The document discusses the 'Digital Disruptions' program aimed at collectively exploring technological innovations and their societal impacts through workshops and publications. It emphasizes the importance of shared foresight in addressing challenges posed by emerging digital technologies while reflecting on the promises and challenges they bring. The initiative fosters collaboration between various stakeholders to better anticipate and respond to future disruptions in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

1. P romises
DAY TOM
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Y
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YESTERDA
ROW AFT
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2013/2014

2. Digital disruptions : making time for collective foresight
A yearly creative foresight cycle
At the intersection of technological innovation, economic change and social
transformation, what "Digital Disruptions" will exert their influence
in the coming years? Which emerging phenomena, transformative opportunities,
and challenges can we no longer afford to ignore?
In order to anticipate rather than react, we all ask ourselves these questions
in our own way, as they pertain to our activities. Usually, we do so independently,
closed off from external ideas and interactions. Yet the most profound questions,
the most fecund visions, will almost certainly emerge from the most unexpected
places and people. Thinking about the future should be a collective exercise.
“Digital Disruptions” offers its participants a chance to be part of an ongoing,
collective cycle of foresight that unites innovators and policymakers, researchers
and designers, entrepreneurs and activists together in a unique future-oriented
community. Its goal: to collectively explore the "Digital Disruptions" that will
become central during the coming years - and begin to conceive of ways
to anticipate them and respond to their challenges.
A publication, a tool, and a process
Since its inception in 2010, the "Digital Disruptions” program has evolved
into:
A yearly reference publication, the Digital Disruptions Actionbook,
presented during several major events featuring high-level international
speakers.
A continuous co-production process, online and face to face, joining
together nearly 300 decision-makers, idea-generators and influencers from
an exceptional variety of backgrounds, sectors, and places of origin.
A tool to incorporate foresight into your own strategic
thinking processes: Digital Disruptions partners benefit from strategic
seminars and special workshops (internal, or open to clients and partners),
presentations to management or in other spheres…
Digital Disruptions on the Web
www.fing.org/digitaldisruptions
Digital Disruptions was initiated by Fing (Paris) and is now
a joint initiative with Waag Society (Amsterdam), Picnic (Amsterdam)
and FutureEverything (Manchester)

3. Credits
Coordination
Daniel Kaplan Véronique Routin Jacques-François Marchandise
Margaux Pasquet Renaud Francou.
Participative methods
Nod-A
facilitators and editors
Marine Albarede Amandine Brugière Loup Cellard
Jean-Michel Cornu Fabien Eychenne Renaud Francou
Fabienne Guibé Hubert Guillaud Daniel Kaplan Frank Kresin
Aurialie Jublin Carole Leclerc Lucie Le Moine Amadou Lo
Jacques-François Marchandise Thierry Marcou Juliette Maroni
Françoise Massit-Folléa Charles Népote Philippe Nikolov
Pierre Orsatelli Denis Pansu Margaux Pasquet Valérie Peugeot
Véronique Routin Rémi Sussan Thomas Thibault
and the students of Ecole Boulle.
FR/EN translation
Jianne Whelton
Workshops hosted by
The Waag Society (Amsterdam) - Picnic (Amsterdam) - Ecole Boulle
(Paris) - Belle de Mai Media Park (Marseille) - Cap Digital (Paris)
Graphic design
Isabelle Jovanovic
Photos
All rights reserved
Fondation Internet Nouvelle Génération
www.fing.org - www.internetactu.net
8, passage Brulon 75012 Paris (+) 33 1 83 62 98 28 infos@fing.org
CMCI 2, rue Henri Barbusse 13001 Marseille (+) 33 4 91 52 88 08

4. Promises that "stick" express widely shared hopes, Great ambitions, and modest ones
Ever since being named the technological pillar supporting the "Third Industrial Revolution",
dreams, beliefs and intuitions. They fuel creativity,
the digital world has not been short of promises. At one time or another, ICT gurus, industry entrepreneurial energy, and human desire, as much As we embarked on our search for the ways the
leaders and public institutions have heralded the end of work; the impossibility of economic crises; as they are fuelled by them. They inspire concrete d
­ igital promises have been expressed, especially
the dawn of social harmony and world peace through the miracle of sharing and mutual technical, economic or political choices. Through by institutions and political figures, a dichotomy
understanding between people; a reinvigorated democracy; access to development for even them, we tell the story of a future we hope to build. between American and European ambitions was
We have to take these promises seriously, even if they immediately apparent.
the poorest of the poor; the advent of a global consciousness to face environmental challenges...
are not kept.
Before any eye rolling at such naiveté, let us ask ourselves where such promises arise, who they are For the European Commission, as for most of its
destined for, who listens to them, and what they bring about–and admit that in doing so, we are member governments, the role of ICT is:
holding up a mirror to ourselves. Using promises to invent the future
"to address the challenges facing society like
With this in mind, from May to October 2012, Fing climate change and the ageing population."
Promises made, and received exciting challenges that they then strive to meet. mobilized over 300 individuals to identify the most (Digital Agenda, 2010), and to turn the European
Because their ambitions usually go beyond simply significant "digital promises" of recent years, assess Union into "the most competitive and dynamic
Technology foresight often describes the future as achieving some kind of technical feat, what might their progress and project them into the future. knowledge-based economy in the world, capable
the product of mechanical advances in technology have begun as an individual challenge often gets of sustainable economic growth with more and
applied to external challenges (ecological, economic, picked up by industry and institutions, who translate After laying the groundwork in the spring, we better jobs and greater social cohesion". (Lisbon
demographic, etc.). Tending as it does toward per- them into promises. consolidated material from workshops and online Strategy, 2000).
formance, optimisation and automation, this way exchanges and converged around 21 "promises."
of thinking struggles to account for the diverse, un­ Wearing our caver’s lamps, we went in search of their From this standpoint, digital technologies are
predictable and generally disruptive ways that users The traces of our our dreams and desires expressions in the world, from the most conven­ ional
t e
­ xpressed as a given context to which we must
adopt these technologies. to the most heterodox. By late August, the raw mate- adapt, and which can (among other things) help us
If these promises merely served to illustrate the dis- rial for the "Digital Disruptions" workshops had been to solve our current and future problems–especially
Conversely, in using the "promises" that digital tech- course of technology suppliers, they would hardly published online#. in terms of efficiency and productivity.
nology has made to society as our starting point, we deserve our attention. But the Internet is distribu-
are bound to focus on disruptions, on the transfor- ted and decentralised, digital transformations have In September and October 2012, workshops held in Things are quite different on the other side of the Atlan-
mative role of technology. Almost by definition, a affected nearly every domain of human activity, Amsterdam (in conjunction with the Waag Society tic. By the early 1990s, the "information super­ ighway"
h
promise envisions profound and positive changes in and the boundaries that once separated supply and and PICNIC), Marseille (with Lift) and Paris took a promoted by Al Gore met with the fiery proclamations
the systems to which it is applied. It helps to flush out demand are becoming increasingly blurred. It is closer look at those promises that participants consi- of a "vastly increased human freedom" made by the
human desire and spirit, past and future. It is formu­ getting harder and harder to figure out who is pro- dered most meaningful. In small groups, they res- co-authors of the Magna Carta for the Knowledge Age
lated and made by an entity, targets an audience, and mising what to whom, when no single actor has all ponded to four successive questions: (1994). The authors of Wikinomics (2006) heralded "a
intends to mobilise both the givers and the receivers. the resources needed to keep a single one of these new era, perhaps even a ­ olden one, on par with the
g
Those are its strengths. promises. How would we assess the status of the promise? Italian renaissance, or the rise of ­ thenian demo-
A
What worked or didn’t work, what surprised us, what cracy." In their report entitled ­ onverging Technologies
C
Local and national governments–stakeholders with When the barriers separating top from bottom are have we learned? for Improving Human ­ erformance (2003), Roco and
P
a vested interest in the success of the Internet or lifted, there is greater porosity between talkers and B
­ ainbridge drew on sources close to science fiction and
mobile telephony–praise ICTs as levers for (preferably doers. The promises made by intellectual prophets What about tomorrow’s world might change the transhumanism to define the technological strategy
"sustainable") growth, competitiveness, democratic are not always so very distant from the pledges context of the promise’s formulation, reformulation, for the National Science Foundation. Later still (2011),
and administrative modernisation and universal made and fulfilled by reclusive software developers. or fulfilment? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defends Internet free-
i
­ nclusion in a "knowledge society" that we assume to Exploring this terrain means being able to cross dom in the name of
be better than today’s society. From the "­ eclaration
D vast expanses of the overblown and naïve; it means Considering everything we have learned, if we were
of the Independence of Cyberspace" (1996) to pirate s
­ ailing entire oceans of storytelling and vapourware to make a promise for tomorrow’s world, how would "the protester using social media to organize a
parties, activists have also assigned ideolo­ ical
g (not always an unpleasant task) and ultimately we rephrase it in a forward-thinking, credible and march in Egypt; the college student emailing her
charac­ eristics to technology, be they libertarian,
t d
­ etecting desirable horizons, far-off aspirations and ambitious way? family photos of her semester abroad; the lawyer
neoliberal, collective or authoritarian. a will to act. in Vietnam blogging to expose corruption; the
Finally, again using experience as a guide, what steps teenager in the United States who is bullied and
Similarly, large technology firms have construc- Thus this "promising" is becoming a more and more would be needed to keep this new promise? finds words of support online; for the small busi-
ted "grand narratives", which are often reinforced collective act.. It carries with it the pledges we make ness owner in Kenya using mobile banking to
and conveyed throughout an ecosystem of inno- to ourselves. First and foremost, this ‘ourselves’ stands The material generated during these workshops was manage her profits; the philosopher in China rea-
vative entrepreneurs: "Think different" (Apple), ­ A " for ‘we the people’: the direct and indirect users, assembled, arranged and cultivated by the team at ding academic journals for her dissertation; the
S
­ marter Planet" (IBM), "Your potential. Our passion." beneficiaries, and receivers of the promises. Secon- Fing. You hold the results of this work in your hands: scientist in Brazil sharing data in real time with
(­ icrosoft)… These slogans do more than target see-
M dly, it represents those who try to imbue technology use it as a source of inspiration, and to support your colleagues overseas; and the billions and billions
mingly gullible consumers: they bolster employee with some kind of intention – whether innovative, work, your future aspirations, and your efforts. Think of interactions with the internet every single day
morale and send a clear message to markets and encyclo­ aedic, activist, military, service-oriented,
p of it as a tool, rather than an intangible reference. as people communicate with loved ones, follow
investors. They also entail a certain degree of risk. environmental, creative or any other – so long as they the news, do their jobs, and participate in the
benefit others. A careful reading of this collective work in its entirety debates shaping their world."
Research labs, clusters, and communities of deve- does reveal a few overriding impressions, however.
lopers, hackers and other makers come up with What European politician could make such a speech?
4 5

5. At first reading, one might conclude that the It would be too easy to chalk this up to inertia, or to platforms for whom it acts as both raw material and
A
­ mericans are talking politics while the Europeans the resistance of the establishment. They are factors, bounty. Relying as it does on their users’ voluntary (or
are talking economics. But the challenge that the of course. But let us look to a few markets that digital a least passive) contributions, their business model
Americans set for themselves is clearly economic: technologies have already transformed profoundly is based on capturing the most comprehensive and
the only real difference lies in the degree of their and forever, such as those of cultural goods and the sustainable levels of individual work, information
ambition. For them, the function of technology is to media. The stakeholders and economic models have and attention. Instead of being applied to collective
profoundly transform whatever it touches, to alter indeed changed, and new stakeholders have emer- issues, this massive energy is absorbed into a kind
its terms of reference. It points toward new fron- ged. But has a new golden age of creativity arisen? of private black hole, only to emerge in the form of
tiers that innovative organisations go off to conquer. Are culture and knowledge more widely distributed? financial value – because "if you’re not paying for it,
W
­ ithout necessarily adhering to the overblown ora- Is the media more incisive, more independent from you’re the product".
tory, at the heart of this ambition lies one of the rea- economic and political power? We think not.
sons for the continued dominance of the Internet by It is no small wonder, then, that most of our pro-
American giants, and their formidable capacity for So what is missing? A vision that far exceeds the mises devote increasing attention to choice, skills
scientific and entrepreneurial initiative and renewal. scope of technology, and will no doubt partly orient development, the individual mastery of technologies
its development and deployment. and content, and ultimately, to the balance between
contribution and some kind of "return" (symbolic or
The more things change, the more they Even when it has been massively adopted, techno- tangible) for community contributors.
stay the same? logy alone cannot solve problems whose origins can
be traced to the political and economic organization ***
Some of the promises made by digital techno­ of our societies, or back through history. If we want
logies have clearly not been kept. ICTs help to upset systemic change, we have to describe it clearly, and The first cyber utopias were based on the idea that
dicta­ orships, but have yet to solve the crisis facing
t display an iron, common will to apply it that is unwa- the physical, social and economic constraints of
democracy. They have not made growth more stable vering yet accepting of confrontation. the "real world" would disappear into an infinitely
or more environmentally sustainable–in fact, they reconfigurable and plastic space without gravity or
actually enabled the disruptions that triggered We typically assign the task of identifying and imple- friction, without scarcity or conflict of use. Inevitably,
recent instability in the financial market. They have menting the collective will to political institutions. their encounter with reality proved disappointing.
also not rescued LDCs from underdevelopment. Were But these days there is doubt as to their ability to And yet, the digital world remains the place where
these promises out of reach? Were the technologies perform either role. Which is probably why most contemporary hopes are discussed and instantiated,
misused? If not, what else is missing? of the groups working on the promises seemed to where creators and innovators dissatisfied with the
converge around a similar idea: that the mission of current state of the world converge.
Even more interesting–and more disturbing–is the technology itself should be to more widely distribute
disjunction seen in several areas between, on the information, power and the capacity for action, to That’s why promises are so important, and why we
one hand, the rapid and massive development of facilitate the emergence and growth of alternatives. must doubt them and cherish them at the same
digital tools, services and practices; and on the other, time – and also why we chose to make of them both
systemic effects that are weak or non-existent, if not raw material and finished product of our collective
downright paradoxical. ICTs have released us from a The risk of capture effort.
myriad of temporal constraints, yet we feel ever more
pressed for time. Although dematerialisation has However, such distribution of power will not be the Ultimately, it is probably the reformulation of the
become a large part of our lives at home and at work, mechanical result of even the quasi-universal pres- p
­ romise related to gamification (original title:
it has neither simplified our lives nor our managerial ence of digital devices and online access. We need to "Games that transform us and transform the world")
practices, nor has it reduced paper consumption. ICTs will it into existence! that best expresses what we should expect from
have transformed the way we get around, the way technology. The name of the game, if we may say so, is
we organise our daily lives, and the ways we commu- Technology places huge demands on us...and more no longer to escape from reality, nor to find fun ways
nicate... and yet our everyday experience of mobility from some than others. We spend valuable time and to tackle serious subjects, but "to make reality itself
has hardly changed at all. Nearly every teacher and energy learning how to use it, manage it, stay secure, more playful." Now there’s a handsome promise.
the vast majority of parents use the Internet for and solve the countless daily problems it produces.
educational purposes, and yet virtually nothing in Becoming autonomous, active and productive users
the educational system reflects this. Online, we are has proven more demanding still. Time, resources
all becoming authors, innovators and producers; we and skills are unevenly distributed: often the poorest Daniel Kaplan
know how to produce collective intelligence on an (locally and globally) pay more for their digital prac- and Jacques-François Marchandise
unprecedented scale, and yet we have proven inca- tices in both time and money. Do digital technologies
pable of responding to the greatest collective chal- evenly distribute power to "everyone" or do they pri-
lenges, and worry more and more about our future. marily pave the way for new elites to replace the old
ones?
In other words, many promises are simultaneously
kept (i.e., practices that were predicted have materia- A multitude participating in information and object
lized, often more rapidly than expected) and broken production, innovation and value creation, and
(we are no closer to solving the hassles of everyday d
­ ebate across a range of issues–from the side effects
life, social injustice, economic aberrations, and of a given drug to U.S. diplomatic secrets–is indeed
environ­ ental impasses than we were yesterday).
m one of the major changes that ICTs have produced.
Everything has changed, and nothing has changed! But the content created through this participation
is usually generated using (often privately-held)
6 7

6. ODAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM
Y T TO TO TO
Y Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
OR
OR
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW A F T
W
W
W
W
ER ER ER ER
-TO ORRO -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O
M
a promise its assessment what is tomorrow’s potential action
promise?
Our experience of digital technologies The Choice Project: reclaiming
has improved, but they continue to place control
huge demands on us, and impose Technology as the new Latin
of the 21st century
their logic upon us.
The New Laws of Robotics
We have managed to speed up our daily life Give time real value
and may even enjoy this, but we have yet
Episodic "time capital"
to really master our time.
Temporal culture, official time
policies
A less nebulous "cloud"
Convenience and encumbrance. Hybridization as a substitute for…
Freedom and dependance. Mobility and substitution
dehumanisation. A questionable
The other kind of dematerialisation:
environmental impact. Dematerialisation
sharing
is a fact, not yet a value.
Materialising individual
empowerment
Time for assessment What is tomorrow’s promise? What action can we take?
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
A promise .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
To be addressed...by you! .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.……………………………………………………………………………
8 9

7. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM The sheer number of people Personal robots (not yet), wearable computing…
TO
Y who have adopted digital technologies. Technology still requires a lot of our attention,
YESTERDA
OR
Technology connecting people, and facilitating our time, our money. We need to learn and relearn
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
communication and collaboration. It is a vehicle every time it evolves; obsolescence is rapid. We tend
for self-expression and creativity. to accept from digital machines what we’d never
Digital technology has provided us with thousands accept from humans, and tend to blame ourselves
W
ER
when they fail.
-TO O
MO R R of useful tools and services. It works as an extension
of our bodies and minds. It has allowed us to delegate Some of the worst aspects of technology-centered
many tasks to machines and to "externalize" development still remain prevalent: programmed
a portion of our memory. obsolescence, excessive energy use, feature creep…
Interfaces have become better and more "natural", Labor conditions are still problematic in many
using voice, touch, gestures… Although there plants that produce electronic devices.
are still many exceptions, overall, we have become We’re more depressed now than before we had all
better at creating user-friendly and accessible this technology–but technology might not be
applications. the cause…
What surprised us What we learned
Man feels that he has lost touch with reality. The slow evolution of technological paradigms: Technology changes us as we change it. We co-evolve.
The development of polysensuality, soft touch, the Windows/mouse interface is more It forces us to discuss what is human or non-human,
odor encapsulation, or more generally the use than 30 years old. and reminds us that the answers might change
The best computer is a quiet, invisible servant of materials that appeal to all the senses, Digital technology is still prone to failure for which over time (In some cultures, "inert" things are not
ontologically different from living things).
(...). The most profound technologies are all a response to this loss of contact." technological firms assume no responsibility.
are those that disappear. They weave themselves Self-publicity, and the extent of the privacy loss Interfaces are not just about usability, they change
Monique Large, Dezineo, 2004 the nature of what we do with/through technology.
into the fabric of everyday life until related to digital uses.
The right balance between features, simplicity,
they are indistinguishable from it." Less time to think: digital technology
and openness to tinkering and unforeseen usage,
is all about action!
Marc Weiser, 1991 is and will remain hard to find.
"Emotional technologies", friendly robots,
If technology is cold today, the challenge Technology will continue to evolve faster than social
Tamagotchi, Furby…
customs and organizations, thus excluding some parts
of the coming years will be to warm it up with
"Emerging" phenomena on wholly automated of the population.
the kind of human warmth that gives meaning markets: e.g., the 2010 NASDAQ "Flash Crash".
We also use machines to take less personal care of
to life. Only on this condition can it become Captcha: "Prove you’re a human!" others, such as our elderly parents.
an extension of life’s domain."
Technology can only become human if those
Didier Fass, Futur 2.0, 2007 who design, produce and put it to use have humane
purposes and behaviors.
DAY TOM DAY TOM
TO TO
Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
time for assessment... tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
W
W
ER
Digital technology is human enough to t
­ hinking"... They have ­contributed to
ER O
-TO O -TO
MO R R MO R R
have been massively adopted by people, c
­ reating a less humane society: automated
often well beyond market expectations and systems are replacing workers, dehumanizing
What will change Society
ahead of organizational readiness. It has provided relationships within organizations as well as between
a significant contribution to human aspirations and organizations and their customers, threatening pri- Technology Aging population in the North "Digital natives"
endeavors, especially in the area of communication, vacy, and allowing autonomous behaviors to eme­ ge r Growth of values-oriented lifestyles and consump-
Ambient I.T., "smart" objects and spaces Big data, au-
expression and cooperation. over which no one has full control, as can be seen on tion Mixed digital-virtual relationships, with effects
tomatic knowledge discovery, nowcasting, ­ lgorithmic
a
In many areas, our experience of digital techno­ ogies
l financial markets. on work, socializing, etc.
decision-making Personal robots to reach maturity
has improved. However, they continue to place huge In the past few decades, we have learned a lot about "Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno" convergence … And what won’t
demands on us. We need to learn how to use new how we co-evolve with our technology. This knowledge Tangible interfaces using all five senses Progress in The language barrier, despite attempts at improving
devices and software. Programmed obsolescence uses is increasingly important, given that technology speech recognition and language comprehension automatic translation technology Our perception
time, attention and money. When things break down or makes it possible to deliberately alter our minds, "Affective computing": the ability to understand and (and shortage) of time Technology mostly designed
fail, we’re usually left on our own. Digital techno­ ogies
l b
­ odies, and key elements of our society and economy.
communicate emotions Bio-inspiration… for the few, before (more or less) slowly trickling down
fuel constant acceleration, and cause information This knowledge needs to be shared, and used to inform
to the masses
overload, attention deficit, standardized "Powerpoint the design of future technologies. Economy
Impoverished middle classes and smaller, ­ poorer
g
­ overnments (in the North) "Smart" environments
and systems: homes, cities, grids… Increasing
d
­ ependency on technology "Do-It-Yourself" elec-
tronics, manufactured objects, biotech… Pressure
t
­ owards energy efficiency, slower obsolescence
10 11

8. TO
DAY TOM How does this differ
Y
from the original promise?
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
The original promise focused on the simplicity and the "naturalness" of digital technology. This one
recognizes that technology is a medium that can be used to change ourselves and our environment, and
that humans have always created non-natural artifacts. Technology is human, the issue being whether
W
R-
TOM RO
OR those who create it and apply it do so in a humane way. Therefore:
The promise recognizes the creative tension It considers technology as a cultural production
that exists between empowerment (which assumes that is (or should be) shaped by a society’s values,
a certain level of understanding of, and control over, while contributing to the evolution of these values.
technology) and simplicity (which makes technology Cultures are diverse, and technology should value
and its application more usable and accessible). this diversity and allow it to express itself
It acknowledges the fact that technology embeds in all possible ways.
power, and that its goal should be to distribute Digital technology will interact more and more
that power and allow citizens and consumers profoundly with all our senses; it will be embedded
to have their say about how it is applied, rather than in objects and spaces. This development will open
Digital technology will: to make (corporate as well as institutional) up new possibilities and diversify the way in which
Empower humans, not alienate and estrange them; power more opaque. different people will use it toward their own ends.
Help humans reach new personal and collective frontiers, while showing them respect and empathy, It embraces openness and open-endedness: However, the result should not be that technology
and helping them be resilient when things fail; Technology is a product of human creativity and becomes "invisible", more magical and mysterious to
should welcome further creativity. It should be visible, people – instead, technology should make it easier
Strive for simplicity and accessibility, while embracing the diversity of users and allowing those
understandable, and open to discussion for everyone to decode their own world and organize
who wish to understand how it works and tinker with it;
and tinkering. their own relationship with their environment.
Provide more human interaction and cooperation, rather than less;
Enlarge the space of future possibilities, rather than predetermine outcomes.
How might this work? Y
TO
DAY TOM
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
on the promise
ROW AFT
The important thing is not that machines We are all chimeras, theorized,
sympathise with us, or become our friends, and fabricated hybrids of machine and
W
but that we sympathise with them." organism; in short, we are cyborgs. This cyborg
ER
-TO O
MO R R
Ben Bashford, 2012 is our ontology; it gives us our politics. (...)
A cyborg world might be about lived social Decisions to make Grand challenges
When human beings acquired language, and bodily realities in which people are not Reorient a significant portion of European R&D The Choice Project: through technology, industry
we learned not just how to listen but how afraid of their joint kinship with animals programs towards open-ended technologies/devices/ consensus and regulation, provide users with real,
to speak. When we gained literacy, we learned and machines, not afraid of permanently partial applications with multilevel interfaces, from 100% informed, permanent choice, especially pertaining to
not just how to read but how to write. identities and contradictory standpoints. (...) "back-end" (users as consumers) to 100% "hackable" their rights. Opt-in should be the default. Users should
(users as producers). never be in a position to permanently relinquish any of
And as we move into an increasingly digital Cyborg unities are monstrous and illegitimate; their rights. They should have the right to easily access,
Invest part of R&D budgets in anthropology,
reality, we must learn not just how to use in our present political circumstances, reuse and transmit all their personal data. Organiza-
e
­ thnography, sociology...
programs but how to make them." we could hardly hope for more potent myths tions should be held liable for unacceptable or opaque
for resistance and recoupling." ‘Terms of Service’ or privacy policies, even if users have
Douglas Rushkoff, Hurdles to overcome "accepted them".
Program or be programmed, 2010 Donna Haraway, 1985
Real, 2-way interfaces using the 5 senses "Technology as the new Latin": educate all
Automatic, real-time, natural speech recognition children (and if possible, adults) about digital techno-
This existential, philosophical dimension, and translation logy: how it works, what it does, where it comes from,
hints at the transformation of humans into how to use it, how to program it, what its potential
risks and benefits are...
digital objects, and also objects of the digital:
"The New Laws of Robotics": create and discuss
cultural digital beings that are convertible,
the simple set of "laws" (after Isaac Asimov’s "Laws of
extendible and capable of moving in ways that Robotics") that new and future "converging" techno­
have never been seen before, thanks to logies should obey.
the convergence of technology and the body."
Milhad Doueihi,
Pour un humanisme numérique, 2012
12 13

9. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM
TO
Y The availability of relevant and effective The dictatorship of urgency, the impossibility
YESTERDA
OR
information and services to help us make choices of prioritising, shortened forecast and decision
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
and act remotely… horizons.
The widespread use of mobile phones, Hyperconnectivity, incessant importunity
especially to constantly synchronise, and now to and cognitive overload.
W
ER
access the Internet and various services.
-TO O
MO R R The collective organization of time within political
The synchronisation of productive activites regions: actors and activities establishing schedules
on a local and global level: "Just in Time", without considering others’ schedules.
precision logistics... The technology itself remains complex, fragile,
Digital agendas. shifting, and time consuming.
The improvement, diversification, and
After twenty centuries of mostly trying The pace of modern life is fast – and only interpenetration of the means for distance
to [advance] the frontiers of space, now it getting faster. In previous eras, we had fewer communication: email, social networking,
microblogging, instant messaging,
is the frontiers of time that we seek to overcome. choices and more time in which to make them. visiocommunications...
The man of the twenty-first century will do Today, we need all the assistance we can get
The densification of time: with the capacity
whatever he wants from wherever he chooses to make our choices easier and faster, and to double up on our activites, and do everything
and at whatever time suits him best. digital technology helps with that. (...) Our new from wherever we may be, we are able
The conquest of life will no longer be a question technologies also save time by letting us get so to accomplish more in a single day.
of reducing distances by accelerating time, but much more done without leaving the house."
of erasing distances altogether." Simone Zhang, Euro RSCG Shanghai
Christian Loviton, La vie à distance, Belfond, What surprised us What we learned
1989
Chrometa gives you a gift like nothing New forms of time management, The total amount of time shared by a human
else can. It gives you the gift of time! It is fully especially in some "local exchange trading systems" community is abundant, but it is unevenly
automatic, and you do not have to work where time is the unit of exchange. distributed and uncoordinated. This uneven
The "slow" movement: initially individual, now distribution
at keeping records of how you account
adopted on a grand, city-sized, scale (Cittaslow). is inversely reflected in social inequalities:
for your time for work." Advertisement the ‘excluded’ earn less income, have fewer contacts,
The rapid development of hybrid, shared, "third"
enjoy less mobility...and often have an excess
spaces: "coworking" spaces, telecentres,
of free time.
The experience of modernity and cafés that fulfill different functions, grocery-delivery
16% of France’s employees work at least occasionally
modernization has always been the experience centers, public service centres...
at night, half work on Saturdays, one quarter
of an incessant acceleration." on Sundays: a sharp increase since 1990 (INSEE).
Publicité de 1980 [source Rosa, Hartmut and William Scheuerman, eds. Digital technologies are involved
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ High-Speed Society: Social Acceleration, in the general acceleration and confusion of time,
jbcurio/3367196078/sizes/o/in/
Power and Modernity, 2009 the individualisation of rhythms, as well as
photostream/
the resynchronization and organization of time.
They help fill up whatever time remains unoccupied.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
DAY TOM
time for assessment... TO
ROW AFT
Y
YESTERDA
OR
Digital technology was supposed to have between peak and off-peak, day and night,
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
W
ER
made us more productive and flexible, and -TO
MO R R
O weekday and weekend are blurry… Besides,
generally save us time. We are certainly ac- technology itself requires dedicating copious
complishing more at a faster rate, yet we always amounts of time to selecting, installing, lear-
W
ER
-TO O
seem to feel pressed for time… Because as we speed up, ning, protecting, repairing, updating, and networking MO R R
so does everything around us. Decision-making, inno­ devices and software.
vation, and product life cycles are all getting shorter Our (sometimes weak-willed) desire to slow things
and shorter. Public and corporate strategies are more down shows us that our relationship to time is no Technology Economy Society
and more focussed on the short term.. The level of our b
­ etter today than it was in the past. For some – Ambient computer technology, the "cloud": Less anchoring in the spatial and temporal:
impatience with any form of waiting is only equalled e
­ specially the most integrated – time is lacking, while never unplugged. dematerialisation, teleconferencing, mobile working
by the impatience others feel toward us. others have too much time on their hands, with no and telecentres, "flexible" spaces...
Digital technology was supposed to enable us to orga- i
­ nkling as to how it might be spent. Some experience "Contemplative computing":
nise our time more fluidly and improve how we use the "taylorization" of service activities: call centre cus- technologies, tools, and methods designed An increase in economic spatial constraints:
it. And yet we often feel as though our time isn’t even tomer service, the timed-to-the-minute rounds made to help us manage the pace of our lives. energy economies, "relocalisation".
our own: we can no more control the constant flux of by salespeople, technicians and carers… Time is as "Human augmentation": (digital and biological) Longer lifespans and – after a long period
attention-grabbing messages and requests than we poorly distributed, and as unequally fluid, as capital. technologies that help us think of reduction – longer working hours over a year
can the distinction between working hours and off We have definitely managed to accelerate the pace of and over a lifetime.
and react more quickly.
hours, or the constant fluctuations in our daily sche- daily life, and even enjoy the tempo some of the time,
dules. Lifestyle individualisation and economic trans- Employment flexibility: variable work schedules
but we haven’t yet managed to get time under our
formations have pulled us out of synch; distinctions and status, less secure jobs, non-linear careers,
control.
"lifelong learning"...
14 15

10. DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
How does this differ
W
R-
from the original promise?
TOM RO
OR
· The new promise is based on the observation The promise considers time to be a precious,
that the difficulties surrounding acceleration are very renewable natural resource, but one whose
similar to those we find in "sustainable development": production is essentially limited. The goal is firstly
a resource we had considered to be infinite is actually to optimise its allocation between individual actors
not; increasingly extensive exploitation is not enough (division of labour, economic valuation…) and over
to solve the problem, because it provokes all sorts of time (discounting, space and equipment use rates),
"rebound effects"; its unequal distribution and then to regulate its collective use, for example by
is an integral part of the problem; managing it is as giving pollution a price (externalities) or overseeing
After contributing to its general acceleration, digital technology becomes a tool for time mastery within much a collective responsibility as an individual one… its organisation throughout an entire region.
a wider context of sustainability: meet everyone’s needs whilst remaining aware of resource limitations,
True to the spirit of sustainable development,
and with future generations in mind.
its economic approach supports "human develop-
Time becomes a kind of individually and collectively protected "natural resource". It can be exchanged, ment". It recognises the importance of time’s quality
shared or given freely: people can always choose to make it go faster or slow it down, spend it on the spot and it’s experience, as well as the need for collective
or save it for later, keep time with external rhythms or be out of synch… at will. It can be invested: the long time management that enables individuals
term yields higher returns than the short. It can be cultivated: its quality has value, and whatever degrades to reconnect with themselves.
it, e.g., excessive importunity, has a price. It is regulated and managed as a limited, common property
resource: those who don’t have enough time should be able to find more without having to spend it all
immediately; those who have too much should be able to find beneficial, valued and recognized ways
to fill it – or enjoy it without impinging on others’ time.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
How might this work? making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
on the promise
ROW AFT
W
This individual appropriation of time is Today, information technologies promise
ER
-TO O
MO R R
the greatest freedom we have won, even if it is to make us smarter and more efficient,
a heavy burden in terms of its organization, but all too often end up being distracting
its purpose, and in the final accounting of what and demanding. Contemplative computing Give time real value A policy to regulate time
we have done with it. But if this time is mine, shows how we can use them to be more focused What if time became a unit of value? We could buy, What if we established a professional and personal
any use I make of it must constantly earn and and creative. Contemplative computing give and share time. "Time ­ xchanges" would signifi-
e "right to time"? It could encompass personal "time
cantly increase the scale of some grassroots exchange capital", as well as the right to be unavailable or off
re-earn legitimacy in my eyes." is something you do, not a service you use or
systems wherein (for example) one hour of maths tu- network, the enforceable right to "lifelong learning"
Jean Viard, Éloge de la mobilité. a product you consume. It involves deepening toring is equal to one hour of plumbing repair. (flexi-security), the right to take a sabbatical…
Essai sur le capital temps libre et la valeur your understanding of how minds and Products’ "time externalities" would be measured (i.e., How about "chrono-urban planning" that coordinates
travail, Ed. de l’Aube, 2006 information technologies work together, the average time it takes to research, maintain, or even the timing and pace of urban organizations the same
becoming more mindful of how you interact use them), and providing this measurement would be way we coordinate various forms of mobility? This
with technologies, and discovering ways of using mandatory. And how about a "polluter-payer" prin- could become a new role for public institutions.
Today, we are living under the yoke of them better." Alex Pang, 2011 ciple to regulate email advertising, for example? What if we decided to reinvent truly collective
a standardized, industrial time that imposes celebra­ ions that can be enjoyed by every member of a
t
Episodic "time capital"
itself on us whatever we do, wherever we are. (...) commu­ ity that shares a common culture (a country,
n
What if every individual were born with an equal a large city, Europe?)? Can we create new, contem­
It is time to stand back from the obsession with amount of "time capital" – to be leveraged, invested,
The issues presented by time can no longer porary rituals that strongly punctuate each year?
speed, reconquer time, and thus our lives." or simply used? This capital could be directed by
be limited to difficulties adjusting the number d
­ ifferent "episodic plots": training, work, collective ac- Time culture
Serge Latouche et Dider Harpagès,
of working hours. They must be examined tivities, cultural pursuits… as well as a "private" slot, on
Le temps de la décroissance, What if we ‘taught’ time: ways to organise and
and measured in all their dimensions as part which society considers that it has no right. ­ veryone
E synchro­ ise it, how to handle its personal and collec-
n
Troisième Culture, 2010 would have the latitude to reallocate time from one
of a wider initiative embracing individual, tive management, whether to use it or not, or how
organisational and regional "time mastery", plotline to another, and thus from one ­ eriod of life to
p to differentiate between short- and long-term? ...
another. Capital could be amassed by investing time
on varying scales, from our apartments in collective efforts, or by reducing the pace of time
to our continents." Luc Gwiazdzinski, consumption by giving or receiving ­ raining. It could
t
Temps et territoires : les pistes de l’hyperchronie, not, however, be bought or sold.
Datar, 2012
16 17

11. DAY TOM DAY TOM
TO TO
Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
yesterday, a promise time for assessment...
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
W
W
ER ER
-TO O -TO O
MO R R MO R R
­
Dematerialisation has become part of our everyday tomorrow’s writers leave? How do we offer to others
existence. It streamlines payments, bank transactions, what is immaterial? How can we not perceive demate-
administrative tasks, public transport, and tourism. rialisation as a kind of dispossession, when we acquire
Thanks to the "cloud", it allows us to travel light. It only the provisional rights to things? To these concerns
2008
helps us share our photos–which exist less and less on must be added a sinking sense of confidence in the
paper; while cultural artefacts as mundane as books, platforms we have entrusted with our intangible as-
music and newspapers have become increasingly "im- sets, who exploit the traces left by our online activities,
material". We save time, become more flexible and mo- often without our knowledge or consent. For many, de-
bile, and widen our social circles. We are ­ haring more,
s materialization is synonymous with dehumanization,
and creating new collective goods. even exclusion.
However, there are a few dark clouds overhead. We The environmental promise of dematerialisation has
have probably all lost vital data, or cherished ­ hotos
p also proved to be an illusion: networks and ­ ervers
s
and videos at one time or another. What’s more, consume massive amounts of energy, end users
n
­ obody seems to know how to maintain electronic wind up printing what their suppliers have rende-
Dematerialization is occurring with
administrative documents over the long term: format red paperless, and there can be no online commerce
all sorts of products. Banking has shrunk obsolescence, virus attacks and hardware crashes are without trucks and a supply chain. Anticipated subs-
to a handful of electrons moving on a cellphone, a constant threat. Digital life has become synonymous titutions did not occur. Hybridisation largely prevails:
as have maps, encyclopedias, cameras, books, with a kind of dismay over the impossibility of mana- dematerialization enables rematerialisation, which
card games, music, records and letters – none ging endless upgrades, infobesity, and a growing array is often useful to the user. The conditions of control
of platforms and devices. Functional gain may very and ownership will determine the future of a happy
of which now need to occupy physical space of
well be outweighed by symbolic loss: what records will d
­ ematerialisation.
their own. And it’s happening to food, too.
In recent decades, wheat straw has shrunk
as grain production has grown, because breeders
have persuaded the plant to devote more of its
energy to making the thing that we value most.
Future dematerialization includes the possibility
of synthetic meat – produced in a lab without What worked What didn’t work
brains, legs or guts."
Online banking, pay stubs and invoices. The difficulty of coping with accelerated time.
Matt Ridley, Wall Street Journal, 2012
Increased access to information through
The emergence of new cognitive fractures
the democratisation of tools and networks,
(abstraction).
creating abundance in return.
Dematerialisation it is an opportunity The power and opacity of algorithms.
to eliminate the tasks that don’t add value.(...) The dematerialization of money.
The obsolescence of formats and equipment,
We put the customer first, and in More efficient public services (but whose
and the continued fragility of complex systems
the background, we make our own life easier." malfunctions have more serious consequences)
(e.g., crashes, bugs).
Patrick Fèvre, SNCF, 2011 The concentration of dozens of devices
Long-term memory issues, e.g., defective archiving,
into one smartphone: camera, music player,
changing standards.
tape recorder, compass…
Gradual dispossession linked to the shift
If consumers dematerialize the intensity Project Gutenberg: volunteer scheme
from personal property to rights of use.
of their use of goods and technicians produce to digitise public domain books.
Value capture: the customer is the product.
the goods with a lower intensity of impact, Dematerialization = end of scarcity = emergence
people can grow in number and affluence of public goods (Wikipedia, open source software, The digital schoolbag.
without a proportionally greater environmental free/libre content and services) Dematerialization = dehumanization.
impact." Jesse H. Ausubel, Paul E. Waggoner,
Source : Cato Institute
18 19

12. DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
What surprised us What we learned
The speed with which transformations To create common goods that are different
have taken place. from public goods.
W
R-
TOM RO
The ubiquity of technology and the mobility That the material world is still around: OR
of activities associated with it. it has been hybridized with virtual worlds.
A new kind of home management That what is not dematerialized
via the wired home. may have higher value.
The speed with which public data Dematerialization = dispossession,
is being released as open data. and value capture by major global entities.
Dematerialization = sharing.
Tomorrow, dematerialization will provide citizens with greater individual and collective control over their
personal information, through interoperable networks that are easy to access and use. It will offer the best
of the physical and digital worlds through hybridization, (re-) materialisation, relocalisation, and a new sense
of proximity–both geographical and relational. It will support intelligent sharing and recycling of material
goods and services in exchange for unlimited consumption of immaterial ones. It will accomplish all
this thanks to constant vigilance against any form of capture or dependency, in addition to any possible
rebound effects.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
tomorrow what will change How might this work?
ROW AFT
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
The transformation from physical In an ideas economy, up-to-date knowledge
The continuing impact Technology to digital completely disrupts the traditional could be a more nimble and valuable asset
of dematerialisation All-purpose public computer terminals and constructs of mass production and replaces than a house. (...) Ultimately, if the Millennial
The dematerialisation of education and training: "ambient intelligence" using (mostly specialised) it with mass customization, we once again live generation pushes our society toward more
lecture halls will continue to empty... smart objects. in a market of one, and the only difference being sharing and closer living, it may do more than
Longer lifespans, and archiving issues presented The "cloudification" of the economy each market of one can be delivered to with simply change America’s consumption culture;
by a "long digital life". and public services, together with an increase scale and efficiency. The compromises of it may put America on firmer economic footing
in the storage capacity available on each device the industrial revolution no longer apply. for decades to come." The Atlantic, 2012
Massive development of new workspaces,
carried by each person.
and new ways of working.
Of all of the insights so far listed, this is
Ubiquitous networks whose neutrality
Increasing shift from ownership to access. the most disruptive and the most important
will be put into question. We need to rethink the use of new
Local public e-administration. for all companies to understand. The largest
Data between openness and opacity. technologies within public administration,
mistake a company could currently make is
Rematerialisation via 3D printers, print on demand, so that dematerialisation does not equal
to consider their product not possible to digitize
electronic ink, etc. dehumanising public service.(...) Technologies are
and thus could not be disrupted. The second
facilitators in service of humanity, and
The return of material scarcity largest mistake would be for a company
they should not be yet another barrier between
to understand their product could be digitized
Increasing tension surrounding raw materials: user and civil servant." Jean-Paul Delevoye,
minerals, water and energy. but fail to change because of misunderstanding
Médiateur de la République, 2010
their true core business."
Shortage of computer components.
Ericsson, Changing the Game Before
it Changes You, 2012
20 21

