International Facebook “Friends”: Toward McLuhan’s Global Village

Abstract

The term “global village” has become almost infamous in the informa-tion age. Its originator, Marshall McLuhan, is regarded by some as the most important scholar in media studies and his work is widely known to be ahead of its time. Often his work is even thought of has prophetic, including his discussions of the global village. The internet has brought the ability to send and receive information instantaneously, and many people are quick to connect the internet to a misinterpretation of McLuhan’s global village. Unfortunately this connection is often misguided and made without a true understanding of its theoretical origins. Although the internet serves as a vehicle that allows for the instant flow of information, there are important aspects of a global village that it does not address. However, online social networks have brought about some interesting trends in the uses of the internet.