I presented the McLuhan media tetrad last week in South Africa. (see ‘a world of pervasive networks’ for background on these laws of media). Societies change their basic organizing structures when the primary mode of communication changes (T+I+M+N): from oral, to writing, to print, and now to electric (digital). As we shift our dominant communications medium from print to electric, our organizing methods must change as well. We no longer organize as tribes in ‘developed’ countries, but we still have strong cultural and familial bonds. Our institutions have not disappeared but they are inadequate for many of the modern challenges facing us. Faith in markets is declining, as they are found to be inadequate to share wealth in any equitable fashion. We are seeing an increase in cooperation among many agents in the networked society as they try to create new ways living together and exchanging value.
Image: http://jarche.comÂ
