What this lesson teaches
I can explain how developments in digital technology have driven globalisation.
Syllabus K230, Issue 3, Guiding Question 1, Technological advancements. Developments in digital technology
Make a guess
An animation team in Singapore works for a client in another country. Do you think they need to travel to share drafts?
- Yes, because clients usually want to check drafts in person.
- No, files and feedback can be shared online within minutes.
- No, and digital tools also remove the need to ship physical goods.
Show the answer
No, files and feedback can be shared online within minutes.
Digital technology cuts the time and cost of working across borders. Services can be delivered without moving people.
Digital technology lets people share information, work together and provide some services across borders without travelling.
Picture an animation team that sends a draft to an overseas client, gets comments and revises it, without posting anything. A shared online workspace lets both sides use the same files from different countries.
Digital technology uses electronic systems to create, store, process and share data. It includes fast internet, smartphones, video calls and online platforms. It cuts the time and cost of communicating across borders.
It helps businesses find overseas customers, share ideas, take payments and coordinate work in different places. For example, sharing a forecast of future orders helps a factory plan how much to make. A forecast is an estimate, not a record of actual sales. Some services, such as online lessons or software, can be delivered entirely online.
Physical products still need materials, factories and transport. Digital links also depend on devices, electricity, networks, skills and compatible systems. Not everyone has equal access to these.
- Digital technology
- Internet, smartphones, video calls and online platforms.
- Effect
- Faster, cheaper communication and online services across borders.
- Limits
- Needs devices, internet and skills, and cannot move physical goods.
Real examples to use
Online shopping
Platforms such as Shopee and Lazada let shoppers in Singapore buy directly from sellers in other countries.
Working across borders
During COVID-19, video-calling tools such as Zoom let people work, study and hold meetings with others in different countries without travelling.
Worked example: Feedback from Canada overnight
A Singapore animation studio shares drafts with a client in Canada through an online workspace. The client comments during Canada's day, and the team reads the comments the next morning.
- The client and studio never meet in person.
- Work moves across borders instantly, which makes repeated cooperation cheap and easy.
- The time difference even lets work continue around the clock.
- The studio sells a service abroad, but all its staff stay in Singapore. Overseas customers alone do not make it an MNC.
Watch out for this
Digital technology removes the need for physical transport.
Services can move online, but physical goods still need to be made and shipped. Online communication itself also relies on cables, equipment and power.
Check your understanding
Which activity depends mainly on digital technology rather than transport?
- A supermarket importing fresh vegetables from Malaysia each morning by lorry.
- A car dealer selling cars shipped from Japan after customers order them online.
- A Singapore student taking an online course from a university in Australia.
Show the answer
A Singapore student taking an online course from a university in Australia.
Yes. The service is delivered over the internet.