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A keynote presentation I made at Reboot Britain and subsequently at the Do Lectures In which I argue that we at the toxic tail end of the industrial, mass-media society. Humanity has been deconstructed to the point of destruction, we are thin sliced into units of production and consumption and patient - humanity is very sick. The singular pursuit or material wealth above all other things worries people like George Soros. It is no surprise that the communications revolution that we are in is about enabling humanity to get back to what makes us human; we are a highly social, collaborative species who find context and meaning through engaging with each other in a rich variety of ways - the rise of the networked society enbables us to renegotiate the power relationships between people, the mass media, consumer culture, organisations and even government.In the end I argue we need a new language and defining philosophy to help us embrace the non-linear networked world which can also transform our lives.
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Straightlinethinkingstopshere!Thetruepossibilitiesofthenetworkedsociety
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RebootingBritainAlanMooreSMLXL
Therealvoyageofdiscoveryisnottoseeknewlandscapes
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Itisindeedtolookupontheworldwithfresheyes
Socomewithmeonashortjourney,anditallstarts,withafriendofmine.SteveWattsisawealthyCalifornianbusinessman.RecentlyhedecidedhewouldtakehisfamilyonholidaytoEurope.Hedecidedthatitwouldbeagoodideatotravelen‐familiethroughoutEurope,bytrain.Indeed,anelegantwaytotravelhethought,alongstraighttracksandclockworklikeschedulesavoidingthetrialsandtribulationsofairandcartravel.HischildrenimploredhimtotakethisopportunitytoreadtheHarryPotterbooks,astheythoughthewouldreallyenjoythem,asindeedtheyhaddone.Stevedecidedthathewouldleapintothedigitalage–buythelatestiPod,anduploadHarryPotterbooksasaudio<iles.
Donningtheiconicwhiteheadphonesasthe8amfromRometoTurinmovedoutofthestation,StevelookedoutofthetrainwindowandbegantotakeinthesceneryandthestoriesofHarryPotter.Attheendoftheweek,sittingdowntobreakfast,Steveannounced,muchtothehorrorofhischildrenthathethoughtHarryPotterwasseverelyoverrated–wellinfactmorethanjustoverrated,HarryPotterwasjustplainrubbish.Hiskidslookedperplexed.Obviouslyhischildrendisagreed,so,Steveexplainedthattherewasnostructure,noplotline,andthecharacterscameandwentinrandomorder,constantly.
Steve’skidspickeduphisiPodandlookedatitandthentheylaughed–infacttheylaugheduntiltheywereintears,muchtotheconsternationoftheirfather.Why?BecauseStevehadbeenlisteningtoHarryPotterallweekonShuf<le.StevedidnotgetShuf<leandsothissimpleeverydaystorysitsattheveryheartofNoStraightLines.Becauseformanyofus,wehaveonlyeverexperiencedalinearlifeandalinearculture,Steve’sinabilitytocomprehendeventhepossibilityofShuf<leisasimplebuttellingexampleofthatfact.
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CarlotaPerezinherbookTechnologicalRevolutionsandFinancialCapital–saysthattherecomesapointintimewheretheoldinstitutionsarefoundwanting,theoldframeworksinsuf<icient.
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Alinearapproachtowhatwe
make,howwemakeit,whowemakeitwith,howweshareand
communicateisaframeworkifyouwill,oralensthatsetsustolookuponourworldandactinaveryparticularfashion.Shuf<leisanexampleofanon‐linearapproach,ameansbywhichwecanaccess,curateandinterprettheworldina
differentway.Butforsomeisveryhardtograsp.
Let me explain
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Thinkaboutitlikethis–theonlystraightlinesmadeinnaturearemadebyman,andsimilarlyourindustrialworldhasbeenbuiltwith
thesamestraight‐linelogicand,philosophy.Yetnatureisnotlikethat,
ithasnostraightlines.Nature<lows,natureismoreconnected,grassrootsandinterdependent.
Itsuggestsadifferenttypeofprocessandlogicatplaythatisnot;centralized,bureaucraticorin<lexible.Thisistheworldofnostraightlines.
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Forstraight‐linethinkerstheworldofnostraightlinesisakintolivinginaforeignland;thecustoms,language,symbolsetc.,aredis‐lo‐cating‐lyalien–theyareoutsiders,unabletofullyparticipate,astheydonothavethecomprehension,northeinsight,orthenecessarycapabilitytofullyengage.Theyhavebecomeconcussedobserverstothevitalworldaroundthem.Thevisceralshockhowever,is,thatthisishappeningtous,notinsomeforeignland,but,intheirownbackyards.
