As technology, knowledge, information, people and products move around the globe at a rate unknown to mankind, peoples’ roles in the world are evolving. People are no longer simply a citizen of their city, state, or country, but the entire world. Today everything is shared and people on opposite sides of the world are often linked in some type of commodity chain or international network (160,173). With these ever-growing connections it is important that the people of the world have each other’s interests in mind, as well as the interests of the earth, environment and future populations.
One realm where this new cosmopolitan citizenship and responsibility comes into play is the consumption of global products and the utilization of major global corporations. Many activists today are calling for greater social accountability from major Fortune 500 companies that have large impacts on populations and the environment. While it is difficult to hold these powerhouse companies accountable due to factors and strategies like confusion, fronting, and posturing (195), there is still a vast amount of information out there that many world citizens have access to via tools like the internet. As people are blessed with information from around the world in this technological era they are also cursed with the responsibility to use it. Many companies today can be found destroying the atmosphere, leaking toxins into water sources or providing assembly workers with abysmal working and living conditions. The truth is out there yet these companies still find ways to market their products and keep reports out of the larger public’s eye. While activists and organizations such as the United Nations work to make these monster corporations more transparent and accountable (197), I believe it is every consumer’s responsibility as a global citizen to be knowledgeable of the products they consume and the companies they use, holding them to a higher moral and ethical standard. Everything today is linked and it is important to look out for fellow citizens across the world and the earth itself, as many things now run full-circle in this shrinking world.