13. How does this differ
from the original promise?
The promise provides for more hybridization It suggests measures to retaliate against data
and continuity between the physical world and personal information capture and the attention
and the digital world: economy: respect for privacy and reciprocal
transparency among individuals and organizations
Temporary or permanent rematerialisation
become the bedrock of open-eyed dematerialization.
of fully recyclable goods, content and services.
Relocalisation of the production of certain goods Dematerialization is no longer synonymous
with the aid of local, closed-loop with dispossession: assets acquired and content
and networked distribution channels. generated in digital form do indeed belong
to individuals, and can follow them throughout
Public and private digital services, much more their digital lives…and beyond.
effectively articulated through physical points
of presence and mediation: from post offices "Dematerialization" also means sharing of material
to corner shops, from train stations goods between individuals: fewer physical goods
to public writer booths... can provide the same use value.
Regulations issued by public actors, but also from
Internet users who are better trained and equipped,
as well as more collectively organised.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
on the promise
ROW AFT
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
A less nebulous cloud The other kind of dematerialisation: sha-
How can we keep the "cloud" from becoming synony- ring
mous with tracking, dependency on major platforms, Today, "to dematerialise" means turning a product
data vulnerability (security, formats, etc.)? What if into a service, or a physical contact or document into
we made data "portability" an imperative based on bits without altering the nature of what it provides
c
­ ommon standards that maintain the integrity of per- or its relationship with the individual. Sharing opens
sonally identifiable information over time? And what the door to something else: horizontal organization,
if we considered personal space on the cloud to be through which individuals come together to organize
an extension of our homes, or ourselves? How about the use of a common resource, to operate recycling
p
­ ublic clouds, local clouds, social clouds? c
­ ircuits, etc. Both approaches aim to reduce the mate-
rial intensity of growth, but the second is based on the
Hybridization as a substitute for…substi- desire and energy of individuals rather than the unila-
tution teral decisions made by producers.
Substitution does not work: we print electronic
i
­ nvoices, we reinvest the time saved by teleconferen- Materialising individual empowerment
cing in more travel, we buy smartphones and digital Dematerialisation may – or may not – be synonymous
cameras…Since the reality of practice tends toward with alienation, distance between individuals and The Atlantic, 2012
hybri­ ization, let’s organise it: seek infinitely recy-
d the organizations they interact with, dispossession,
clable forms of "rematerialisation", facilitate the emer- and abstraction. How can we turn this into an oppor­
gence of new local entities that aggregate all kinds of tunity to give everyone more control over his or her
s
­ ervices and functions, and bring together face-to-face life, personal narrative, and destiny? What if we trai-
and ­ istance communication, work and education...
d ned people to work in an immaterial world? And if we
Another plus: these forms of hybridization can intro- gave people back all their personal data, so they could
duce social inclusion where radical demateria­ ization
l do with it whatever is meaningful to them? What if we
excludes a portion of the population. promoted the emergence of open or public tools that
provided basic level mastery of one’s personally identi-
fiable information, memories, and digital assets?
22 23

14. DAY TOM Who is protecting whom, from what? Security from above? from below?
TO
Y
a promise we haven't addressed
YESTERDA
OR
IT security in 2020 will be less about Decentralized systems – the power of many –
ROW AFT
protecting you from traditional bad guys, can combat decentralized foes (...)
raw material and more about protecting corporate business Open, transparent environments are more
W
ER
models from you. (...) Welcome to the future. secure and more stable than closed, opaque
-TO O
MO R R
Companies will use technical security measures, ones. The connectedness of the Internet – people
backed up by legal security measures, to protect talking with people – counters the divisiveness
their business models. And unless you’re a model terrorists are trying to create. The openness
user, the parasite will be you." of the Internet may be exploited by terrorists,
Bruce Schneier, 2010 but as with democratic governments, openness
minimizes the likelihood of terrorist acts
and enables effective responses to terrorism."
A transparent society? The Infrastructure of Democracy, 2005
The internet is becoming more secure to make the world a safer place. It facilitates the fight against crime The future can be seen. Murder can be
and terrorism. It makes the critical infrastructures we depend on more transparent and reliable. prevented. The guilty punished before the crime
It facilitates the prediction, prevention and resolution of risk, crisis and conflict. It promotes peace.
is committed. The system is perfect. It’s never
wrong. Until it comes after you." Peace software are tools and platforms
Minority Report, 2002 that help to build peace between people."
World Peace Through Technology
It is now possible to do a background check The Internet has been a key enabler of many
on a potential date before ever meeting him of today’s key innovations and improvements
or her. We are also notified like when a child in our lives and society – from better education
predator moves into our neighborhood, and and health care, to a cleaner and more energy-
of emergencies both in our local communities efficient environment, to safer and more secure
and around the world. We can even monitor communities and nations.(...) We are confident
what our children do on the Internet and filter innovation and information technology offer
websites to protect them from things they the pathway to a more prosperous and secure
should not see. We really do live in a much safer tomorrow for all citizens of the planet."
world, thanks to the Internet." The Information Technology
Smashing Tops, 201 & Innovation Foundation, 2010
Hacking Citoyen", Geoffrey Dorne, 2009
Computer hackers steal personal data and Analysis of large data sets will improve social,
money. Traffickers trick people into slavery political, and economic intelligence by 2020.
and paedophiles post photos on the Internet. Technology is becoming invisible, embedded
"Big Data" will facilitate things like"nowcasting"
Terrorists plot their next attack while drugs in everyday objects, and woven into the urban
(real-time "forecasting" of events); the
cross our oceans. Passports and cars stolen fabric. At the same time, it provides a kind of
development of "inferential software" that
in one country are used or sold in another permanent visibility. Anyone can be noticed,
assesses data patterns to project outcomes;
while money is laundered by organized crime. observed, or followed. This visibility extends
and the creation of algorithms for advanced
Counterfeit medicines and goods threaten lives to the past as well, thanks to the countless
correlations that enable new understanding of
and economies. Today’s criminals pass borders number of invisible traces that technology
the world. Overall, the rise of Big Data is a huge
both physically and virtually. To stay one step can collect, record and store. (...) It is becoming
positive for society." Elon University, Imagining
ahead, police must coordinate their efforts possible for us to discern patterns, identify
the Internet 2012 (majority opinion)
internationally." Connecting Police for A Safer recurring structures, in a word: to predict
World, Interpol, 2011 the future. The transparent society pushed
to its extreme leads to the perfect economy –
the behaviour of each economic agent plotted
We have a vital responsibility to ensure ICTs can be used for identifying conflict perfectly – it points to the end of psychology –
the safety of all those who venture online. situations through early-warning systems to the abundance of available information
None of us would stand idly by during attacks preventing conflicts, promoting their peaceful trumping intuition and introspection – and an
or theft at the hospital or bank or phone resolution, supporting humanitarian action, absolute democracy – a permanent control
company; we must provide the same security facilitating peacekeeping missions, of all over all." Frédéric Kaplan, Futur 2.0, 2007
to the increasing number of people who work and assisting reconstruction." World Summit
with these institutions online." on the Information Society, 2005
ITU, Cybersecurity for All, 2008
24 25

15. ODAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM
Y T TO TO TO
Y Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
OR
OR
R OW A F T
R OW A F T
R OW A F T
ROW A F T
W
W
W
W
ER ER ER ER
-TO ORRO -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O
M
a promise its assessment what is tomorrow’s potential action
promise?
Something is definitely different, Labs everywhere, for almost anything
but nothing has really changed: we are still To each, his or her own portfolio
unable to meet key collective challenges, "Give back" to contributors
and still worry, possibly even more, A "Public Contribution Bank"
about the future.
Towards very large-scale
collective intelligence
The cooperative approach has shown Orient collective intelligence
its strength in many areas. But it has not toward action
actually changed the way the world works.
Intellectual property
that thinks ahead
Collective intelligence
as managerial method
A large-scale "additive
Three major issues remain problematic:
manufacturing" program
accessibility to the general public,
transitioning to large-scale production, A Google-like digital
and environmental impact. manufacturing platform
Fab Labs... everywhere
A status for "open source objects"
Instill and develop creative abilities,
self confidence, trust and empathy
Improve companies’ understanding
of open, bottom-up, collaborative
A promise that calls innovation
for more action!
26 27

16. DAY TOM What worked What didn’t work
TO
Y The web and digital technologies have introduced Influential bloggers and "pro-ams"
YESTERDA
OR
unprecedented democratization of the tools are usually members of wealthier and more highly
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
for expression, creation, publishing and even educated social categories.
the manufacture of certain physical objects. The distinction between professionals
Publishing, disseminating ideas and information (e.g., journalists, experts, designers, artists) and
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R has become a "normal" daily activity for many. amateurs is blurred, but not entirely erased.
This potential is exploited on multiple levels: Some "amateurs" are really future professionals.
personal expression and publishing So far, this proliferation of "authors" has not produced
(blogs, social networking, photo sharing, video), many radically novel creations.
knowledge sharing (Wikipedia), crisis management Recognition for amateur creativity can easily
(Ushuahidi), object production (Thingiverse), sharing turn into third party commercial exploitation.
and funding of artistic or other projects In many domains, "crowdsourcing" is denounced
(Kiva, Kisskissbankbank, Kublai)... as a new form of creative exploitation.
Within the sphere of information, these openly What the "multitude" produces is not always
available tools are ideally suited to activists, of quality: some see the advent of an age
"whistle-blowers", and dissidents. of mediocrity.
Technology has given us a communications For individuals and small producers The decentralized nature of the Internet
toolkit that allows anyone to become this may be the birth of a new era, perhaps and the web have so far prevented a seizure
a journalist at little cost and, in theory, with even a golden one, on par with the Italian of full control by any one entity.
global reach. Nothing like this has ever been Renaissance or the rise of Athenian democracy.
remotely possible before. (…) The lines will blur Mass collaboration across borders, disciplines
between producers and consumers, changing and cultures is at once economical and What surprised us What we learned
the role of both. (…) The ability of anyone enjoyable. We can peer produce an operating People have only a basic understanding Speaking out, writing a blog, or composing
to make the news will give new voice to people system, an encyclopedia, the media, of the business logic behind major platforms doesn’t necessarily mean being heard! Audiences
who’ve felt voiceless. They are showing all of a mutual fund and even physical things like of self-expression (e.g., Facebook, YouTube) yet are still highly concentrated; the "long tail" model has
this has a major effect on what is not generated its anticipated revolution.
us – citizen, journalist, newsmaker – new ways a motorcycle. We are becoming an economy
or is not made ​​ isible.
v New skills are needed: identities management, "self-
of talking, of learning. In the end, they may unto ourselves–a vast global network of
"Publish or perish": this injunction–usually marketing", social networking codes and techniques…
help spark a renaissance of the notion, now specialized producers that swap and exchange
applied to researchers–is rapidly becoming Rather than general "disintermediation"
threatened, of a truly informed citizenry. services for entertainment, sustenance and a new societal norm, leaving no place for delegation, (e.g., producing and distributing one’s own record),
Self-government demands no less, and we’ll learning. A new economic democracy contemplation, and quiet reflection. we have seen the rise of new intermediaries and
all benefit if we do it right." is emerging in which we all have a lead role." The consequences for intellectual property rights are distribution platforms (iTunes, Facebook...) that have
Dan Gilmor, We The Media, 2004 Don Tapscott et Anthony Williams, the subject of intense conflict with no end in sight. swiftly captured the bulk of the market. In recent
years, the landscape has changed very little.
Wikinomics, 2006 Established organizations struggle to adapt
to these new forms of expression.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
Something is definitely different: millions At the same time, the democratization of
W
ER
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
-TO O
of citizens think nothing of publishing their MO R R tools for self-expression primarily benefits
ideas, photos, and videos online; the mute a new elite, often derived from the ranks of
have found a voice, secrets are leaked, the experts the previous elite, even if the codes are different.
W
ER
no longer enjoy the final word on any subject… And And apart from a limited number of initiatives led by -TO O
MO R R
yet, nothing has fundamentally changed: our societies activists, nothing has really been done to extend these
remain fractured and unequal; we are still unable to opportunities to the general public.
meet collective challenges and still worry about the Finally, the explosive increase in the number of
future. The "golden age" prophesied by Tapscott and The impact of geo-economic New technological hybridisations
p
­ ublishing forms has contributed to the rise of mas- transformations
Williams is long overdue. sive platforms that frame, standardise and capture Connected, "smart" TV.
the value produced by these new forms of expression, Economic and ecological crisis, and competition Open data, big data, the "quantified self", etc.:
How to explain the disjuncture? for natural resources will compel us to change data is the new platform for learning, debate,
c
­ ollaboration, and production. They perpetuate the
One reason is that established institutions and busi- confusion between peer production of a collective the ways we produce, create, consume and measure decision… but few people know how to manipulate
nesses have successfully resisted the wholesale emer- good such as Wikipedia, and the capture of end-user economic value. it...
gence of these new forms of expression and creation, production by private platforms – at the risk of causing The rise in power of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, Bio-art, nano-art, "human augmentation":
and have even managed to exploit them to their the source of both to run dry. India, China and South Africa) pits the "Western" new, creative and controversial forms that rely on
a
­ dvantage – consider the use of Twitter by politicians. values that are central to this promise against other tools and techniques that remain difficult to grasp.
value systems and political regimes. The debate
surrounding worldwide Internet regulation is already
showing signs of this tension.
28 29

