Futurist Mark Pesce gave a fascinating speech at the Personal Democracy Forum last month. He explained how two different kinds of power structures (autopoietic, or self-generating, and hierarchical) will increasingly come into conflict because of their radically contrasting operating procedures. Using the recent battle between the church of Scientology and Wikipedia as an example, Pesce describes how hyperconnected, power-sharing, hyperintelligent (where shared knowledge increases the intelligence of all participants) groups chip away at the classic, top-down hierarchies of the state and other such power structures.
He explains:
In order to avoid catastrophe, the state – and any institution which attempts to treat with a hyperintelligence – must radically reform its own mechanisms of communication. Top-down hierarchies which order power precisely can not share power with hyperintelligence. The hierarchy must open itself to a more chaotic and fundamentally less structured relationship with the hyperintelligence it has helped to foster. This is the crux of the problem, asking the leopard to change its spots. Only in transformation can hierarchy find its way into a successful relationship with hyperintelligence. But can any hierarchy change without losing its essence? Can the state – or any institution – become more flexible, fluid and dynamic while maintaining its essential qualities?
…In either direction, the same paradox confronts us: power must surrender power, or be overwhelmed by it. Sharing power is not an ideal of some utopian future; it’s the ground truth of our hyperconnected world.
Watch the video below, or read a transcript of the speech here.
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Absolutely love this, having invested 6 years with a leopard unwilling to change it’s spots, I listen intently with relief. The emergence of powerful and hyper connected organisations challenging hierachy….. phew, in the right space at exactly the right time. Bring it on, bring it on, bring it on!!!!!!! Absolutely brilliant – thank you thank you, thank you for sharing!
August 28th, 2009 at 2:45 am
food for thought since my first blah…
sounds like war has already been declared between Wikipedia/Scientology, and Wikipedia is more than ready for it, therefore it exists.
‘mistakes’ during the campaign???? translate to: a lot more people are a lot more aware and ready to get into action than previously thought and hierarchical structures are unprepared. No surprise, NO mistake.
Awareness for the power of social contracts and that this power created by the masses can now be measured – another tick on the feel good metre.
Consider that: comparing Wikipedias’ Arbitration Committee to the supreme court dilutes the power of a very powerful, created social structure. Structure the sentence and dilute the power of the supreme(ly) caught. With altered wording, this presentation could provide a balance for the audience listening.
hhhmmmm, an image comes to mind of competitive hierarchical structures competing amongst themselves, throwing away waste to newly created social networks who effectively and purposefully collate the info and utilise it purposefully. And then there’s conflict, how funny!
I contend the instruction to ‘observe’ and propose that a little more organised chaos to speed up the process is more required.
And, lastly, I’m sitting with “peace is war”, and, “sharing power is the ground truth of a hyperconnected world”…. a BIG tick on the feelgood meter. Again, thanks PSFK for sharing.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:30 pm