Thehighestandbestformofef1iciencyisthespontaneouscooperationoffreepeople.WoodrowWilson
Ourworldofbusiness,media,andcommunicationsisevolvingfromthestraight‐linesofanindustrialeratothemorecomplexandnetworkedworldthatmimicsnature.
Thisinteractivenetworkedworldisn’taboutverticalsilos,traditionalnotionsofproductandservicecreation,mass‐productionandmassmediaandmarketing.Itisaboutthemassive<lowsofpeople,whoareconnecting,collaborating,organisingandcreatinginamannerthathasnothingtodowithalinearapproachtoomuchatall.Thisistrulyanengagedandparticipatoryculture.
YochaiBenklerintheWealthofNetworksarguesthatforover150yearsoureconomies,cultureandsocietyhavebeenshapedbyastraight‐linelogicproducingconsiderableeconomicsuccess.However,inthedawnoftheNetworked‐Society,astraight‐linelogicofgettingstuffdonebecomesabarriertoprogress.Why?Because,thechangewroughtbythenetworked‐societyisstructural–challenginghowmarketsandorganizationshaveco‐evolvedoverthelast150years.
Communication - Community -
Communion
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Thiscreatesadilemma.Andthedilemmaisthis–Howcan<irmsandthepeoplethatworkinthose<irms,developcoherentstrategies/productsandservicesthatarepremiseduponNo‐Straight‐Lineprinciples–whentheyhavebeenversedonlyinStraight‐Linethinking–atleastfortheover35’s–frombirth?
Therearenosuchthingsasconscripts‐thereareonlyvolunteers,saysEuanSemple,hesaysyoungpeoplearecomingintotraditionalorganizationshavingspenttheentiretyoftheiryounglives:collaborating,networkingandgettingstuffdoneinverydifferentways.Theyareconfrontedwithanalienworldof:linearity,silos,hierarchiesandtheegooftitle.Thefrictionispalpablebecausetheoldorganizationalmodelscannotcopewithortakefulladvantageofthenewpotential,unleashedisaprofoundtransformationinthewayofdoingthings,ofgettingstuffdone.
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Makenomistake–wearecurrentlyinthemidstofacommunicationsrevolution–andonceyouhavestormedtheBastilleyoudon’tgobacktoyourdayjob.
Weareatthebarricades<ightingforaparticipatorycultureasthemodernworldhasstrippedushumansdowntounitsofeducation,productionandconsumption.
Infactwewantto,recoversomethingofthespiritoftheEnlightenmentontermsappropriatetoourtime.AndthisiswhatRebootisallabout:whetheritsLeeBryanttalkingaboutPeoplePower,AndyHobsbawmlookingathowwecreateSocialGoodfromSocialMedia,TomSteinberggivingusarealalternativevisionofaparticipatoryandtransparentDemocracy–throughmySociety,PaulMillerofferingusavisionastohowwecancollaborateandinnovatetogetherbetter.Wewant,Nowedemandthesharedabilitytoconnecttoothercitizensoncommonground.Becausewehavebecomevictimsoftherulesweallliveby.ReplaceeverymemberofParliamentbutaskthemtoworkwithinthecurrentsystem–andyouwillgetexactlythesameoutcome–It’sasystembreakdown.
Communicationstechnologycanbewieldedasapowerfulagentofsocialandpoliticalchange,todayitisbeingwieldedwithgreatmightandgreatferocity.
communicationstransformation
Intheageofmassmedia,thepresswasabletode<inethesphereoflegitimatedebatewithrelativeeasebecausethepeopleonthereceivingendwereatomisedbutconnected“up”toBigMediabutnotacrosstoeachother.AndnowthatauthorityiserodingsaysJournalismProfessorJayRosen
WehaveturnedawayfromaReadOnlytoaReadWriteculture–Nokiasays25%ofallmediawillbecreatedbyusby2012–YouTubeuploads13hoursofaudio‐visualmaterialeveryminuteofeverysingledayoftheyear.Thisisfolkcultureforthe21stCentury–albeitonsteroids.
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Butwhatisdrivingthiscommunicationsrevolution?
