As all these human needs are connected with each other, it is not surprising then, that the human need to connect is inherently connected with the human need for knowledge. In 11/9/89, the Berlin Wall fell because it prevented people from physically knowing and hearing about worlds that existed beyond the wall. In 8/9/95, Netscape was launced and made public because it would not only connect people with each other, but its usage would generate "more incentive…to create content and applications and tools" (64). Work Flow Software, Uploading, and In-forming were further developments that negotiated people's need for knowledge -- whether they are free and readily available or not. Work Flow Software satisfied people's need for knowledge as it allowed information to travel seamlessly through integrated networks. Uploading and In-forming, however, paved the way for (selected) new media technologies to remain "open" and continuously expanding, respectively. Uploading allowed users to treat information not just as a simple commodity, but actually as a social capital that must be shared and improved on. It also brought people together ("online communities"), uniting them in achieving a common goal, which was to keep the Internet an open venue where applications, programs, and other tools can be accessed and used for free, as in the case of the developers/programmers of Apache and Linux (101, 107). In-forming gave power to users as they can easily use and manipulate information, just as it was easy for them to access this information. This flattener made ever-expanding knowledge "at your fingertips" a reality, as more and more individuals and groups used different applications and programs to upload information, for information's sake. These flatteners are breakthroughs in that they changed the way businesses manipulated technology and information for profit, while individuals and small groups became empowered simply by their ability to influence, and consequently, empower others, through information. Free sofware and applications leveled the field at which businesses and individuals can use and manipulate information, and share or sell it to others.

Businesses use and patronize technologies that they know would make their operations more efficient -- that is, make their work easier and faster...

This need for efficiency is reflected most in business organizations, and Friedman identified Outsourcing, Offshoring, Supply Chaining, and Insourcing as four (4) flatteners that is transforming business operations not just in the United States, but in other countries as well where new media technology is developed and has become a critical part of their operations. The first two flatteners, Outsourcing and Offshoring, discussed mainly the resource management side of business operations, while Supply Chaining and Insourcing highlighted more the role that efficiencies in processes played in increasing profits for businesses and customer satisfaction. Outsourcing and Offshoring made manpower allocation and resource management possible overseas, without actually transferring the entire business to another country. Business solutions, meanwhile, have become more efficient and responsive to client and consumer needs because of fiber-optic technology. Interestingly, Insourcing was considered a flattener because it leveled competition between big and small companies, in that efficiencies were reached that allowed the small companies to "act big" and the big companies can address logistical problems through insourcing, allowing them to "act small" (170).
The last flattener appropriately describes the new millenium -- the 21st century -- as the "Me"-llenium, wherein new media technologies responded to the human need to want and get what we want. In today's societies and cultures, usage of new media technology need not have any reason or purpose; information (data, videos, images, music, etc.) are accessible, therefore, one can want it (information) simply because it is there. As Friedman claimed, 21st century is the "Age of New Creativity," and the ever-expanding Internet and World Wide Web made this infinitely possible. New media technological development marked the Age of New Creativity because it allowed people to use and manipulate information any way they want, anywhere, anytime. As a result, creative endeavors are continuously pursued and further developed, hopefully to bring the Age of Creativity and Connectivity to a higher level.

Work cited

Friedman, T. (2006). The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First…