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THE 20TH CENTURY WAS WRONG
    ... in one very important respect, namely the concept of people as mass
What really bugs me...

Some people see social technology and
networked culture as dangerous and “new”
They prefer the “proven” technology and
“safe” organisational culture of the
Twentieth Century.
I disagree
What did the C20th get Wrong?




   The Twentieth century took the ideas of the
   industrial revolution & applied them to people.
   Mass production. Mass marketing. Massacre.
   A century of extremes.
Progress, but inequality
Progress, but inequality
Progress, but inequality
The Age of Nations and ‘ISMs’
                                 Number of States in the World




                                                                                                       200




                                                                                                      150




                                                                                                  100




                                                                                                 50



                         1900
                                                                                             0

                                                                  2000




      Source: http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=900003&contentID=252023
Nationalism
Communism
Fascism
Capitalism
= PEOPLE AS OBJECTS / MASS
Mass(acre)


Abstract ideas and identities valued over human life
Processing people as objects - the logic of the camps
Two acts of genocide in the final 8 years of the century
1900: Kroonstad
1940: Auschwitz
1992: Omarska
FROM TRENCHES TO CUBICLES
Mass Mobilisation
Mass Production
Mass Marketing
The Corporation
The ‘IT’ Department
IT WAS NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS
Traditional Trading Networks
Guilds, Professions, Networks
Management vs Co-ordination
Millennium Challenge ’02 - biggest combined US military
exercise in the Gulf - took years to plan

Retired Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper defeated
the US military with a low-tech, traditional strategy
BACK TO THE FUTURE ?
LET’S PLAY IT SAFE
Trust is cheaper than control
Traditional Mode of Organisation?
Network-based models are proven

Aggregation & links beat coercion

     Let’s stick to what works
Next time...

Next time somebody tells you social networks
or network-centric business are new and
risky, tell them to read a history book
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it” - George Santayana
Picture Credits
•   www.gapminder.org
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/1242771346/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodrigogalindez/2993101142/sizes/l/
•   http://www.worldalmanac.com/blog/ww_ustroops_rest_01.jpg
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirque-du-pablo/2991939174/
•   http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/05/15-virtual-painting-at-ford/1914-Ford-Model-T-Painting-lg.jpg
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/irene2005/2761697172/sizes/l/
•   http://lh6.ggpht.com/_uYeCdeWUudM/RquSSy_X2oI/AAAAAAAAADU/OuYTkaNKa3w/flyover.jpg
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/wills/119744777/sizes/l/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_irish/2379958609/sizes/l/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/305410323/sizes/l/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamoker/349341149/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cote/54408562/sizes/l/
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/52581560/sizes/l/
•   http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=boer+camps&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboer%2Bcamps%26imgsz
    %3Dxxlarge%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa
    %3DN&imgurl=1bd538634793cfa0

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The Twentieth Century was Wrong

  • 1. THE 20TH CENTURY WAS WRONG ... in one very important respect, namely the concept of people as mass
  • 2. What really bugs me... Some people see social technology and networked culture as dangerous and “new” They prefer the “proven” technology and “safe” organisational culture of the Twentieth Century. I disagree
  • 3. What did the C20th get Wrong? The Twentieth century took the ideas of the industrial revolution & applied them to people. Mass production. Mass marketing. Massacre. A century of extremes.
  • 7. The Age of Nations and ‘ISMs’ Number of States in the World 200 150 100 50 1900 0 2000 Source: http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=900003&contentID=252023
  • 12. = PEOPLE AS OBJECTS / MASS
  • 13. Mass(acre) Abstract ideas and identities valued over human life Processing people as objects - the logic of the camps Two acts of genocide in the final 8 years of the century
  • 17. FROM TRENCHES TO CUBICLES
  • 23. IT WAS NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS
  • 26. Management vs Co-ordination Millennium Challenge ’02 - biggest combined US military exercise in the Gulf - took years to plan Retired Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper defeated the US military with a low-tech, traditional strategy
  • 27. BACK TO THE FUTURE ?
  • 29. Trust is cheaper than control
  • 30. Traditional Mode of Organisation?
  • 31. Network-based models are proven Aggregation & links beat coercion Let’s stick to what works
  • 32. Next time... Next time somebody tells you social networks or network-centric business are new and risky, tell them to read a history book “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” - George Santayana
  • 33. Picture Credits • www.gapminder.org • http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/1242771346/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodrigogalindez/2993101142/sizes/l/ • http://www.worldalmanac.com/blog/ww_ustroops_rest_01.jpg • http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirque-du-pablo/2991939174/ • http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/05/15-virtual-painting-at-ford/1914-Ford-Model-T-Painting-lg.jpg • http://www.flickr.com/photos/irene2005/2761697172/sizes/l/ • http://lh6.ggpht.com/_uYeCdeWUudM/RquSSy_X2oI/AAAAAAAAADU/OuYTkaNKa3w/flyover.jpg • http://www.flickr.com/photos/wills/119744777/sizes/l/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_irish/2379958609/sizes/l/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/305410323/sizes/l/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamoker/349341149/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/cote/54408562/sizes/l/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/52581560/sizes/l/ • http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=boer+camps&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboer%2Bcamps%26imgsz %3Dxxlarge%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa %3DN&imgurl=1bd538634793cfa0