Isitthattechnologyhasjustappeared?Isita<luke?Anaccident?Thesimpleanswertothatisno.Technologyisahumancreationinthe<irstplaceanditsucceedsornotthetheextentthatitmeetsfundamentalhumanneeds,humanbeingshaveaninnateneedtoconnectandcollaborate,throughcommunalandcooperativeactivitywe<indcontextandmeaninginourlives.Rightnow,wearedirectingcommunicationstechnologytoachieveveryspeci<icthingsforsociety.AsCarlJungsaid….
“I”Needs“We”
totrulybe“I”
Noisyghostsinthemachinecalledlife
http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/09/fresh_stuff_from
_dan_in_bristol_uk.html
Butourindustrial,massmedia,massconsumersociety,stripsusofwhatmakesuswhoweare–wehavebecomeunitsofproductionandconsumption,batteryfarmed,andraisedinaworldwherewefeellittlepersonalaccountabilitytoeachother.Wehavedeconstructedhumanityalmosttothepointofdestruction–sceptical!?Askanypracticingpsychologistwhowilltellyouoftheverycomplexpsychologicalproblemsmanypeoplehaveastheystruggletoconstructtheiridentities.
Sadlymanyofushavebecomeverynoisyghostsinthemachinecalledlife.IntheUKEvery3in5peoplesufferorhavesufferedfromamentalhealthproblem
Thecrisisofourmodernageisthecrisisofmeaning,thesearethedeepdriverstowhatallthespeakersatRebootareconcernedwith–whatRebootdirectsyoutoishowwecanrediscoveroursenseofourselvesandindoingso–RebootBritain.
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“Humannatureisnotamachinetobebuiltafteramodel,andsettodoexactlytheworkprescribedforit,butatree,whichrequirestogrowanddevelopitselfonallsides,accordingtothetendencyoftheinwardforceswhichmakeitalivingthing.”
JohnStuartMill–OnLiberty1859
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Anewcommonsenseforthenetworkedsociety
Participatoryculture–folkcultureforthe21stCenturyInalatemedievalcarnival,forexample,everyonehadaroletoplayandachancetodistinguishthemselvesindividuallybythebrillianceoftheircostumes,thewittinessoftheirjokes,ortheirtalentsasdancersorathletes.BarbaraEhrenreichinherbookDancingintheStreets,ahistoryofcollectivejoy,saysthatthecapacityforcollectivejoyisencodedintousalmostasdeeplyasthecapacityforerotichumanloveofonehumanforanother.Wecanlivewithoutit,asmostofusdo,butonlyattheriskofsuccumbingtothesolitarynightmareofdepression,arguesBarbaraEhrenreich.Today,themostprescribeddrugsintheworldarethosefordepression.
Wewanttoco‐create,share,collaboratetogetherinthiswaywe<indcommonmeaning.
HOSHumanOperatingSystem
http://www.we‐make‐money‐not‐art.com/archives/2008/05/erika‐larsen‐for‐the‐past.php
TheOpenSocietyGeorgeSorosworrieddeeplythatunfetteredcapitalismwascreatingaclosedsocietywhichonlyonethingcounted–materialsuccess.Hearguedforanopensocietyanewtypeofoperatingsystemthatwasnotbuiltuponmarketfundamentalism,dogmaandavarice.IwouldarguethisiswhatwemightcallaHumanOperatingSystem.Thissocialoperatingsystemlooksbeyondmaterialismtosomethinggreater‐toliberateusfromclosedsystemssothatwecanallre‐engagewiththeworldtofeelandbeaccountabletoeachotherandexperienceandenjoytherichnessoflife
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@RebootweareshowingeachotherwhatthisOpenSocietyreallymeanssystems,platformsandservicesthatenablepeopletobettercooperatetogether,moreeffectivelyandenjoyably.Wegofromfastertocloser–fromcontexttodeepercontext.AndasJohnThackarasaysacultureofcommunityandconnectivityhastobefunaswellaschallenging,aswellasresponsible.
The“opensociety”iscreatedbytheunfoldingof;ideas,languageandcreativitythatbringsusnewwaysofdescribingandcomprehendingourworld.
TheOpenSocietyshouldNOTJUSTSATISFYUS.Noitshouldinspireus.
