These Charts Show How Globalization Has Gone Digital

Since last November, when the English singer Adele posted a track from her latest album, 25, on YouTube, she has sold more than 15 million downloads worldwide. That makes her one of the most famous beneficiaries of the new age of digital globalization.

Yes, globalization. For many people, that word conjures up, at best, images of container ships moving manufactured goods from far-flung factories. At worst, it harkens back to acrid debates about trade deficits, currency wars and jobs moving to China. In fact, since the Great Recession of 2008, the global flow of goods and services has flattened, and cross-border capital flows have declined sharply.

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