17. DAY TOM
TO
Y
How does this differ
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
from the original promise?
W
R-
Once users have been recognised as producers, the goal is to focus on the collective benefits this generates.
TOM RO
OR
Such is the idea behind a "participatory economy", which rests on two conditions:
Publicly recognise "collective goods" created by Recognize the value of individual contributions,
users, (e.g., Wikipedia, "libre"/open source designs and while respecting the reasons why everyone contri-
software, Openstreetmap). Just like "public goods" (e.g., butes. ­ ikipedia contributors’ main compensation is
W
homeland security), collective goods are non-rivalrous, W
­ ikipedia itself: paying even the most active of them
non-exclusive: their use by one person does not deprive would ­ robably send the whole edifice crumbling down.
p
another. As such, their economic value lies more in the H
­ owever, when the economic value produced by the
way they impact the economy as a whole, rather than in "multitude" gets captured by a company (Facebook, or
the revenue they generate. However, contrary to ­ ublic
p the Fiat Mio co-designed with thousands of motorists),
Digital networks are at the heart of a new "participatory economy" founded upon the personal and goods, collective goods arise from initiatives freely the question of financial return can legitimately be
collective value of collaboration. This economy no longer radically divides producers and consumers: c
­ arried out by independent contributors, requiring no raised.
it considers contributions made by creative individuals as crucial productive resources to be developed, regulatory or budgetary decision. Sandwiched between
maintained, recognised and protected against all forms of predation. the State and the market, with which they may even
A participatory economy knows how to measure the value – monetary or otherwise – of peer produced compete, they are both vital and fragile.
public goods. It pays great attention to the development of individuals’ expressive, creative and collabora-
tive activities and recognizes these symbolically as well as economically. It reinvents intellectual property Finally, in light of the unequal distribution of contributional capacity, the promise pays special attention
regimes to address peer production and rebalances them in favour of future creations, rather than to education and training, culture, mediation and tooling.
the economic rent of past productions.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
How might this work? on the promise
ROW AFT
W
ER
One form [of collaboration] is personal -TO
MO R R
O
sharing, done among otherwise uncoordinated
individuals; think lolcats. Another, more involved
form is communal sharing, which takes place Labs everywhere, for nearly everything Give back
inside a group of collaborators; think Meetup. Why? To facilitate access to the platforms of copro- Why? Because a civic "contribution" should be
duction, to facilitate collaboration on a local and global acknowledged in some way, and in some cases
The key is managing the marriage com groups for post-partum depression. Then
scale, to spread and share skills. c
­ ompensated.
of money and nonmoney without making there is public sharing, when a group
What? Hybridised spaces that can be used for work, What? A real, official status for "collective goods":
nonmoney feel like a sucker." of collaborators actively wants to create
training, demonstration, or experimentation, and as p
­ ublic and/or professional recognition for major contri-
a public resource; think Wikipedia. Finally, civic platforms for innovation and collective action: "Fab butors to certain projects; social benefits for all produc-
Yochai Benkler, 2007
sharing is when a group is actively trying to labs" to create objects and spaces, "Info labs" to ­ roduce,
p tive activities, including those not geared toward the
transform society. The spectrum from personal exploit, and transform content and data, ­ Service labs"
" market; regressive-style taxation for companies who
to communal to public to civic describes the to create services together… derive value out of others’ contributions according
to the returns they provide to the community (open
degree of value created for participants versus To each, his or her own portfolio
l
­ icenses, return of contributor data, payment, etc.)...
nonparticipants. (...) We should care more about Why? Contributing to collective projects, debates, etc.
public and civic value than about personal or is both a personal and a collective act. Why not help each A "Public Contribution Bank"
communal value because society benefits more individual to assess what he or she has ­ ccomplished?
a Why? The creation of collective goods sometimes
from them, but also because public and civic What? Private platforms that capture every "contri- r
­ equires support at critical junctures.
value are harder to create." bution" and follow its fate: comments, articles, ­ hotos,
p What? A public capacity to back the production
Wikipedia contributions, etc. In order to avoid placing of collective goods intended to benefit society as a
Clay Shirky, Cognitive Surplus, 2010 individuals in competition, these would be strict- whole: seed funding, technical provisioning, research
ly ­
private and not subject to external evaluation. s
­ upport…
H
­ owever, they could also include personal measure-
ment tools, along with others that help highlight the
most significant contributions.
30 31

18. Jean, alternating part-time employee
Jean is 40 years old, married, and lives with his one child. He is a practicing accountant.
2
This combination of activities
is made possible thanks
1 to the hyper-simplification of 4
Although he loves his administrative procedures, but Jean also plans to collaborate
profession, Jean has chosen also through the valorisation with some neighbours on
autonomy, independence of his contributions through an "Alternative Mobilities"
and "meaning". He alternates alternative currencies RFP raised by the city. He has
between doing project-based established by the city. been thinking about grafting
work for several employers, a carpooling network to the
and activities that he really community garden’s social
enjoys, even if they earn him 3 network for some time. Will
less money: parental day-care, At the end of 2015, John the Public Contribution Bank
cultivating the community achieved "super contributor" back him?
garden and participating status for the role he played
in the development of open in the accounting software
source accounting software development project. This
for his local government. "promotion" allows him to
mentor new developers. He is
proud, even if the management
side of his new status has him
a little worried... But he also
knows that for his time he will
also receive a deduction in his
housing tax, and the hours will
be taken into account in
the calculation of his pension
points.
Yochai Benkler, 2007
32 33

19. DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
What worked What didn’t work
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
New forms of participatory economy: For the moment, we don’t know of any viable
the production of public goods (open source software, economic model based on collective intelligence.
W
ER OpenStreetMap), innovative currencies, collaborative
-TO
MO R R
O Incorporating collective intelligence methods
consumption or production...
into the political decision-making process
Cases of successful mass collaboration dealing or corporate strategy.
with very complex problems (FoldIt)
We lack a complete understanding
Coordination of large-scale social and political of the mechanisms behind collective intelligence.
movements – more effectively used for protests
No collective intelligence, or "global"conscience.
than to construct solutions, however.
Global media do exist, but they generate nothing
The emergence of "collective intelligence" in the way of empathy or collaboration.
The ultimate possibility of computerized knowledge, methods, and tools.
conferencing is to provide a way for human
groups to exercise a ‘collective intelligence’
capability (…) Over the next decades, attempts
to design computerized conferencing structures What surprised us What we learned
that allow a group to treat a particular complex Our living knowledge, skills and abilities are
The popularity of the collective To moderate and enliven online communities.
problem with a single collective brain may well in the process of being recognised as the primary
intelligence concept, its inspirational quality.
promise more benefit for mankind than source of all other wealth. What then will our To better manage synchronous and
The power networks have to extend asynchronous cooperation.
all the artificial intelligence work to date." new communication tools be used for? The most
a group’s scope and accelerate its operations.
socially useful goal will no doubt be to supply To combine production, training,
Murray Turoff, 1976 The collective stupidity that "crowds" – and interaction using no predefined hierarchy.
ourselves with the instruments for sharing our
digital or not – are capable of, using
mental abilities in the construction of collective the very tools of collective intelligence,
Varying degrees of participant commitment
If we are going to solve the world’s most intellect or imagination. Internetworked data and involvement represent an advantage
especially in the absence of a common goal.
for a group.
pressing problems, we must put the power of would then provide the technical infrastructure
the Web to work – its technologies, its business for the collective brain…of living communities." Changes occur within a circle of trust,
system by system.
models, and perhaps most importantly, Pierre Lévy, L’intelligence collective, 1994
its philosophies of openness, collective
intelligence, and transparency. And to do that,
we must take the Web to another level. We can’t
afford incremental evolution anymore.
It’s time for the Web to engage the real world.
Web meets World – that’s Web Squared." DAY TOM
TO
Y
Tim O’Reilly and John Battelle, "Web Squared",
YESTERDA
OR
2009
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
W
ER
DAY TOM
-TO O
TO
MO R R
Y
YESTERDA
OR
time for assessment... Economy Technology
ROW AFT
Experimentation with and rise Remote interactions that are richer,
"The whole is greater than the sum of The cooperative approach has shown its of new "collaborative" economic models: platform eco- more efficient, and easier to manage.
W
ER
its parts." This assertion has been tested
-TO O
strength in many areas, sometimes on a nomy, economy of contribution…
MO R R Information and links stored in the cloud
extensively in both theory and practice. In massive scale. However, it has not produced a New skills recognition systems rather than locally.
recent years, we have see the continued growth "common brain" across the planet, or even a city that rely far less on formal titles.
of technological tools offering new opportunities for or a business. Competition and power struggle, rather Practices
Development of trans-disciplinary approaches
collective efforts, both on- and offline. Facebook and than mutual understanding and cooperation, continue An increase in the number of people involved
such as design thinking or complexity theory.
Twitter have disproportionately increased the size to govern most economic and political relationships. in social networks.
of online ­communities and constantly give birth to Manifestations of collective intelligence do exist; we
new practices. Wikipedia has demonstrated – on an have begun to identify mechanisms and propose Technological tools usage much earlier
u
­ nprecedented scale – our ability to conduct a collabo- m
­ ethods, but we still lack a clear understanding of and later in life.
rative project open to anyone. Numerous communities how "collective intelligence" is actually produced. Thus
of interest are emerging around the globe, generating we cannot say in all seriousness that collective intel­
knowledge, ideas, collective representation and action. ligence has actually changed the way the world works.
34 35

20. DAY TOM DAY TOM
TO TO
Y Y
making good direct action
OR
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
on the promise
ROW AFT
W
W
R- ER
TOM RO -TO O
OR MO R R
Towards very large-scale collective Intellectual property that thinks ahead
intelligence Why? Intellectual property protection is clearly
Why? We understand relatively well how groups of n
­ ecessary, but current regulations limit innovation
ten to several hundred people can be productive; yet and impede the natural flow of ideas.
when it comes to larger groups (e.g., 10,000, 1M parti- How? By limiting the ways ideas or software can be
cipants), despite some success, our understanding of protected, shortening terms of protection, facilita-
collective intelligence has reached its limits. ting the choice to "open" a creation; and defending
How? A major research effort on the one hand; on the and extending the "commons" – knowledge, enabling
other, making the choice to actively support major pro- technologies, etc. – in order to promote continuous
Tomorrow, the interconnection of people and knowledge will produce collective intelligence on a massive jects in the few areas that have already managed to i
­ mprovement of ideas and knowledge, the prerequi-
scale. This protean intelligence, whose contours are constantly shifting, will rely on the emergence of a collec- coordinate very large groups (Wikipedia, OpenStree- site for collective intelligence.
tive consciousness together with a continual improvement in collaborative methods and platforms, specially Map...) then deliberately seeking to replicate this kind
Collective intelligence as managerial
adapted to very large groups. It will know how to handle problems whose complexity eludes the best experts of success in new areas.
method
and the most powerful computers. It will produce public goods and forms of exchange that will compete Orient collective intelligence toward Why? Because today collective intelligence clashes
with their market equivalents. It will complement political and economic systems in order to address specific action with (industry and public) leaders.
societal issues, starting with climate change and the scarcity of our natural resources
Why? Because collective intelligence generally knows How? By showing that this approach can generate
more about generating knowledge and ideas than it improved performance, support better decisions, or
does about making decisions and taking action. provide new solutions to the problems that traditional
How? By taking a deeper interest in the groups approaches cannot handle; by envisioning the status
that manage to get to these stages: developers of of a manager in the context of mass collaboration.
How might this work? open source software, technical standards…to better
u
­ nderstand how they function, and try to extend this
into other domains.
The collective is more likely to be smart Sustainable development 2.0 is actually
when it isn’t defining its own questions, when the coming age of collaboration, which ICTs
the goodness of an answer can be evaluated allow us to envision on a global scale. Digital
by a simple result (such as a single numeric technology hints at humanity’s potential
value,) and when the information system which to behave as an ecosystem. I really believe
Alain, 58, is the director of Audio-Guard (600 employees), a company
informs the collective is filtered by a quality in the idea that everyone has a part to play:
control mechanism that relies on individuals to individual contributions can be compatible
specialising in sound technology. Faced with considerable competition, he has spent the last
10 years streamlining, automating, and outsourcing everything he could. His future priority is different:
a high degree. Under those circumstances, with a global blueprint." Gilles Berhault, he must make his business much, much more innovative and "agile".
a collective can be smarter than a person. Break Développement Durable 2.0, 2009
any one of those conditions and the collective
2
becomes unreliable or worse." 1 Audio-guard takes a gamble 3
Digital Maoism", 2006 Alain’s logical starting point by placing nearly all of The management follows
is the transformation of its patents in the public suit. Inspired by the "Happy
his innovation policy. Any domain and thus to make Manifesto", Audio-Guard decides
company employee can suggest its future innovations open. to reward its collaborators with
How does this differ a project and (after a short peer
selection process) receive
Their objective? To collaborate
with thousands of like-
trust and transparency. Everyone’s
salary and bonus information
from the original promise? the time and support necessary minded sound technology is accessible to everyone else,
to refine the proposal. At professionals, who will then be as are the company accounts
The first difference is one of scope… than the world of ruthless competition and mercan- the company’s"Audio lab", they more inclined to do business and orders books. Initiative
tile exchange…not a radical alternative, but rather an are invited to help one another, with Audio-Guard; and to stay is encouraged, failure valued.
Is applying collective intelligence just an interesting jointly produce prototypes, As an example, a group group of
option that coexists with others. ahead of the competition
way to handle specific projects, or is it the starting etc. The successive steps in the employees decides to experiment
by producing the innovations
point for political, economic and social transforma- Implicitly, the promise (boldly) assumes there will be selection process systematically with reducing the number
that emerge. The payoff: two
tion? We choose the latter, without overlooking its dif- decisive advances in our understanding of massively involve management and peers. of hours they work, to evaluate
major innovations that landed
ficulty. collaborative mechanisms, in the tools and methods If a project doesn’t make the cut, whether this increases their
Audio-Guard two long-term
that make them possible, and in their ability to enable the collaborator who suggested creativity and productivity or not.
The promise sounds similar to the–now frustrated– contracts... in the health
the coexistence of a "participatory economy" and a it is still rewarded, and also has Collaborators are even invited
hopes expressed by the first theorists of collective and defence sectors.
market economy. the right to publish or use to elect their managers! Alain
intelligence. How can we avoid similar disappoint-
ment in the future? First, by clearly stating its objec- the idea elsewhere. runs for election alongside
tive: to resolve/tackle/handle/deal with major the others; he’s feeling relatively
world crises where conventional market or political confident about his chances…
approaches have failed. Its purpose is also to suggest
a way of being, working and sharing that is other
36 37

