What is the digital revolution really about? Love actually.

Now that may seem an odd answer to a question about digital technology. But it is almost Xmas so indulge me. And the film “Love actually” has become a Christmas classic, loved by many and abhorred by some.

Which is an interesting point. We don’t all agree on everything.

And meanwhile, the digital revolution continues on its merry way connecting, collaborating and integrating all of us (who don’t agree on everything) into something like an enormous, worldwide, interconnected “think tank”, a giant brain.

Because a brain is an integrated network of neurons and synapses – roughly one hundred billion neurons with up to 10,000 synaptic connections to other neurons.

And the number of computers now connected to the internet is roughly 10 billion, so we still have a long way to go in building a similar network of connections, but we are heading in the right direction.

Towards even more connection, more collaboration and more integration.

Which raises an obvious issue.

We are sharing information. We are creating value. We are sharing value. So what could we do with that? What should we do?

This has never really been an issue before, because there has never been a way to join and connect things up at the scale we are now experiencing.

Other than the very fundamental connection we all have in being made of the same stuff – stardust.

And powered by the same energy – life.

Big bang. Wait a bit.

And bingo here we are on planet earth for a short while, doing our thing. Together.

Slap bang in the middle of a digital revolution doing its thing. Connecting us, collaborating us and integrating us.

Look in the mirror and most of us don’t recognise what we have in common with everybody else, we focus on the differences. And that tendency is exaggerated by our education, beliefs and exposure to the world.

And through a couple of prior revolutions – agricultural and industrial, we have given emphasis in education and work to our capacity to specialise, separate and divide. And compete.

A reflection in many ways of the natural world we live in. It was the inspiration of that environment that gave Adam Smith his insights that people work naturally towards maximising their self-interests.

And Darwin was able to see that the competitive struggle and natural selection created diversity of living beings over millions of years.

Innovation and trial and error is reflected in the natural world and the intellectual world.

But it is in the channeling of these natural tendencies that we have become successful.

First moving from hunter gathering into the management of our natural environment through the agricultural revolution, then the management of our manufacturing environment through the industrial revolution and now the management of our information environment through the digital revolution.

The digital revolution however is a bit different to previous revolutions, because it joins things up. And simplifies the component parts to “1”s and “0’s.

Which creates problems and opportunities. As always.

Both positive and negative. As always.

One problem is obvious. Digital technology destroys jobs. But not in quite the same way as previous revolutions, so there are few clues from history. The digital revolution is not just moving people from farms to factories. It is replacing people completely with technology.

The digital revolution replaces people – with robots, automation and software, and replaces far more people than it leaves alone.

Neither of the previous revolutions was random or unrestrained, they were managed. Maybe not initially, but increasingly over time.

It was the management of nature that gave us agriculture and harvest. It was the management of manufacturing that gave us goods and associated services.

It will be the management of information and its translation into knowledge that will deliver real value to our societies.

The only difference here is that the equation has changed. In a joined up, ever more connected, collaborative and integrated world the deliverables have to reflect the nature of the new information environment or they won’t work.

So it is not just about delivering value to individuals, it is about delivering value to communities as well. Not just about the cities but also about the bush.

It is not just about delivering value to a department or a sector it is about delivering value to a whole region, country or even a planet.

It is not just about delivering value now. It is about delivering value sustainably.

There is no room for digital divides in a joined up world. It doesn’t make sense. An interconnected world demands inclusion, or it is not really interconnected.

The “wicked problems” that previously were allowed to fester in the gaps between silos can now be addressed for all to benefit.

But customers – people – have to be “ready, willing and able” or they won’t play. And ready and willing is about attitude.

It is still early days in the digital revolution and all the digital tools can be used in whichever way anybody chooses.

For good or for bad. To include or to exclude. For win-lose or win-win outcomes. There is a choice.

But there is an underlying current to digital change that carries everything before it, both good and bad. In one direction only.

Swim with the current = resonance. Swim against it = dissonance.

And there is a character to digital change that reflects the nature of interconnection, sharing and collaboration. Align with that character = resonance. Fight it = dissonance.

At this stage we are in transition from industrial to digital. The technologies precede the attitudinal changes that will ultimately align. There is war between the way it was and the way it will be.

