Introduction

In the twentieth century, the extent and speed of the global flow of people, commodities, and information has been magnified, driven at first by technological progress and later by the globalisation of markets, trade, and labour. During the last few decades in particular, the diversity of channels for global exchanges has continuously been expanding and the interconnectedness of people worldwide has intensified. Today, the global connectivity exerts an increasingly strong impact on the everyday life of people worldwide, penetrating various domains of their local lived experience.