middle class wish â€Å"to maintain clear boundaries between themselves and the classes they v iew as less cultured† (511). The digital divide is an extension of real gated communities, and the attempt to preserve social privilege and status. Watkins’ evidence of the existence of the digital divide based on social inequalities makes for interesting reading, and makes the reader regret this unfortunate prevalence on the internet. Steven Johnson’s Why Games are Good for You attempts to persuade the reader that, contrary to popular perception, video games have beneficial effects on the player. Johnson admits the undisputed advantages of reading, and the cognitive benefits and mental exercise which books provide. He then goes on to argue that playing video games offers two advantages: â€Å"cognitive benefits - attention, memory, following thread, and so on,† and â€Å"different mental skills† (Johnson,