And the tools seem neutral. Seem to be.

So as you would expect, digital tools are being used to reinforce values from the previous industrial revolution. Promoting concepts from the 20th century. Command and control. I win, you lose. 1% versus 99%. We continue to do what we always did, what we know.

But digital tools are also being used to reinforce the new values of the 21st century. Connection. Sharing. Collaboration. I win, you win. We all win. Shared value. Which is new territory for many people.

For these are values and attitudes that have historically been expressed as wishes, hopes and dreams, but impossible to actively fulfill. Until now.

Everything that grows takes time. You can’t whip a tree and make it grow faster. But the fruits of more connection, collaboration and integration are becoming more evident day by day.

The values are reflective of the singular, connected, digital entity we are creating. The values are reflective of connection, collaboration and integration. The values are reflective of a collective view of the world we live in. Of one world where everything joins up.

And we have only just begun.

Understand this new paradigm and the digital revolution offers exciting opportunity. Misunderstand it or reject it and digital disruption is a threat.

This shouldn’t be surprising. We wake up with a synchronised view of life every day. Our consciousness. The captain of our ship. In charge. Making decisions. Selecting options.

We feel most comfortable when all parts of our being are aligned – body, emotion, mind and spirit.

We feel at ease. Misaligned we feel unease. Constant unease leads to disease.

Ready, willing and able?

Most of you won’t remember the song “Ready, willing and able”, sung by Doris Day in the early 1950s.

But those three little words, sum up the main barriers to technology adoption that governments, corporates and vendors of all kinds have to deal with in engaging with customers.

Attitude can be a bigger barrier than capability, infrastructure, networks, leaderships, education, guidance, support and authority.

Accenture highlighted the growing resistance to adoption in the consumer electronic industry with heightened data security concerns, falling demand for smartphones and tablet PCs and stagnant growth in the Internet of Things market.

A survey of 28,000 consumers found that nearly half ranked security and privacy risks among the top three barriers to buying Internet of Things devices and services – including smart watches, wearable fitness monitors and smart home thermostats.

Over half knew that these products can be hacked and result in stolen data or device malfunctions. A third chose to postpone buying, a third chose to be cautious when using and 16% quit using their devices or terminated their service until they can get safer guarantees.

Add to that, the ubiquitous information overload we all suffer every day, and it is hardly surprising that caution and reticence thrives.

So are we ready and willing? Not yet.

There is plenty of encouragement from government and vendors but plenty of resistance from customers who are not ready or willing to play the new game.

Internet of things adoption is slow in the public domain.

The military have been pioneers with wearable computing, drones and network centric warfare. But the military is the epitome of command and control. You do what you are told.

In the public domain, adoption has slowed because of understandable fears about privacy, reliability, safety and security.

Who wants their house to be embedded with sensors and control systems that are hackable?

Nobody wants to return home to a house with the front door wide open, music blaring loudly and the fridge dancing in the living room with the entertainment system, vacuum cleaner, air conditioner, solar panels and water heater, all knee deep in water.

Cheap, mass-produced, insecure sensors in manufactured smart devices make this scenario a virtual certainty…though maybe not the dancing.

We will have to pay a bit more for reliable safety and security and a lot of electronics manufacturers jumped too soon, used cheap, unreliable, insecure “chips” and have muddied the water accordingly.

So consumers have a good reason to be unwilling. And if I am unwilling, then I am not ready. And if I am not ready, I will postpone.

And building trust takes time and isn’t helped by government actively promoting technology on the one hand whilst actually undermining the security and privacy of technology and individuals on the other hand.

Or allowing fake news and media manipulation to change and challenge the public debate, political decision making, elections and storytelling.

These things do not go unnoticed and people are more than able to join the dots.

And vote with their feet. By standing still.

The risks grow larger not smaller over time, as state and non-state terrorists, criminals and alienated sociopaths become more knowledgeable, connected and effective.

And if governments can’t protect their own assets with all the resources they have at their command, then what about me?

The problem is largely one of perception. But perception in many cases is an individual’s reality.

And the reality is constantly being tested…day by day.

Any tool has a good side and a bad side.

Take blockchain. Distributed ledger technology.

