In McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Massage,” the passage about “the others” illustrates how inseparably interconnected the world is. He describes how the electrical information environment, referring to the worldwide web, particularly helps underrepresented groups receive more exposure than before. This claim makes sense since the internet is widely accessible to almost everyone across the globe now, and thus, the stream of information reaches to more than just one select audience. The web is a powerful place to seek support, and as such, minority groups can have their voices heard. However, just as easily, the effects of globalization can bring a certain increased level of homogeneity. Consequently, dominant customs, cultures, and discourse have the ability to overshadow their minority counterparts despite the web’s being a free space for everyone to be a part of. Nonetheless, we are in an era of digital globalization. As McLuhan says, “too many people know too much about each other.” The boundaries of communication are no longer confined to the people physically around us; the rest of the world is no longer just “the others” but rather people that we have intimate relationships with and have limitless knowledge of, due to the help of the web as a medium.

Inextricably, everyone in this present world also shares a form of global responsibility in keeping the earth a viable place to live in and for one another, as co-existing living beings. The earth has been touched and changed by us, both positively and negatively, but there is so much more to do in terms of sustainability. Every person, in every country, and every continent is accountable for the damage on this planet, whether big or small, and it is our social duty–as a community–to enforce real, tangible measures to improve the current environmental situation. Moreover, we cannot remain complacent to issues that threaten our fellow people, pretending as if all problems will solve or die on their own. It is not “we” and the “others” but we, as the human race. I firmly believe that to live on this planet is to care and strive for the betterment of our natural environment and all of our people.