Is it possible to summarize the importance of disruptive technologies in just 500 words? I’ve given it my best shot below. I’m going to add this text to the end of Chapter 5 of Tragedy and Hope 101. You’re getting the first look at it. Feedback, (good or bad) is encouraged.
5. Disruptive Technologies
Over the past 100 years, the Network has worked very hard to monopolize our money, media, medicine, manufacturing, education, energy, agriculture, and government. But all of this top-down centralized power is currently under attack. It’s being destroyed; not by armies, but by innovation.
As of now, the most obvious and widespread example of this monopoly-destroying power is the internet. Although the Network can still use its legacy-media empire to spread lies, the internet has dramatically cut the lifecycle of those lies. Also thanks to the internet, the Network has lost its ability to stop whistleblowers, hackers, and ordinary citizens from exposing its crimes. (Before, it could simply refuse to distribute the evidence against it. Today, we can distribute the evidence ourselves; we can reach around the world instantly, at nearly zero cost.) In all of human history, rulers have never faced a threat of this magnitude, and it’s only just beginning.
We are now entering an era of technological development that many believe will lead to “exponential disruption.” All of the aforementioned choke points of control (from energy to education, medicine to manufacturing, agriculture to government) will change dramatically in the next 20 – 30 years. The most beneficial characteristic of these technology-driven changes is that they, like the internet, will decentralize and redistribute power. They will weaken, and then replace, the ridiculously unjust and inadequate centralized systems that our rulers have created.
Simply stated, to disrupt the elite, we must continue decentralizing everything they have monopolized. We must build the competing / parallel systems that will eventually render their current systems irrelevant. And here is where the issue of "raising awareness" really shows its importance. For every 1 million people that “wake up,” there will be a very small number who fully apply their talents (in their areas of expertise) toward creating solutions. As more join the fight, more solutions will emerge. Equally important are the millions who are “awake” but aren’t actively developing solutions. Why? Because they will provide the vital base of early adopters; they will be the ones who support the emerging alternatives.
By the time 10 to 15 percent of the adult population begins to support and apply the tactics outlined in this chapter, the continued illegitimate control of our nation will become unmanageable. But this army of informed and engaged citizens isn’t going to magically appear. We have to make it happen. And as we’re making it happen, those who currently hold power will attack our efforts with every lie and dirty trick in the book; but that doesn’t matter. If we intend to take back what “false and designing men”have stolen, we must be prepared to demand it. If we hope to achieve our ends via nonviolent means, the time to act is now. And if they force a violent confrontation, we can rest assured that the nonviolent work we have done will provide the foundation for our success.
To clarify the importance of resistance, I will cover the incredible lawlessness and immorality of those we’re up against in the final chapters. Rather than focus on how they might abuse their power, I’ll focus on how they already have.