Go digital to save the world. More digital interaction, and less resource hogging physical travel and unnecessary consumption. That’s some of Chris Anderson’s advice, from the pages of the August 11th issue of Newsweek. Anderson lays out his compelling ideas on why technology has not yet saved humanity, and how it possibly can.
Anderson explains:
All this said, I believe today’s inflation will ultimately speed the adoption of technologies that can fight it. The higher prices get in the atoms economy, where things get more expensive every year, the more incentive there is to move goods and services to the bits economy, where things get cheaper. How high will airfares have to get (think they’re high now? Just wait for new carbon taxes to kick in) before you invest in good videoconference gear and skip the flight altogether? How high will gas prices get before you decide to work a few more days a week from your fully wired home office, or skip the mall and shop online from home? The best way to lower energy prices is to cut demand.
In a world where seemingly everything is getting more expensive, the price of digital technology continues to fall and the differences between those two economies are growing. If getting rich was the incentive to go digital a decade ago, saving money may be an even stronger motivation this time.
The Long Tail: “Why Technology Hasn’t Saved Us From Inflation (but still can)”
