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What college town holds the Guinness record for "the most Internet cafés in a single kilometre"? If you answered Irbid, Jordan you would be correct (or almost correct). While the Guinness Book does not actually recognize the record, certainly Irbid is a contender for the title. In fact, Internet cafés are everywhere in the town, and, one might argue, are changing the way of life in Jordan. Some Jordanians are using the Internet cafés to run small businesses. Others are using the Internet to keep in touch with friends and relatives. Many however, are using the Internet to access information about "the rest of the world."
Discuss the role of the Internet in the process of globalization. In particular, consider how the Internet effectively eliminates geographic and political boundaries. In Irbid, many of those who frequent the Internet cafés wear Western-style clothes and speak English (often perfected in Web chat sessions). Discuss what the Internet means to economies that have traditionally maintained a more isolated stance toward the rest of the world. Finally, reflect on the irony that technology that was primarily developed in North America, is being used by so many non-North Americans to learn about North America. Yet it appears that some North Americans have failed to use the Internet in a similar fashion, and remain relatively uninformed about the rest of the world.
Source: "College Town in Jordan Is Full of Internet Cafés With a Familiar Feel," The Wall Street Journal, 11/18/02, p. A1.
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