Behind the euphemism of 'global village' (or 'global city' as Mr. Javed Jabbar would argue) a historical change is taking place. Ironically, its impact is grossly misunderstood. As the technological revolution is pushing history into a new phase of economic production and social set-up, the intellectuals, mistakenly, are still trying to understand it in the context of the old industrial society of the last three hundred years; the society, which was characterized by mass production and social institutions emanating from it.

The agricultural revolution, that originated mostly in Asia, continued spreading to other continents for thousands of years. There are, still, a few societies that are passing through this and its predecessor phase i.e., tribalism. The industrial revolution that emerged in the European continent during the seventeenth-eighteenth century is penetrating most of the world after consolidating itself in Europe and North America. While the new industrial tigers are emerging and asserting themselves in Asia and elsewhere, the old industrialized world is mapping out an entry into a new era that has unique and unanticipated characteristics.

The industrial revolution changed the agrarian societies in every aspects of life. This fundamental transformation was caused, essentially, due to change of isolated and individualized agrarian production into mass production of goods and services. For example, the individualized tailoring and shoe-making was transformed into machine-made bulk production in the factories. In this era, unlike its preceding period, the goods were not made for individual needs, tastes and sizes but according to generic denominations: shoes and cloths started coming in small, medium and large sizes only, instead of individual measurements taken by artisans. Such a mass production of goods and services gave birth to mass democracies, trade unions and armies etc. It also shrunk the extended family structure of agrarian era to a nucleus family. The system of ideas (individualism, social justice etc) also corresponded to this economic and social setting.

Now, in this new global village/city, the traditional societies are entering and grappling with the fast penetrating industrialization and, hence, 'massification' of all spheres of life. The industrial world is transferring the mass production to traditional agrarian and, to keep its edge, concentrating on the production of the high-end technological goods. The industrial world is also transmitting its societal values through mass media. Consequently, the intersection between the industrialized societies and the rest of the world is fast expanding, creating a semblance of globalization. At the same time, a fundamental divergence is also underway.

While industrialization is inducing 'massification' in the new industrializing countries, the process of 'demassification' is gradually making its way into the societal make-up of the matured industrial world. Such a basic shift has not been examined closely even by the western elite yet. The technological revolution, initiated by the computer/digital technology, is bringing an end to the mass production in the economic, social, cultural and all other arenas of industrialized society. The old order is being replaced by a new type of individualized (qualitatively different from the agrarian society) form of living. This point can be elaborated with the following examples.

During the era of mass production, government and private corporations developed huge office complexes where thousands worked under the same roof. The Pentagon, military headquarters of the US known to be the largest office building with a capacity of accommodating several thousand office workers, symbolized this phenomenon. Now about one-third of the workers are receiving daily work assignments and submitting output through electronic mail to their organizations. Consequently, giant offices are becoming empty shells. Incidently, this home commuting (working from home) is changing the family institution: new bonding/equation between the family members is emerging.

Likewise, corresponding to mass production, huge sales outlets, known to be shopping malls or departmental stores, proliferated all over. For stocking inventories, warehouses, stretching over acres of land, were built. Furthermore, smooth operation of these warehouses required a military of workers. Now, these operations are becoming redundant because, first, on-line (through internet) shopping is replacing the significance of sales outlets and, second, the warehousing does not require much space and manpower: a small computer can keep on taking inventories every moment and alert the manufacturers to replenish them. In essence, the mass sales are giving way to individualized, sized-down, operations.

The proportion and scope of this revolution is as big as the one that occurred when agrarian societies were industrialized. It is impossible to give details of how each institution is being transformed, nevertheless, following are few glimpses of the prospective change.

Importance of human versus physical capital: The futurists have concluded that human capital (mental skills that create technology) has become more important than the physical capital. The new millionaires and billionaires, led by Bill Gate of the Microsoft, have made their fortunes in computer technology. They have not achieved this by engaging in mass production, symbolized by Ford's production of cars in yesteryears. While, Ford needed huge capital outlays for his venture, Bill Gate, a college drop-out, needed a table and a chair to initiate his production.

Dilution of mass media: Mr. Javed Jabbar is well on target in saying that the "mass participation in artistic and cultural work and in the mass media will be stimulated on a scale unrivaled in history. But with all the massification, culture may become formless and bland"

However, his observation is more applicable to the newly industrializing world: contrary to projections and forecasts of homogenization/ globalization, the matured industrial societies are moving towards 'demassification'.

Major newspapers, off-shoot of mass industrial production, are giving way to specialized information media. The cost of collecting, publishing and dissemination of information has come down to a level where the heterogeneous electronic communities can easily avoid the tyranny of mass newspapers. Similarly, thousands of audio-video on-line services are available on the internet. Once a few of the hitches are taken care off, the deployment of audio-video technology, on the internet, will diminish CNN's importance..

In essence, communities, cutting across the geographical boundaries, have their own instruments of information. Besides ten thousand plus internet discussion groups, millions of bulletin boards and mailing list serve countless heterogeneous communities. Again, contrary to common perceptions that the new technology is limiting intellectual interaction to images and pictures internet users, having free access to books, are reverting back to the pleasures of serious reading.

Diminishing of mass political culture: The prevalent western democracy -- the emergence of two party system, and holding of elections every four to five years -- also emanated from the industrial era's mass production. The cost and logistical obstacles, in getting the consensus on every societal issue, forced societies to hold elections after certain intervals. In the intervening periods, the elected parties could violate the will of the electorate. Now, when the information technology has removed the financial and other obstacles, the present form of democracy will eventually change : two party systems along with relationship among the political establishments and the citizens will change into other forms that are hard to visualize

Nucleus family withering away: Extended family was the need of agrarian societies (needing several hands to work jointly) while the nucleus family (husband-wife-children) corresponded to the requirements of industrial era. Now, with 'demassification' and individuation, the family institution is again on a crossroad. Single parent families have increased from 5-6 percent to 20- 30 percent in the last 20 years in the western world. Therefore, it is evident that the new family structure will be much more different than the one we know.

One can show such changes occurring in every field of life. The Gulf War symbolizes this revolution where the Iraq's mass army was decimated by a weaponry system (with least involvement of human beings) based on new technology. With the similar force, the technological revolution is going to smash the existing institutions of the industrialized societies.. 'Demassification' and individualization will characterize the new society. Therefore, there is need to re-examine the differentiating impact of globalization on the industrialized versus developing world.

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