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Chaocracy?
Sep. 25th, 2008 10:02 pmThis speech by Mark Pesce, inventor of the VRML language for doing 3D stuff on the Internet, is very intriguing but left me wanting more. The basic premise is that because digital networks are so good at getting around any attempts to control the flow of information, particularly by governments, our whole present form of government is doomed and the future will be ruled by the networked mob, which means...what, exactly?
Now, to be fair, the incredible rate of change that characterizes our era, and our information technologies most especially, means that predicting even the near future in anything more that vague terms is probably a really bad idea. But still, if Pesce is going to throw out vague statements like "the social fabric will warp and convulse as various polities actualize their hyperempowerment in the cultural equivalent of nuclear exchanges," he ought to explain just what he thinks he's saying.
The idea is fascinating because, as Pesce appears to be fond of pointing out, over half of the world's population are cell phone owners and that fraction is still increasing fast, with poor people benefiting massively from the newfound ease of communication at a distance. So the Third World gets to be part of the mob, too. But is this mob actually capable of doing what democracies and dictatorships now do, providing security, building and maintaining basic infrastructure, and so on? Or will it be closer to the classic image of a mob, e.g. a continuous global riot, a literal "war of all against all?" In short, should we be happy or terrified of the direction Pesce sees us headed?
I'm thinking maybe I should read Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow to try and sort this idea out--the jacket description sounded similar enough to what Pesce seems to be talking about. On the other hand, the book also sounds rather depressing.
Via.
Now, to be fair, the incredible rate of change that characterizes our era, and our information technologies most especially, means that predicting even the near future in anything more that vague terms is probably a really bad idea. But still, if Pesce is going to throw out vague statements like "the social fabric will warp and convulse as various polities actualize their hyperempowerment in the cultural equivalent of nuclear exchanges," he ought to explain just what he thinks he's saying.
The idea is fascinating because, as Pesce appears to be fond of pointing out, over half of the world's population are cell phone owners and that fraction is still increasing fast, with poor people benefiting massively from the newfound ease of communication at a distance. So the Third World gets to be part of the mob, too. But is this mob actually capable of doing what democracies and dictatorships now do, providing security, building and maintaining basic infrastructure, and so on? Or will it be closer to the classic image of a mob, e.g. a continuous global riot, a literal "war of all against all?" In short, should we be happy or terrified of the direction Pesce sees us headed?
I'm thinking maybe I should read Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow to try and sort this idea out--the jacket description sounded similar enough to what Pesce seems to be talking about. On the other hand, the book also sounds rather depressing.
Via.
