Personal Democracy Forum 2008
Note by Mr. Jordan Raynor:
Mark Pesce - Mark Pesce is an expert in social media, best known for his work blending VR with the Web to create VRML, the distant ancestor of Second Life. Pesce is an author, teacher, inventor, and well-known media personality in Australia. For the last four years has practiced "digital ethnology," studying the behavioral, cultural and political changes wrought by the new technologies of sharing and communication. Website: blog.futurestreetconsulting.com.
Hyperpolitics (American style)
Part 1: Hyperconnected
We are the same as we were 60,000 years ago...
For 50,000 years, civilization was stable and conservative
"the sapient paradox"
Took us 50,000 years to create a culture
This overflowed into civilization which then lead to culture, cities, laws and religion
Gutenberg came about and created a new form of literacy
Liberalism has been here for 250 years
The Economist last month claimed that humanity is "halfway there" in owning their own mobile phone.
By 2011, 75% of humanity will own a mobile phone.
Mobile phones may be the most potent tool ever to end poverty
The mobile phone unleashes the innate power of sociability
Being social has always been the best way to get ahead
In the West, we had the web for a decade before we figured out what to do with it
43,000,000,000 text messages sent last year.
We have a drive to connect. We have a drive to socialize
The technologies of these new tools is transforming the human landscape of social culture
Part 2: Hypermimesis
Children are experts in mimesis (imitation)
We are built to replicate behavior
New Rule: when anyone displays a new behavior, it is immediately copied. Successful behaviors are now rapidly copied. This creates hypermimesis
We do not know much about this new culture.
We know that it is:
fluid
flexible
mobile
pervasive
inexorable
Bloggers took down the Attorney General of the United States of America! That was unthinkable a decade ago, but this culture is here to stay and Washington is beginning to realize this.
Wikipedia is the first attempt to obtain all information in the world in one single place. It is by the mob, for the mob, and managed by the mob
Altruism trumps the "virtue of selfishness"
Wikipedia is not really transparent or democratic. There is a tight knit group of people who really control wikipedia.
Part 3: No Governor
Sharing is THE threat.
A photo snapped on a phone can be instantly shared and this can instantly threaten.
Politics will be different because of sharing - Bullshit he says
Obama has built a nation-wide social network by using old human made techniques
Let's say Obama gets elected...now what does he do with the network?
He can not control the network...
Thomas Hobbes - War Against All
Hypercinnectivity begets hypermimesis begets hyperempowerment
We are all committed and we are all passionate. We lack the leader to lead us...
...The leader is the internet
Hyperpolitics (American style)
Part 1: Hyperconnected
We are the same as we were 60,000 years ago...
For 50,000 years, civilization was stable and conservative
"the sapient paradox"
Took us 50,000 years to create a culture
This overflowed into civilization which then lead to culture, cities, laws and religion
Gutenberg came about and created a new form of literacy
Liberalism has been here for 250 years
The Economist last month claimed that humanity is "halfway there" in owning their own mobile phone.
By 2011, 75% of humanity will own a mobile phone.
Mobile phones may be the most potent tool ever to end poverty
The mobile phone unleashes the innate power of sociability
Being social has always been the best way to get ahead
In the West, we had the web for a decade before we figured out what to do with it
43,000,000,000 text messages sent last year.
We have a drive to connect. We have a drive to socialize
The technologies of these new tools is transforming the human landscape of social culture
Part 2: Hypermimesis
Children are experts in mimesis (imitation)
We are built to replicate behavior
New Rule: when anyone displays a new behavior, it is immediately copied. Successful behaviors are now rapidly copied. This creates hypermimesis
We do not know much about this new culture.
We know that it is:
fluid
flexible
mobile
pervasive
inexorable
Bloggers took down the Attorney General of the United States of America! That was unthinkable a decade ago, but this culture is here to stay and Washington is beginning to realize this.
Wikipedia is the first attempt to obtain all information in the world in one single place. It is by the mob, for the mob, and managed by the mob
Altruism trumps the "virtue of selfishness"
Wikipedia is not really transparent or democratic. There is a tight knit group of people who really control wikipedia.
Part 3: No Governor
Sharing is THE threat.
A photo snapped on a phone can be instantly shared and this can instantly threaten.
Politics will be different because of sharing - Bullshit he says
Obama has built a nation-wide social network by using old human made techniques
Let's say Obama gets elected...now what does he do with the network?
He can not control the network...
Thomas Hobbes - War Against All
Hypercinnectivity begets hypermimesis begets hyperempowerment
We are all committed and we are all passionate. We lack the leader to lead us...
...The leader is the internet