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IwanttosharesomewordswithyouthatIwantyoutore<lectuponandindoingsotothinkaboutwhatdothesewordssuggestaspossibilitiestoyou?Andperhapsasyouspendyourdaywithusall@Rebootapplythislanguagetoyourcompany,yourorganisationandimaginewhatthatlanguagemeans?
lightweight
<lexible
adaptive
creativecommons
opensource
deepcontext
life‐longlearning
embeddedsociability
individual&collective
accountability
mobile
grassroots
craftmanship
permeable<lowsof
information
blendedreality
networkedeconomics
collaborative&
participatory
socialinnovation
i+we
networked
trust&
transparency
sharedcollectivejoy
read&write
collectiveintelligence
mashable
hyper‐local&
superglobal
technologiesof
cooperation
understandsthemoralityof“enough”
Collaboration,participation,co‐creationCocreationTheco‐creationofcultureandthesharingofculturecreatessocialcohesion.
CraftsmanshipinthenetworkedsocietySocialphilosopher,RichardSennett'sbookTheCraftsman,isanexplorationintotheideaofcraftsmanship,hebeginsfromthebasicsoftechniqueandpersonalexpressionandappliesthattoaphilosophyofhowcraftsmanshipmightbeattheveryheartofsocialgoodinmodernsociety.ItisSennett'scontentionthat“nearlyanyonecanbecomeagoodcraftsman”andthat“learningtoworkwellenablespeopletogovernthemselvesandsobecomegoodcitizens.”Thislineofthoughtdepends,amongotherthings,upontheEnlightenmentassumptionthatcraftabilitiesareinnateandwidelydistributed,andthat,whenrightlystimulatedandtrained,theyallowcraftsmentobecomeknowledgeablepublicpersons.”Thecraftsmanismorethanjustagoodtechnicianheisabringerofpeaceandamakerofcivilisation,heuseshistoolsforthecollectivegood.
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EmbeddedSociabilityEverysinglecasehistoryandpropositionatRebootactuallyhassociabilityimplicitlyembedded.RebootrecognisesembeddedsociabilityaspartoftheDNAofthenetworkedsociety–itisafundamentalrequirement.http://www.<lickr.com/photos/an_untrained_eye/1195966967/
Permeabilityoforganisations
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organisationsneedtobepermeable,withtheabilitytoabsorb<lowsofinformation,andpeople.
Thismeansusingmoretransparentmethodsofcommunicationfrominsideoutandoutsidein.
Italsomeansbeing<lexibleandadaptive,moreorganicinthoughtanddeed.
Theorganisationasavillage
Peoplehavelivedandworkedinvillagessincethedawnofcivilization.Thecorporation,arguesCharlesHandy,isayouthfulconcept,littlemorethanacenturyold.Onecouldargue,too,thatthenotionofalivelyvillage—withitsunabashedhumanity—isamoreappropriatewaytolookatwhatthecorporationshouldbeinthe21stcenturythantheconstrainedandimpersonalentityithasbeen.
Villagesaresmallandpersonal,andtheirinhabitantshavenames,characters,andpersonalities.Whatmoreappropriateconceptonwhichtobaseourinstitutionsofthefuturethantheancientorganicsocialunitwhose<lexibilityandstrengthsustainedhumansocietythroughmillennia?
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Takingbackthepublicrealm
http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/08/bruno_taylors_playful_spaces.html
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Wedon’ttakebackthepublicrealmbymoreCCTV‐Tryingtocontrolthepublicdomainremotelyisnevergoingtowork.WhyisitinJapanthatyoucanleaveyourbicycleleftunlockedindownTokyo–becausesocietyhasapowerfulsenseoftheinter‐relationshipbetweensociety–thepublicrealmandtheindividual.
Creatingcommunityisonlymarginallyabouttechnology.Whatmattersistheemergenceofsharedmeaningasweinteractwitheach‐otherinmeaningfulactivities…Forhundredsofyears,whenthemajorityofthepopulationwasilliterate,participatoryritualandperformancewerethemainwaysthatbeliefsweresharedwithinaculture.
