Transnationalism Analysis

1 INTRODUCTION

In an attempt to better understand the current global state of the contemporary era, an investigation on Globalisation through the topic of Transnationalism will be conducted within this essay. A descriptive analysis on the theory of Transnationalism will follow, with relation to the chosen artefact in order to better understand the global sphere of social media with relation to the cultural implications thereof. The social video chat website Omegle will provide a relative and integrated example of the theory behind Transnationalism as well as its overarching reach within Globalisation. Communication by means of the internet will be the backbone of this investigation, especially within recent technological developments that

(Virtual Public Spheres) Omegle therefore serves as an exemplary example of exactly what being a Transnational individual entails. Users immediately enter a Transnational digital environment the moment they log onto the website, exposing themselves to the world in a very personal and immediate fashion. The aspect of identity is momentarily established as communication about their physical location is brought into consideration. This immediately results in cultural interactions, as each individuals pre-knowledge of the other users geographic location promptly affects their attitude towards the other user. This does not however take precedence over the person themselves as race and gender is nearly always the first considered aspect before entering conversation with another user. Omegle does however provide the user with a button that allows them to reconnect to a different, random user, which does grant a sense of control within the situation. Transnationalism focuses on the connections of individuals and their interactions with different people from different cultures across borders(Vertovec Jayne Ref). Globalisation has numerous different aspects relating to the universality of a global sphere, accessible to mass population by means of the internet for example. It has diminished state boundaries as goods, information , ideas, as well as persons have access to move freely across the world(Virtual Public Spheres) Ultimately resulting in a connective universe where one could essentially travel the world and interact with virtually anybody simply by touching your cell phone in the right places. The role of electronic media in the contemporary age has seized the radical transformations of culture and identity within global relations, entertaining the idea of Digital Nomadism as an integrated part of our social being