The Society In Which
We Live…
…is straining to keep up with recent technological and
cultural changes. Much like the printing press revolutionized the world half a millennia
ago, so now the internet and mobile technologies are transforming the landscape
of modern life. I read somewhere that the American Revolution would not have
been possible without newspapers and printed material. The United States and
its institutions are an outgrowth of the change made possible by the printing
press. Separation of Church and State made possible by a Reformation directly
coinciding with the developments of the printing press. Now the internet makes
possible a new revolutionary change in how we organize ourselves as a society.
We are collectively envisioning a world with new rules and institutions in a progression
which is just a part of the dawn of this age of information. However, we have
yet to coalesce around any real vision of what changes need to be made to our
old institutions for this new world to exist.
Our current institutions are wonderful and still needed, but
they have matured in an age of industrialization and reflect the values of this
age. More than this, they reflect the possibilities of this age. Today we live
in a new age with evolving values and new possibilities. When the United States
was founded, most people were farmers, not artists. Possibilities were severely
limited by the fact that a majority of people were needed to simply maintain
our food supply. Today 1% of the population can grow the food that feeds the
other 99% thanks to developments in farming technology. This is such a drastic
fundamental difference in society, and yet the institution of a competitive
market to keep prices low is still how we regulate this industry. Why can’t
food just be free? Today we value artists a whole lot more, but we haven’t made
the changes necessary to support a larger class of artisans as is possible with
the technology we currently have. Art is free, and yet many artists cannot
support themselves through their work.
Most people used to farm. Then, the industrial revolution
happened. Today, with more automation of labor, what are most people to do? We
cannot all be sales people selling each other goods and changing money between
people this way. Such a system will just not work as it is currently not
working. Why can’t we create a new institution to exist alongside the
competitive market. An institution where people create, write, produce music,
paint, and so forth. This is kind of what the internet allows us to see. The
value of such an institution. That we are already creating this institution.
But it is not yet an established part of the economy as most people cannot make
their living in these endeavors. In fact, our current economy is not sustainable
because society is not reorganizing fast enough with regards to its new
possibilities. Much of the content of the internet is made by people who are
working for free because it is what they love to do. Wouldn’t it be nice if the
people producing this content at least had free shelter? Free food?
Maybe we can achieve this societal support of a larger class
of artisans through a shift in how we structure our society. Planned collective
bargaining communities can purchase staple foods in bulk and organize in rural
areas with free public transit into the city. Essentially building new cities
just for artists. This initiative can be sponsored by the government, but the
cities themselves can be designed by the people who will be living there. This
could be an economic driver similar to the space program to launch us from the
industrial age to the information age.
Thank you for reading this short essay by Hello and Lullaby.
If you agree with this essay please send a link to your friends and help spread the word.