Blockchain can do many things.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency based on blockchain. It is a vehicle for capturing and sharing value but Bitcoin is also a vehicle for speculation.

A digital gambling chip.

Many state and non-state “black hat” organisations have been swift to use the internet for nefarious activities – scamming, phishing, malware, spyware, fake news, romance scams, ransomware and so on.

And of course they have the resources to target any opportunity they want to.

Bitcoin is one of the very few speculative opportunities available in a world of low interest rates, and low returns on traditional investments.

Get in and get out at the right time and happiness. Get in now and can’t get out (too late) and pain.

Housing is another speculative vehicle for some, though that bubble is beginning to deflate.

But now Bitcoin has replaced housing. Next bubble in the line.

Add rich billionaire speculators to the “black hat” brigade with their abilities to manipulate “news”, email, spam and scam and you have a game that suits very few players.

The “black hat” brigade is safe – muscle, anonymity and enforcement. The billionaires aren’t worried either. For the rest of us, traditional casino rules apply. The house always wins.

That’s the dark side.

On the light side, blockchain is a receptacle for value. And that receptacle can be used for many positive things.

In a world where, jobs are being destroyed by technology, blockchain represents a way to revisit the value of effort.

Because, the most valuable asset we have is life. On loan for a short while.

The time we have on the planet is “spent” or “invested” by each of us in return for something – money, food, education, satisfaction, love, recognition, medals, awards, honours, health and so on.

We build skills and capabilities as a result of the time we invest, and use these new skills to leverage the further investment of time and effort.

Skills and capabilities give us a sense of purpose, self-respect, worth and value in the society we live in.

Money becomes a receptacle that represents the return on the investment of our life, leveraged through ‘brain” skills, “eye” skills, “hand” skills and even “no skills.

Using these skills and capabilities productively gives us a sense of purpose, satisfaction and fulfillment.

But what options are left to us in a world where opportunities are steadily diminishing because of competition with software, automation and robots?

If there are no jobs, no feedback, reward or respect, what do we become? This question already confronts the unemployed and the underemployed in our society – 18.2% in Australia, according to Roy Morgan poll.   

And when this situation is further inflated by ageism, lack of digital skills, no affordable high-speed connectivity, no entry-level jobs, and an out of date education system then our position is even worse.

So we have to address the future of work and jobs. We have to consider how to offer reward to all members of our society not just based on their ability to perform traditional work.

What is the intrinsic value of a person? What is the value of the contributions a person makes? How do we allocate reward? Where should the reward come from? What form should the reward take?

We have used work and wages as our primary model.

In a new low work or no work environment, what model could replace work and wages?

What should we exchange?

In our society a dollar coin is a receptacle for value. In this case a gold colour coin that can be exchanged for goods and services. Go to sleep at night and in the morning the coin is still worth a dollar.

A Bitcoin is a receptacle for value as well. In this case, an electronic token that may be exchanged for goods and services in a few places but not many. Go to sleep at night and in the morning the Bitcoin could be worth anything or nothing.

There is now an opportunity to use blockchain technology as a means of creating other receptacles for value – tokens, which can be awarded for contributions that are not traditionally recognised or even valued.

This is virgin territory. More about that in the new year.

Visit https://theredtoolbox.org to sign up or partner if you would like to be involved in some way.

Digital tools can be used for good and for bad.

But in an interconnected world, where engagement includes the active participation of individuals, some things resonate more than others. As social creatures we share, we collaborate, we empathise, we sympathise, we help, we support, we love, we eat, we sleep and we breathe.

It’s about energy exchange. Our existence is about the many ways we spend the most valuable thing we have – our energy, life and time.

And it’s about how we use those things for the short while we have on this planet.

The digital revolution just provides a platform and vehicle for some of those decisions – good and bad.

Energy, life and the decisions we make on how we spend it.

We are all masters of our decisions. We can choose to recognise what we have in common or focus on what we see in the mirror.

So what is the digital revolution really about?

Ultimately, it’s about the many ways we use the digital tools at our disposal to spend the most valuable thing we have – life and time.

So you could say, being just a little bit philosophical at this time of year that it’s about love actually.

And you can work that one out for yourselves.

Next year, full steam ahead on wicked problems, blockchain and other interesting organisms.

Happy Xmas.