Seems to be a theme with us recently.
Being able to travel to Rome last month to work with the World Food Programme was very interesting for me. We all know that the internet is a global tool, but I don’t think that fact is one we consciously think about every day. I was fascinated to hear perspectives on the internet from around the world – this thing that basically "works the same" all over the world, and also links the entire world, means very different things in other countries. It really hit home to me though, just how easily the internet links Europe with the US, for example, while being overseas, yet still being able to instant message or email co-workers in DC in exactly the same manner as if I were in the same building or just across town. Of course I "knew" that was the case, and have corresponded with people in Germany via email and Iceland via IM and so forth, but it was an excellent illustration for me. I can barely imagine conducting business without these tools. It’s also been inspiring to see the growth of and imagine the potential for global giving and activism, such as after the tsunami.
Naturally, where using the internet internationally seems the most seamless is where the money is – Google and advertising. Google is my default home page in Safari, and when I was connected in Rome, I was automatically directed to Italian Google. I could visit my usual web reads, follow my normal routine, but the banner ads would be in Italian, for Italian products. It made me feel at home and very cosmopolitan all at the same time.
Still, nothing beats physically being in a place, especially Italy, and the trip was a nice reminder of that as well.