21. DAY TOM
TO
Y
What worked What didn’t work
YESTERDA
OR
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
Increasingly accessible computer-aided design The democratization of digital design practices
and manufacturing software / hardware. and manufacturing is still limited to largely "expert"
Public and media enthusiasm for digital populations – new elites?
W
ER
manufacturing, epitomised by 3D printers Open and accessible Fab Labs and similar places
-TO O
MO R R
and Fab Labs. Digital fabrication is inspirational! remain rare and often economically fragile.
The emergence of a coherent and comprehensive The most accessible spaces (and machines) are
ecosystem around amateur, small-ticket or open intended for small, simple projects and products,
manufacture: tools, places, services (e.g., Ponoko, produced singly or in limited numbers.
Sculpteo), platforms (e.g., Etsy), financing (Kickstarter)... So far, the democratisation of digital design and
The rise (or rebirth) of a "maker" manufacturing has not transformed how most
culture and community. manufactured goods are produced.
The first success stories: the "Dodocase" (smartphone
Like the earlier transition from mainframes Two future forces, one mostly social, case); the Arduino PCB (open source, yet over a million
copies sold); MakerBot Industries
to PCs, the capabilities of machine tools will one mostly technological, are intersecting to
(open source 3D printer manufacturer, went from 5
become accessible to ordinary people in transform how goods, services, and experiences to 120 employees in three years)...
the form of personal fabricators. This time – the "stuff" of our world – will be designed,
around, though, the implications are likely to be manufactured, and distributed over the next
even greater because what’s being personalized decade. An emerging do-it-yourself culture of What surprised us What we learned
is our physical world of atoms rather than "makers" is boldly voiding warranties to tweak, The rapid extension to physical objects Transitioning from "bits" to "atoms" is not
the computer’s digital world of bits." hack, and customize the products they buy. of the open source culture: sharing of knowledge as simple as some gurus have claimed.
Neil Gershenfeld, Fab: The coming revolution And what they can’t purchase, they build from and blueprints, collective production of public goods, The democratisation of these tools belongs
publication rather than protection. to a wider transformation of innovation models
on your desktop, 2005 scratch. Meanwhile, flexible manufacturing
The "amateur" reappropriation of highly technical that is moving away from an innovation driven
technologies on the horizon will change
items: robots, drones, automobiles, by producers (Schumpeter) toward bottom-up
fabrication from massive and centralized the "Internet of Things", etc. (von Hippel), open innovation.
to lightweight and ad hoc. These trends sit
The successful crowdfunding of (initially individual) Economies of scale, as well and standards and
atop a platform of grassroots economics – new projects via platforms such as Kickstarter, e.g. the regulations, will long remain a competitive advantage
market structures developing online that PrintrBot 3D printer or the Lifx connected light bulb. for mass industry.
embody a shift from stores and sales MakeyMakey, a device invented by researchers As was the case with the Internet, major players
to communities and connections." at MIT that turns "everyday objects into touchpads": in the new chains of digital design-manufacturing
IFTF, "The Future of Open Fabrication", 2011 a commercial success quickly diverted will come from outside established industries.
to unforeseen uses. They will earn their status by transforming business
models, not technology.
A digital manufacturing "killer app" has yet
DAY TOM to be invented.
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
DAY TOM
TO
It has become significantly easier and less
­
­
­
­
In the absence of a radical breakthrough in Y
W
ER
YESTERDA
OR
O
expensive to gain access to the tools for production methods, manufacturing physi-
-TO
MO R R
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
computer-aided design, prototyping and pro- cal objects will generally continue to require
duction. You don’t need to be an expert to use the use of several, sometimes costly machines, but
them anymore. An ecosystem of places, services and also specific materials and skills that are not always Technology The rise of free/"libre" or open source tech-
W
ER
platforms are all making it possible to easily transition easy to obtain. Digital prototyping and manufactu- -TO O nology and designs that bring down costs
Additive production technologies that MO R R
from the concept of an object to its design, from its ring remain reserved for the happy few who are able and other barriers to innovation. "Cloud
assemble smart micro-bricks of material
digital model to a prototype, and on to its manufacture to ­master their intricacies. Services available online manufacturing" based on flexible ­ actory networks
f
(catoms). New, "active", recyclable materials with
and distribution. (i.e., cloud manufacturing) can neither overcome throughout the world (Ponoko). Publicly accessible
innovative properties. Most new products will be more
These possibilities have given rise to innovative these shortcomings nor satisfy every requirement. The spaces dedicated to digital design, proto­ yping, manu-
t
or less "connected" and accompanied by a "digital aura"
c
­ ompanies and objects. They have extended and inter- spaces open to amateurs (e.g., Fab Labs, Techshops) facturing and repair become ­ ommonplace.
c
(traceability of origins and components, complementary
connected ‘maker’ communities on a grand scale. They are still few and far between, and are mainly suited to
services, traces of use, life cycle management, etc.)
have injected new life into the old DIY ("do-it-your- p
­ rototyping and single unit production. Practices
self") culture. In some areas, they have transformed Three major issues therefore remain problematic: Economy Repair, recycling, and (for industry) "industrial ecology"
the dynamics of innovation, whether by generating accessibility to the general public, transitioning to Increases in transport, energy, and raw materials (Cradle to Cradle). New products sold as digital files,
new concepts (e.g., sports or medical equipment), large-scale production, and environmental impact. costs, and rising wages in the Southern hemisphere: with or without raw materials: Ikea 2.0!
rapidly cutting costs (drones) or replicating objects towards "backwards relocation" of industries in old-
whose ­ roduction had ceased (such as old models of
p world countries? Economic and ecological crises:
prostheses). more people will produce things for themselves and
Yet a more generalised practice of personal fabri- their families; things will be shared and repaired out
cation–epitomised by the "desktop" 3D printer–still of choice and necessity. Individualised production,
appears remote; it remains to be seen whether this limited "niche" editions competing with or complemen-
eventuality is even plausible or desirable. ting mass ­ roduction.
p
38 39

22. DAY TOM
TO
Y
Gisele, 66, is a retired education professional who is not entirely at ease
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
with technology. She is very close to her grandchildren, who have (partially) initiated her into digital
culture.
2
W
R-
TOM RO
OR For her grandson Remi’s 10th birthday,
1 she decides to give him a special gift. 4
Recently one of the She visits Adrien, a PRP member who Gisèle also likes knitting.
buttons on her stove specialises in toys. Out of the hundred The last time Rémi came
broke. Her daughter or so available building kits, Gisele to see her, she "scanned"
tells her about chooses a fire truck that is connected him with her camera, which
"repairitall.com", to the local fire station’s data stream: recorded his measure­
a sort of search engine it will illuminate each time a truck ments. Using these, the
for spare parts. Gisele passes in Remi’s street. openpatterns.org website
Tomorrow, anyone will be able to imagine, design, manufacture, customize, repair or recycle the items uploads a photo of the selects and suggests suitable
they want and need from the comfort of their home or at nearby location. This possibility will pave the way broken part and the patterns. She can receive
towards a collaborative "access economy", providing us with the means to consume better and more repairitall.com service them in the mail, or she can
cheaply. By inviting people to collaborate with their neighbours and become members of wider networks, will (usually) identify it, 3 have them cut at the local
and providing new outlets for millions of people to share their imagination and expertise, the democrati- including its technical Many e-retailers and designers fabrication co-operative.
zation of design and digital fabrication will recreate social bonds while stimulating innovation. specifications and 3D no longer sell products, but digital But she still has to do
It will compel today’s industries to transform, open up, and rely more heavily on their customers to devise, model. Gisele is put in plans. Those who have the skills and the knitting!
manufacture and maintain their products. touch with Frank, a local machines can replicate them at home.
3D printer owner: for Gisele visits the local manufacturing
3 euros, she can pick up cooperative where she has her
her part the next day. purchased models built. She enjoys
How does this differ from the original promise? the dialogue with other amateurs
and craftspeople… a far cry from the
anonymity she feels at the mall.
The new promise articulates a powerful bond It requires the emergence of a network of dedicated
between the potential of emerging technology, the spaces and intermediaries whose role is, not only to
momentum of the "makers" movement, the econo- increase access to these new opportunities, but also to
mic crisis and the ecological imperative. It places less reconcile relocalisation with mass production.
emphasis on the highly individual nature of "desktop DAY TOM
It is more explicitly concerned with the transforma- TO
manufacturing", and more on collaboration, networks, tive impact of digital fabrication on existing industrial Y
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
proximity, and product lifecycles. systems, and a "co-opetitive" relationship with esta-
on the promise
ROW AFT
blished players.
W
ER
A large-scale "additive manufac- -TO
MO R R
O Fab Labs... everywhere
How might this work? turing" program Why? Broadly, the term "Fab Lab" indicates a
Why? Additive manufacturing functions by space equipped with digital fabrication tools and
successively "printing" thin layers of material, or by software that is open to anyone who wishes to make
Jean-Louis, 50, is an artisan living in Paris. Educated as an architect and a designer, assembling building blocks of matter (Claytronics), as an idea or project a reality, has skills to share, or needs
for the past ten years he has been involved in the digital manufacturing industry. He opened NotreFab, opposed to subtractive techniques that shape parts by to manufacture or repair something. Increasing their
a "private" Fab Lab, where he works on his projects and assists his clients with their creative endeavours. cutting into material. Long reserved for prototyping, number means more people with access to digital
these techniques are now used to produce finished manufacturing facilities, more ideas and expertise in
objects that can be very complex (e.g., nuclear reactor circulation, more support for new forms of production,
1 2 4 parts). If these techniques reach maturity, lower their and more stimulation for innovative startups and
In his workshop, In addition to manufacturing When his machines are free, he pools
prices and are adapted for larger-scale production, large businesses.
Jean-Louis creates his product range, at his studio them within PRP. When Jean-Louis
they could transform the economic model of many How? An ambitious program that supports the deve-
connected objects Jean-Louis prototypes objects receives a big order, sometimes he uses
industries. lopment and networking of Fab labs in Europe.
that he then sells and products for private other PRP members’ machines.
How? A major European R&D and experimentation
on platforms like companies, museums, and A status for "open source objects"
Etsy. public institutions. He is a
program that focuses on additive manufacturing
techniques and business models. Why? The concept of open hardware could be to
member of the "Parid Rapid
i
­ ndustrial innovation what open source software
Prototypers" distributed A Google-like digital manufacturing was to IT: a source of innovation and of knowledge
cooperative (PRP), a collective platform p
­ roduction, and the locus of new model exploration.
whose services are increasingly
Why? By decentralising access to the means of But the multitude of industrial norms and regulation,
solicited by businesses.
d
­ esign and production, and multiplying the number and the current regime of intellectual property, make
of people who have access to them, digital manufac­ large-scale developments difficult.
3 5 turing techniques have created a real need for open
When his machines are not being On Sundays he lends his How? Adapt open licenses to the world of objects,
access platforms that can link ideas with knowledge e
­ nsure their legal soundness, facilitate access to open-
used, Jean-Louis helps individuals and workshop to the "Little
and expertise, support product distribution, aggregate ly available models, schematics and blueprints, pro-
small innovators with their projects. Hackers" non-profit. The goal:
demand, etc. Just like any market that relies on a "plat- mote open source and "free/libre" hardware, etc.
Sometimes he partners with them to foster a love for learning
form", this one will concentrate quickly and its leader
in a business venture. In other cases, in kids who are not doing
will exercise significant power on other ­ arkets.
m
he acts as more of an instructor. so well at school, by teaching
His online courses on 3D modelling them the basics of personal How? Anticipate the trend: immediately invest in
software are very popular. fabrication. one or more platforms that are likely to become an
industry reference for digital fabrication.
40 41

23. DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
What worked What didn’t work
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
The realisation that innovation processes Organisations remain resistant to openness
have changed. when the possibility puts business models and power
W
Runaway success in certain domains: relations into question.
ER
-TO O
MO R R The tension between a call to innovate and the
Powerful ecosystems around operating systems
(e.g., Windows, Android), devices (e.g., iPhone, culture of benchmarking, which urges reproduction
game consoles) and platforms (e.g., Google, rather than invention.
Facebook, Amazon). Rigid support and funding systems that are
Collaborative projects like OpenStreetMap. still struggling to grasp the new mechanisms
of innovation, despite their efforts (e.g., clusters,
Open source software, that has enabled a number
living labs).
of economic activities to flourish (e.g., RedHat, IBM).
Widespread value capture of user "contributions"
"Consumers" are gaining in self confidence. supported by a legal system that doesn’t really know
how to take collaborative innovation into account.
Innovation is now everyone’s business, and the Internet is its prime mover. A new digital multitude challenges
public and private organisations to find new ways to interact and work in conjunction with it. Standard
DAY TOM
TO
innovation models were vertically-integrated, expert-driven. Now open, horizontal, agile, contributive, peer- Y
to-peer innovation processes disrupt established players, injecting fresh perspectives and hope into the
YESTERDA
OR
quest for solutions to numerous urban, social, and environmental dilemmas.
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
The conditions that sparked the trans­ The economic and ecological crisis rein-
W
ER
formation of innovation will intensify: -TO
MO R R
O forces the need to innovate. It creates a need
Constant innovation is now the norm There is a general trend toward an open and for new meaning; it makes the future uncer-
Open, bottom-up, collaborative innovation, that
for technology. Innovation is constant because distributed innovation process driven by steadily tain for millions of people, and invites them to
have charac­ erized parts of the digital world for some time,
t seek multiple activities, social outlets and sources of
information and communication technologies better and cheaper computing and commu­ now extends to the design of objects, and even living orga- income.
have become commonplace. (...) A key dimension nications. This welfare-enhancing shift is forcing nisms: increasingly accessible of computer-aided design
to the digital revolution is the power that lies major changes in user and manufacturer innova- and manufacturing tools, open hardware, ­ io-hacking...
b
outside organisations: the powerful mass of tion practices, and is creating the need for change
educated, equipped, connected individuals in government policies." Éric von Hippel, Democrati-
we call the multitude. Because the multitude zing innovation, 2005
are outside organisations, their power eludes
organisational grasp. Because organisations The Open Innovation paradigm can be under-
must learn to harness this power, they will stood as the antithesis of the traditional vertical
have to learn new strategies in order to prepare integration model [...] Open Innovation is a para-
themselves for the radical changes these strate- digm that assumes that firms can and should use
gies will entail." Nicolas Colin, Henri Verdier, external ideas as well as internal ideas, and inter- The Third Industrial Revolution [will] fundamentally change every aspect of the way we work
L’âge de la multitude, 2012 nal and external paths to market, as they look to and live. The conventional top-down organization of society that characterized much of
advance their technology." Henry Chesbrough, the economic, social, and political life of the fossil fuel–based industrial revolutions is giving way
Open Business Models, 2006
to distributed and collaborative relationships in the emerging green industrial era. We are in
the midst of a profound shift in the very way society is structured, away from hierarchical power
and toward lateral power." Jeremy Rifkin, La troisième révolution industrielle, 2011
DAY TOM
TO
Y
DAY TOM
TO
YESTERDA
OR
Y
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
on the promise
ROW AFT
How innovation takes place and how it Who benefits? The contributive
W
ER
O
spreads has changed. Many companies have
-TO
MO R R energy generated by the multitude is often
W
opened their innovation processes upstream
ER
harnessed for the benefit of a few massive -TO O
(concurrent engineering, crowdsourcing, etc.) platforms that are rapidly becoming monopolies.
MO R R
and down (via ecosystems, user input, etc.). Equipped,
To what end? Does open innovation produce
informed, connected "prosumers" tinker, experiment Instill and develop creative abilities, self A new intellectual and industrial pro-
r
­ esults that differ fundamentally from those of the
and invent. In some areas, collaborative innovation has confidence, trust and empathy! perty regime!
previous system? And if they are different, are they
profoundly changed outcomes, e.g., Internet standards, In education and training: teach in ‘project mode’, Development and protection of the "commons"
better? Have underlying values ​​ volved? Opening the
e
open source software, Wikipedia. promote experimentation and artistic creation... Libre/open source software, content and goods
innovation process does not seem to have profoundly
altered prevailing economic and social mechanisms. At work: make time for reflecting, for invention, for Collective creation
Nevertheless, this tangible success raises experimentation.
new questions: Improve companies’ understanding of
Who is open innovation open to? Truly Open (ecosystemic) innovation is not necessarily A culture of open innovation! open, bottom-up, collaborative innovation!
e
­ veryone, or just a small emerging elite that will even- b
­ ottom-up (user-driven), bottom-up innovation some- From benchmarking to investigating possibilities From "Chief Innovation Officer" to innovative com-
tually force its views onto entire markets? times has nothing collaborative about it, and its out- Integrate users throughout the innovation cycle munity facilitator?
comes might be just as closed (or even predatory) as "Agile" methods; "documented", continued experi- Organisational and workplace permeability
How far can it go? Open innovation is often ham-
they were under classic regimes of innovation. It takes mentation Sharing makes allies
pered by management culture, where many still believe
resolve to nurture the link between between "open", Give back to contributors
that "only the paranoid survive" (Andy Grove, Intel).
"bottom- up", and "collaborative". Participate in an ecosystem, not exploit it.
42 43

24. ODAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM
Y T TO TO TO
Y Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
OR
OR
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW A F T
W
W
W
W
ER ER ER ER
-TO ORRO -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O
M
a promise its assessment what is tomorrow’s potential action
promise?
Digital services have transformed the way Proximity through openness
we organize our time, and how we Virtual is better!
communicate with others... and yet despite Tax-exempt "mobility vouchers"
this, our experience of day to day mobility A network of open, flexible
has improved very little. workspaces
An Internet of everything
Digital technology has not miraculously Close the loops
generated stable growth, nor one that
Dematerialize, share, recycle – and
is more sustainable. So what is the missing
win
ingredient? Most likely, it is the will
to profoundly change the system.. Network-based resilience
Count differently
Time for assessment What is tomorrow’s promise? What action can we take?
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
A promise that needs to be kept! .……………………………………………………………………………
Time for assessment What is tomorrow’s promise? What action can we take?
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.……………………………………………………………………………
A promise
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
To be addressed...by you! .……………………………………………………………………………
44 45

25. DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
What worked What didn’t work
W
ER
-TO
MO R R
O The internet, mobile technology, La mobilité quotidienne reste une épreuve
smartphones, GPS, etc. have each transformed et n’est guère plus durable qu’avant.
the lives of hundreds of millions of people:
"My real address is digital!" Everyday mobility remains a chore and is
no more sustainable than before.
New modes of transport (car and bicycle sharing,
Intermodal transport organization and multimodal
carpooling, transportation on demand), practical
information remain underdeveloped in most areas.
and effective mobility assistants (from GPS to
transport information services). Online services do not adequately fill
the gap left by the disappearance of many
"Social" mobility services: Waze, GoLoco, etc.
local services’ contact points.
Distance living will generate freedom of Systems for intelligent traffic management "Flexible" work arrangements,
choice. It will create new places, new spaces and can improve commute times, provide more "Seamlessness": the continuity of one’s services
teleworking, mobile working
and individual universe across all contexts.
new techniques.(...) Distance living will allow reliable information to urban planners, increase
us to stand apart without forcing us to break business productivity and improve citizens’ Teleportation...
ties with the rest of society.(...) Our personal quality of life. And they can reduce congestion,
living space [will] be modified to adapt to these fuel consumption and CO2 emissions at
What surprised us What we learned
changes: the era of home automation is upon the same time. On our rapidly urbanizing
us.(...) The living room will make way for the planet, maintaining the flow of traffic and Hybridization between previously distinct practices: "Distance living" has not reduced physical mobility.
private/professional, distance/face to face,
"com room", the communications and media transport is crucial. To address this need The concept of "mobility" is not just about
virtual/real, fixed/mobile ("mobile" devices
room [where] people will go to telecommute, in the 20th century, motorways that spanned transit time, it includes our experience of time,
are mostly used while sedentary!).
space and our relationship to others.
teleshop, and telecommunicate." from one region to another and one country
The success of "shared" geolocation
to another were built. In the 21st century, Digital technology has, above all, densified
Christian Loviton, La vie à distance, 1989 (e.g., Foursquare), generating new ways for people
our use of time and given us more choice, which
intelligent systems will undoubtedly to make contacts, make plans, meet up, etc.
presents advantages and disadvantages:
be the hallmark of progress." The development of horizontal forms of support complexity, blurring of boundaries, etc.
Let us also consider the impacts that
IBM, 2009 and collaboration: "peer to peer" information
the dematerialisation of processes and GPS technology helps us, but also diminishes
between travelers of the same transport line,
telecommuting are likely to have on lowering the territorial understanding that maps used
collaborative mapping, etc.
to provide.
our carbon footprint and on introducing
We end up appreciating the disconnect
sustainable development dynamics." The search for more sustainable mobility clashes
as a moment of private reflection or meditation.
with individual aspirations as well as hard realities:
Cécile Duflot, Minister of Territorial Services emerge to help people disconnect, the location of housing, amenities and work,
Equality and Housing, 2012 hang out, waste time, or even get lost! inadequate transport, rigid work hours, etc.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
DAY TOM
TO
time for assessment... Y
ROW AFT
YESTERDA
OR
People have massively and enthusiastically as well as between urban areas (where
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
W
adopted what have become ubiquitous s
­ ervice diversity and quality have increased)
ER
-TO O
communication tools. Efficient mobile ser-
MO R R and rural areas...
vices exist to help us orient ourselves, organize
W
Some of these services also present us with new ER
O
our journeys, and perform various activities from
-TO
ethical dilemmas, e.g., the impact of geolocation on MO R R
wherever we may happen to be. These digital services privacy.
have transformed the way we organize our time, and
However, organisational inertia is probably the main
how we communicate with others. We are actually Technology Demographics
reason. Employers have not relaxed traditional ­ orking
w
living "augmented" lives... and yet despite this, our
modes (at least not in an organized way), nor invented Open data Ageing (Northern Hemisphere)
experience of day to day mobility has improved very
different settings than the typical office or factory. Ubiquitous and broadband networks Digital natives
little. On average, we spend just as much time in ­ ransit
t
Shops and services have done nothing to change their
every day as before the advent of these tools, with just The Internet of Things Services
places and hours of operation – except to provide
as little enjoyment – and spend more money for the "Smart" (and electric) cars
"e-services", which are often synonymous with a lack of Mobility hubs, videocommunications,
privilege. From a collective standpoint, cars remain
human interaction. Transport operators remain ­ ocked
l Economy distance learning, etc. to become commonplace
the primary mode of transportation; our mobility is no
in their silos. Institutions have done nothing, or almost "Third places", telecentres, coworking spaces, etc.
more ecologically sustainable than it was before. Increased energy prices
nothing, and yet the only limits to enhanced mobi-
lity are capacity and cost. In short, most of the major Severe constraints on public budgets Practices
Why the contradiction?
innovations brought about in the digital ­ obility sec-
m The dematerialisation of products "Slow attitude", greener choices, attentiveness
For one thing, telecommunications and teleservices
tor have been developed without – or in opposition and services to local and nearby options
appear to generate as much movement and physical
to – established institutions and service providers. As The tension between outsourcing "Empowerment", a personal and collective
contact as they replace. And an increase in the num-
a result, they have failed to significantly alter mobility and relocalisation quest for autonomy and agency
ber of mobility options and their related services,
conditions for the majority of the ­ opulation.
p
regardless of their merits, has deepened the divide Environmental externalities more
between those who know how to use them and others, and more reflected in prices
46 47

26. DAY TOM TO
DAY TOM
TO Y
Y
making good direct action
OR
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
on the promise
ROW AFT
W
W
R- ER
TOM RO -TO O
OR MO R R
Decisions to enact Grand challenges
Open access to all data associated with mobility, Tax-exempt "mobility vouchers", progressively
and encourage its widest possible reuse. subsidized according to companies’ efforts towards
Develop new forms of proximity access to public sustainable mobility, whose value can be spent on
and private services, by relying on local organizations, all sorts of mobility-related products and services:
communities and businesses. travelling, buying time in a telecenter, purchasing pro-
fessional equipment to work from home, etc.
An extensive network of hyperflexible third places
Hurdles to overcome
combining work, education, access to services, trade and
Make distance communication as rich and easy logistics, and the pooling of services or goods between
to establish – if not more so – than face to face com- individuals, etc. These public, private or voluntary
Tomorrow, we will all have simple, accessible, individualized means of gaining access (autonomously munication: should be a priority for research and spaces would share the same charter and logo, welcome
or collectively) to the benefits of mobility. These means will organise resources, services, space and time innovation organizations. each other’s users, and network with each other.
around us. They will promote permanent arbitrage between physical mobility and mobile communication, Facilitate flexible workspaces for employees and
between short and long journeys, between transport modes, between moving towards goods and services businesses alike: open one’s offices to employees of
and bringing them to us... These means will build upon existing social ties as well as collaborative other companies, rent space in neighborhood X for Y
potentials, and contribute to their further development. days, etc.
How does this differ
How might this work?
from the original promise?
A broader approach to mobility, centered Flexible and shared spaces for work, service, Marc, 43, is an architect who lives in Marseilles. He is recently divorced, and shares
on its benefits, that incorporates the experience consumption, education, and leisure... whose function custody of his children Chloe and Elliott. He juggles a complicated life, a demanding job, and his relationship
and organization of time and space. changes over the course of a day, week, year. with his children when he is with them as well as when he isn’t…
"Multimodal" mobility is no longer a part Remote services that provide a real alternative
of the promise, but a standard expectation… It’s now to co-presence, whether for work, shopping, learning,
up to policymakers and transport operators to make service access, or communication with family 2
it a reality, or hand over the job! and friends. During the weeks when
1 he has his children, Marc 3
Fresh, positive alternatives: Multiple forms of interaction, support Everything he needs to do often works from home using Marc has access to a fleet
and mediation, so that the term "remote services" his shopping can be found on a broadband connection of automatic vehicles. Since
Shift services and products dynamically to where
is no longer synonymous with "dehumanization." his way. On the tram platform, and a 3D printer to produce he no longer has to drive,
people are, when they are there.
Notions of collaboration, cooperation, and sharing he chooses his food from models. He can also use it he can spend quality time
An ability to organize one’s time and space,
move from the margins of the mobility industry a virtual storefront and picks to make a replacement for with his children on the way
in a timely fashion, without prior planning;
to the centre. Every single mobility service relies up his bags upon arrival. his broken vacuum to school.
for example, choose to work at the station for a couple
on this potential. attachment. The children are
of hours if the train is crowded, and go
happy, but Marc realizes
to the office later.
he is working nearly
non-stop…
4 5 6
To handle his children’s Marc handles his The children’s school is quite
extra-curricular activities, administrative tasks far from their mother’s home.
he is part of a carpool. He and remotely. His shared When they are with her,
his neighbors make collective secretary also helped with they often attend their lessons
arrangements to take his divorce and when he from a telecentre.
their children to their various moved house. Marc also uses Marc would never admit it,
after-school activities. an agenda optimiser that but he appreciates the weeks
helps organize every aspect he doesn’t have the children:
of his life, in concert with the organising his time is so much
people who share it. easier!
48 49