ThelearningageStephenHeppellconsidersthe21stcenturytoheraldthe‘learningage’.Inthe20thcentury,heargues,webuiltbigthings(railways,universities)butthefocusforthe21stcenturyis‘helpingpeopletohelpeachother’.Inhisview,“Theoldstuffwon'tdoanymore”.ThefourCsareHeppell'skey…
{1}Creating
{3}Collaborating
{4}Communicating
{2}Critiquing
Learningshouldbeapartofallourlives–anopen,livingbreathingsystemwhereintelligenceandknowledgeis
sharedanddistributed–
Deschoolingbusinessschools–anewcapitalism
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Contrarytopopularopinion–businessisinfactasocialscience–soperhapsourbusinessschoolsshouldbemorelikethis–theEdenprojectThepromiseofthisnewworldcannotcomeaboutuntileducation/business/politicsetc.,adjuststohumanneednottheotherwayaroundbyconnectingpeoplewithcommoninterests,unlockingcreativetalentamonggroupsthathaveapassionateinterestorandesiretoexchangeinformationglobally,andasaconsequencenewcontentandsolutionsemerge.
IbelievethatbyofferingcollaborativetoolsforinnovationatthegrassrootswedramaticallyincreaseproductivitybecauseasIhavepointedoutasimpletruthpeopleembracewhattheycreate.
TheeffervescentbeautyofsystemsthinkingStraightLineThinkersalsofailtothinkofthewholesystemorpathwayofhelp,whichleadsinsteadtofocusingonbitsofthesystem,withtheresultthatalthougheachbitmaybedoingitsbit,theoverallresultisawful,asonepartclashesagainstanother.
JohnSeddon,arguesthatthisdynamiciscurrentlyendemicinBritain’spublicsectorleadingtovaluelessactivity,meaninglessmeasurement,andeverpoorerservice,atevergreatercost.YouandIastaxpayersarepayingheavilyforthisstupidity.Thesolution,SeddonadvocatesisaSystemsThinkingapproachwhere[1]individualscome<irst,[2]wasteisreduced[3]responsibilityreplacesblame.It'sanapproachthatisproven,successfulandrelativelycheap‐andonethatgovernmentsaroundtheworld,andtheiradvisers,needtoadopturgently.
Itisthedifferencebetweeneffectivenessvs.ef<iciency
simplexity
Wecreatecomplexitybynotthinkingthroughsolutionsde<inedbysimplehumanprincipals.Thisisasrelevanttoourdailylivesasindividualsandasprofessionals.Weforgettolookbeyondtheobviousandstepbackfromsituationstoenableustoalterourpreconceptionsoftakingandmaking
solutions.Andbydoingso,wetumbleintocomplexity
TheBillBaileyPrinciple
OneofthewaystosimplexityisthroughtheBillBaileyprinciple.Billisacomedianandheisaskedhowhecomesupwithhisjokes
Billsays–wellIstartwithalaughandworksbackwards.WhatdoIneedtodotocreatethataboutoflaughter!!Wherewestarttothinkaboutsolvingproblemswilldeterminewhereweendup.
JamesDysonstartedbyaskingaquestionandfocusedthereafteron<indingtheverybestanswer/experiencetothatquestion.Hisfocuswasoneffectivenessnotef<iciency.Funnythat–healsohas50%ofthevacuumcleanermarket–globally.
ButwealsoseethesameapproachforMyPoliceandinthereisasuggestionofacompletelydifferentapproach,aprocessthatprovideverydifferentresults.
Isuggest,thatratherthan<iddlingaroundwithbitsofthesystem,weraiseoureyesandmindsupwardsandyearnforthevastendlessseaofpossibilityofwhatoursocietycouldbebeyondthecon<inesofStraightLinethinking–EmbraceandusedailywhatHowardRheingoldrightlydescribesas“TechnologiesofCooperation”.
Whatyoucallthingsisimportant,asIhavealsoexplained,weneedanewlanguageandframeworktoenabletoustosucceedasasociety,and,weneedtoputcommerceinitsrightfulplacewithinthehumanfabricofthenetworkedsociety.
Weneedasystemrebootintoanewsocialparadigm.AsRichardSennettarguedintheCraftsman
Wewantto,recoversomethingofthespiritoftheEnlightenmentontermsappropriatetoourtime.
Wemayneedaformofdualismforawhile,understandingthatweareintheprocessofmakingajourney,spiritually,socially,andeconomicallyfromonewayofseeingandbehavingintheworldtoanother.Thesourceofthesolutionliesin<indingonceagainthe‘being’inhumanbeing.Thefundamentalneedwehaveisto<indsharedmeaning,becausewithoutsuchcommunalmeaningorbelonging,webecomebricksinthewall,livingmeaninglesslives.
WeneedtoRebootthesystemandweneedtoRebootitnow.
Thankyou
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