Globalization

Free trade means that goods can be bought and sold without restrictions between different countries. The WTO (World Trade Organization) was set up to deal with the global rules of trade between nations.

Multinational companies operate in more than one country. Because of their size (= « la taille »), they are very powerful and sometimes the countries in which they operate find it hard to make them comply with (« respecter ») national laws. Some of them have been accused of tax avoidance (« évasion fiscale ») by the European Union.

Globalization means that companies and businesses operate all over the world thanks to the internationalization of markets. It encourages the circulation of goods, services and capital. Globalization has an impact on economic development but also on culture, the environment and prosperity. Supporters of globalization claim ("affirment") that it will lift people in developing countries out of poverty while its critics say that, on the contrary, it has increased inequalities worldwide.

The digital revolution marks the beginning of the information era and is sometimes called the Third Industrial Revolution. The digital revolution has made globalization possible. 

Companies can expand their operations all over the world. Electronic devices have also had an impact on our daily life, on the way we socialise and our behaviour as consumers. 

Most companies now use digital marketing to promote their goods or services. Social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for example is a growing trend. 

Digital marketing methods also include SEO (search engine optimisation), SEM (search engine marketing) or influencer marketing, etc.

However as consumers and citizens, never forget that a lot of content on the internet can be fake, or misleading (= « trompeur ») .The web is sometimes used to spread (= « faire circuler ») fake news or manipulate people. Online privacy and data collection have also become major issues. After his company went through several scandals, Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, recently declared : "The future is private."