Localization, parte dos

I went camping at Unicoi State Park last night, and it was amazing. The weather was beautiful - cool and crisp. We slept in "squirrels' nests" (a.k.a. tree houses!) and hiked a few trails in the morning. It was a much welcomed haven of relaxation and self-introspection.

The adventure was made extra special by the company I kept. We spent the trip talking about literature, inner thoughts, society - a refreshing retreat from some of the petty things that I get caught up in around campus.

One of the things we discussed over coffee in a nearby mountain town was the future of language throughout the world. We were split 50-50 - two of the belief that due to the spreading of globalization, the whole world will one day speak basically the same language. And two of us believed that language would do just the opposite - it would become very localized so that individual areas would speak with their own individual vocabularies.

While I first embraced the idea of localization as a positive impact on newspapers, I've come to realize that localization will have a similar impact worldwide and in many aspects of society. We were all star-struck by globalization at first. Being able to conduct business and relationships on an international level is a very thrilling concept and can add excitement to an otherwise monotonous life.

However, now it's losing its appeal. It's become too costly and inefficient to maintain a high volume of global businesses and relationships. It's like the expansion that's been happening for decades is slowing to a stop, and pretty soon we'll start receding back into our local centers - back into our small towns and our daily newspapers and our farmers' markets.

Though people crave innovation, you can't underestimate the power of community.