What is the Global Village?

Human Connections

Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian educator, philosopher and scholar.

He coined the term Global village in his book “The Gutenberg Galaxy” in 1962

Global Village

Earth feels smaller because of advances in communications technology like the telephone and Internet

We have a greater knowledge of the living conditions of people in other countries

Our activities and decisions can affect people in many other areas of the world.

If the world were a village….

As of July 2007 the world’s population was 6.6 billion. In 2002, twenty-three countries had more than fifty million, ten countries each had more than one hundred million and China had nearly one billion.

Numbers this big are hard to comprehend and put into context in our everyday lives, but what if we imagined the whole population of the world as a village of just 100 people? (100%)

If the world were a village….

By learning about the villagers, who they are and how they live, we can find out more about our neighbors and the problems our planet may face in the future.

Nationalities

Who are the people of the global village? Where did they come from?

Asia

Africa

Europe

South America/Central America/Caribbean

Canada/US

Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)

Nationalities

Who are the people of the global village? Where did they come from?

Asia 61

Africa 13

Europe 12

South America/Central America/Caribbean 8

Canada/US 5

Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) 1

Languages

In the global village there are almost 6,000 languages. Half of the villagers (50 people) speak the following eight languages.

ChineseEnglish Hindi Spanish Arabic Bengali Portuguese Russian

Languages

In the global village there are almost 6,000 languages. Half of the villagers (50 people) speak the following eight languages.

Chinese 22English 9Hindi 8Spanish 7Arabic 4Bengali 4Portuguese 3Russian 3

Age/Education There are many children in the village. One-fifth (20)

of the villagers are 9 years of age or under. More than half are under 30. On average, 1 person dies and 3 babies are born every year. A baby born in the village today can expect to live to age 63.

How many people in the village go to school? There are 38 school-aged villagers (ages 5-24), but only 31 of them attend school. There is 1 teacher for these students.

Not everybody in the global village is encouraged to learn to read, write and think. Of the 88 people old enough to read, 71 can read a little, but 17 cannot read at all. As well, more males in the village are taught to read than females!

Food

The villagers have many animals, these help to produce food or are a source of food. These include 31 sheep and goats, 23 cows, bulls and oxen, 15 pigs, 3 camels, 2 horses and 189 chickens.

There is no shortage of food in the global village. If all the food were divided equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn’t divided equally. So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed.__ People who are always hungry (26 of these people are severely undernourished) __ People who go to bed hungry at least some of the time __ People who always have enough to eat

Food

The villagers have many animals, these help to produce food or are a source of food. These include 31 sheep and goats, 23 cows, bulls and oxen, 15 pigs, 3 camels, 2 horses and 189 chickens.

There is no shortage of food in the global village. If all the food were divided equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn’t divided equally. So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed.

60 People who are always hungry (26 of these people are severely undernourished) 16 People who go to bed hungry at least some of the time 24 People who always have enough to eat

Air and Water

In most of the village, the air is healthy and the water is clean. But not all villagers are so fortunate. For some, the air and water are polluted and putting them at risk for diseases and water may be in short supply for some. Instead of turning on a tap, some villagers must walk long distances to find clean water.

How many people in the village of 100 have clean air and a nearby source of clean water?

Air and Water

__ out of the 100 villagers have access to a source of safe water either in their homes or within a short walking distance. __ out of the 100 villagers do not and must spend a large part of each day simply getting safe water.

__ out of the 100 villagers have access to adequate sanitation, while __ do not. __ out of the 100 villagers breathe clean air, while __ breathe air that is unhealthy because of pollution.

Air and Water

75 out of the 100 villagers have access to a source of safe water either in their homes or within a short walking distance. 25 out of the 100 villagers do not and must spend a large part of each day simply getting safe water.

60 out of the 100 villagers have access to adequate sanitation, while 40 do not. 68 out of the 100 villagers breathe clean air, while 32 breathe air that is unhealthy because of pollution.

Money

In one part of the village, someone buys a new car. In another, a man repairs the family’s bicycle, their most valued possession. How much money do people in the global village have?

If all the money in the village were divided equally, each person would have about $____ per year. But in the global village, money isn’t divided equally.

Money

In one part of the village, someone buys a new car. In another, a man repairs the family’s bicycle, their most valued possession. How much money do people in the global village have?

If all the money in the village were divided equally, each person would have about $6200 per year. But in the global village, money isn’t divided equally.

Money

The average cost of food, shelter and other necessities in the village is $4000 to $5000 per year. Many people don’t have enough money to meet these basic needs. __ Income more than $9000/year __ Income between $1.00/day and $9000/year __ Income under $1.00 day

Money

The average cost of food, shelter and other necessities in the village is $4000 to $5000 per year. Many people don’t have enough money to meet these basic needs. 20 Income more than $9000/year 60 Income between $1.00/day and $9000/year 20 Income under $1.00 day

The Future Village

What will our village be like in the future? How fast will it grow? How many people will it be home to? Today, the village of 100 is growing at a rate slightly less than 2 people per year. In fact, the growth rate is about 1.6% a year.

In the past, it took 3000 years for the population to double five times. In the future, the population will double five times in just 250 years! By 2250, there would be nearly 3200 people living in the global village.

The Future Village

A global village of 3200 people would be a very crowded place, with widespread shortages of food, shelter and other resources. However, not everyone believes that the village will grow this fast, and groups such as the United Nations, are working hard to make sure that the village of the future is a good home for all the people who live in it.