27. Germaine, 75, is a retiree in relatively good health, despite some difficulty
walking. She goes shopping, plays canasta, volunteers, and sometimes looks after her grandchildren.
But her husband Paul recently suffered an stroke. He lives at home, but his faculties are greatly diminished.
He was the one who drove; they live in the outer suburbs of Lyon. Germaine knows how to use the internet
and mobile phone, but she doesn’t really like that sort of thing.
1
In the wake of Paul’s
2 3
accident, his family and
Most of the services available The problem is getting
neighbors soon banded
to help Germaine (and Paul) are around, but a digital mobility
together. Germaine
only accessible online. Germaine assistant greatly reduces
always has a full
was given a "Digital initiation." this stress. It can organize
fridge. She has been
Her mediator calls on her once travel by public transport,
able to go out without
every two weeks. coordinating schedules
leaving Paul alone.
beginning at the nearby bus
Administrative details
station, or it can mobilise
have been completed
other modes: transport on
at home, with the help
demand, carpooling, and even
of a mediator.
automatic vehicles.
4 5
Platforms configured Paul is covered with sensors:
in concentric circles his health is being monitored
unite family continuously. He hates it. It feels
6
Germaine can’t help wondering
members, a few as though he is being watched,
what will happen when her own
neighbors, and that this makes it possible
health begins to decline…
old friends, and for Health Services to constantly
professionals. change the nurse who visits him.
It’s easy to get But he has to admit that
organised, ask for they are always well informed
help, and share about his case.
news. Except that
you always need
to use those pesky
screens...
Georges Amar
50 51

28. DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
What worked What didn’t work
A real increase in public awareness At the global level, GDP growth remains strongly
W
ER
-TO O of environmental issues. coupled with energy and natural resource
MO R R consumption. Asia and the United States more
Significant investment in "green technologies" than offset European sobriety–which itself is largely
and renewable energy. due to industry relocation.
A dynamic and diverse "green" digital innovation, "Carbon markets" work badly, and provide
especially around the "Access economy", collaborative businesses with little to no incentive to change
consumption (e.g., carpooling, sharing equipment, production methods.
recycling) and "smart grids".
"Social and environmental responsibility" generally
Fruitful alliances between major industry lies outside the core of corporate business models,
players and digital innovators, e.g., Citroen/Zilok, sometimes at the risk of "greenwashing".
Vinci/Buzzcar.
By fuelling man’s dreams, and marking
the path of what is possible and desirable, A real decoupling of GDP growth with energy
the demands presented by sustainable consumption in some OECD countries.
development–coupled in creative synthesis Digital technology not only gives us
with the promise of scientific and technological the ability to work collectively, it also provides
advances–open up completely new avenues us with the informational resources capable
for innovation." Pierre Musso, Laurent Ponthou, of measuring results and driving complex
What surprised us What we learned
Eric Seuillet, Fabriquer le futur, 2007 systems, as well as the means to control other
forms of technology. The construction industry Digital technology has only recently begun Economic and political decision makers are much
to address its own environmental impact. more sensitive to the economic and environmental
is primarily implicated here, as well as mobility,
Various examples illustrate the role of ICTs Experts on environmental, social and technological
pillars of sustainable development than they are
energy efficiency (including networks), industrial to the social pillar. Yet the social is constantly crying
as a provider of solutions to environmental matters usually don’t know or understand each other.
ecology, and the whole of industry and out for attention.
challenges: Smart grids and smart power Radical new proposals in the field of sustainable
its related services. Technology is not only The importance of the ‘rebound effect’: declining
systems in the energy sector can have major development originating from digital technology, e.g.,
a top priority for the planet, it shows great energy intensity encourages increased consumption,
impacts on improving energy distribution and Jeremy Rifkin’s "Energy Internet",
potential in terms of territorial job remote technologies generate the need for travel
optimising energy usage. Smart housing can collaborative consumption.
rather than supplanting it.
and value creation." ACIDD
contribute to major reductions of energy use
The adoption of new technologies into otherwise
in hundreds of millions of buildings. Smart
unaltered industrial and institutional models
transportation systems are a powerful way does not produce sustainable growth.
of organising traffic more efficiently and
reducing CO2 emissions." OCDE, 2009
DAY TOM DAY TOM
TO TO
Y Y
YESTERDA
OR
YESTERDA
OR
time for assessment... tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
Digital technology has contributed to eco- On the one hand, sustainable develop-
W
W
ER ER
-TO O O
nomic growth–but also to the financial MO R R ment–despite its prominence in political -TO
MO R R
disorder at the root of the current financial and economic discourse–is generally unders-
crisis. As the tool enabling supply chain globalisa- tood solely from an environmental perspective. Yet
tion, it has facilitated growth in developing countries the social pillar of sustainable development cannot be Technology Economy
without really taking environmental concerns into separated from the environmental pillar. Digital technologies’ increasing concern for their Global reduction in public spending. Tensions rela-
consideration: CO2 emissions since 1990 have largely On the other hand, both technology and individual e
­ cological (and social?) footprint Improved social and ted to social inequality, the economic difficulties of
declined in Europe, but they have increased in the US "behavioural changes" are often presented as two environmental traceability for products. A continually the middle class and the rise of poverty in developed
and doubled in China and India. Wealth and income potential sources of environmental benefit. They have dynamic and innovative "green tech" sector. Smart countries. A rise in the cost of energy and raw mate-
inequalities are growing across the globe. Digital proven insufficient because the core of our industrial grids. Big data employed for a better understanding rials, as well as wages in China, despite slow growth.
t
­ echnology has not miraculously generated stable systems and economic models has hardly changed. of ecological mechanisms. Increasing weight (but not dominance) attributed
growth, nor one that is more sustainable, i.e., more Applying technology to optimize existing systems to social and environmental concerns in corporate
equally shared and less harmful to the planet. Society
can only yield limited benefits–not to mention the d
­ ecisions. The emergence of innovative business
And yet, public opinion is increasingly sensitive to many "rebound effects" that efficiency gains typically Severe local crises linked to climate change, and access models that incorporate a social and an environmental
e
­ nvironmental issues; a growing number of compa- p
­ roduce. Citizens, meanwhile, are invited from "above" to energy, water and raw materials. Modest, but signi- dimension, e.g., access economy, closed-loop systems,
nies are taking their social and environmental respon­ to live more frugally, but they have few tools to accom- ficant growth in "responsible" consumption. Birth sharing...
sibility seriously; and "green tech" is the object of plish this, and the way markets work induces them to of an active global public opinion supported by social
significant investment. do otherwise on a daily basis. networks.
So what is the missing ingredient? Most likely, it is the
will to profoundly change the system.
52 53

29. DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
How does this differ
W
from the original promise?
R-
TOM RO
OR
The original promise asked for technology to Consume : collaborative consumption, sharing of
o
­ ptimize technical systems and existing processes. equipment, time and abilities, active management of
Noting the limitations of this approach, the new pro- product life cycles, repair, recycling, etc.
mise ­ ocuses instead on the coordination of human
f
Measure : enable complex and diverse measu-
a
­ ctivities. The objective is to support a proactive
rements of value and cost, able to integrate both
transformation of our business model, i.e. the way we
‘positive externalities’ (e.g. pollination) and ‘negative
p
­ roduce, distribute, consume and measure wealth:
externa­ ities’ (e.g. pollution).
l
Tomorrow, information and communications technology will support new ways of allocating resources Produce: an "industrial ecology" approach, based
and of coordinating economic activities that are both fairer and more favorable to the environment: primarily on new forms of coordination and resource
short or looped systems, dematerialisation, collaborative production and consumption... They will make it allocation, as well as dematerialisation (e.g., the
easy to (publicly) evaluate the social and environmental impact of a given economic activity, and enable transfor­ ation of products into services, product
m
the integration of this data into prices. They will help each of us to seek out more sustainable lifestyles, d
­ urability)
without necessarily prescribing a single model of behaviour. They will help to recognize other contri­
butions to society, other activities, than market production. They will be the tools that communities, Distribute : relocate, bring closer, share space,
as well as the emerging global public opinion, use to force companies and those in power to reorient e
­ xtend the space of "public goods"
their choices in favour of a new model for human development.
In just the next couple decades, we need to Today, Internet technology and renewable DAY TOM
TO
improve our economy until it produces net-zero energies are beginning to merge to create Y
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
greenhouse gasses. We must, effectively, cease a new infrastructure for a Third Industrial
on the promise
ROW AFT
to emit. This is a stupendous challenge. If we try Revolution (TIR) that will change the way power
to meet that challenge only by building clean is distributed in the 21st century. In the coming
W
energy, we will fail. Our cities, though, offer us era, hundreds of millions of people will produce ER
-TO O
MO R R
amazing opportunities to change not only the their own green energy in their homes, offices,
source of our energy, but our whole relationship and factories and share it with each other
to energy. (...) We have a tool chest of approaches in an "Energy Internet," just like we now An Internet of everything Network-based resilience
that can make our lives energy-frugal generate and share information online." What if we applied the principles on which the Internet What if digital technology was turned into an "auto-
but quality-rich. If we bring the best solutions Jeremy Rifkin, How the 99% Are Using Lateral is based to other areas; i.e., a decentralized coordi- matic growth stabiliser", enabling individuals and
together in our cities, they can lead us Power to Create a Global Revolution, 2011 nation of autonomous agents, locally and globally businesses to adjust to cyclical fluctuations through
into the zero-carbon future." interconnected, interacting and sharing resources access to alternative economic circuits, alternative
without centralised control? This is what Jeremy Rifkin currencies, or non-monetary forms of sharing and
Alex Steffen, Carbon Zero, 2012
suggests will transform the energy sector, and what exchange?
The idea of pollination illustrates the Physical Internet Manifesto thinks will improve
Count differently
a new conception of the economy required by logistics. When will there be a similar system for raw
Instead of assuming that all products tomorrow’s ecology. Bees produce a marketable materials, industrial production, mobility? What if we systematically measured the "externa­ ities"
l
of economic activity – e.g., pollution, consumption of
are to be bought, owned, and disposed of product, honey, but their most useful work Close the loops non-renewable resources, the production of public
by "consumers", products containing valuable is the pollination of plants. Faced with industrial What if "sustainable" investments were focused goods – and reintegrated these measurements into
technical nutrients–cars, television, flooring, capitalism, the first ecology was dominated primarily on closed loop technologies, industrial prices or taxation?
computers and refrigerators, for example – by the economics of material production. Today’s organizations and business models, whereby "one
Moreover, a looped, sharing, dematerialised economy
would be reconceived as services people want ecology (the second ecology) requires an entirely organism’s waste is food for another"? These are the
could eventually satisfy many of today’s needs, and
to enjoy. (...) In this scenario, people could satisfy different kind of thinking. Our economic world is principles that support industrial ecology, the cradle
more, without creating significant monetary value:
to cradle concept and the blue economy. The goal: a
their appetite for new products as often as emerging as a series of complex, nested systems: could we measure growth in a different way, based on
thriving, growth-oriented economy, which consumes
they wanted, without guilt, and industry could diverse ecologies with the human no longer the Human Development Index?
very few raw materials and no longer generates refuse.
encourage them with impunity, knowing at the centre. The realm of the mind – of the
Dematerialize, share, recycle – and win
that by doing so both parties support the relationship between ideas and the cooperation
What if a reduction in the material content of pro-
technical metabolism." between brains – is seeing undeniable growth;
duction, a transformation of products into services,
Michael Braungart, William McDonough, its economy elicits new forms of organisation and the sharing of equipment and capacity (vehicles,
Cradle to cradle, 2002 and efficiency, such as computer networks. machinery, space, etc.), all became sources of frugal
Cognitive capitalism is the alternate, mimetic innovation, supported by tax breaks and other incen-
rival of the second ecology. It may agree tives? Such is the rationale of the "access economy",
collaborative consumption, the quest for more durable
to relinquish control of the biosphere, or
and easier to repair products, cooperative recycling
at least share it, if it becomes the master of schemes, etc.
the noosphere [the sphere of the mind, Ed.]."
Yann Moulier-Boutang, L’abeille et l’économiste
(The Bee and the Economist), 2010
54 55

30. How might this work?
Elsa, 35, lives with her husband and two children in the suburbs of Paris.
As the communications director of a small packaging company, Elsa has quite a heavy workload.
2
The day before, she booked
a trip on "openroads.com"
so she could share the
1 journey to Paris. She chose 3
Today she has Christopher because he is On her phone, Elsa checks
a spring in her involved in the construction the surplus energy that was
step: it’s her day at of the windmill in her produced by her home the
the office. The rest village. She does not forget night before. With one click
of the week she to take the drill that she accepts a buy back request
works from home she is loaning out for made by Kirsten in Denmark.
or at the local the day through "ilendirent. This time she will have to pay
coworking space. com." a small fee, but usually
she sells her energy to the
(very poorly insulated) housing
estate opposite her home,
4 and that local transaction costs
Elsa’s company shares its her nothing.
premises with other employers 5
and welcomes walk-in workers. Today, her company has
It’s always nice and warm at given her some excellent
the office in the winter: servers news to release: by
located in the basement heat rethinking production
the premises. methods, they have
reduced the substance of
their packaging material by
40% and now use recycled
cardboard exclusively.
They have also established
a recycling channel for all
their packaging: their raw
materials now cost next
to nothing.
Jeremy Rifkin
56 57

31. DAY TOM
TO
Y
a promise we haven't addressed
YESTERDA
OR
ROW AFT
raw material
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
Smart Cities Smart grids
A smart city may forget Smart Grids for utilities’ benefit,
what makes a strong city. or to facilitate a new energy model?
The intelligent city concept, if too rigid, The major beneficiary of [smart grid]
New technologies for analyzing, measuring and piloting complex systems allow public agencies and becomes a futile effort to eliminate the technology is NOT the consumer, NOR
businesses to collaborate beyond their respective circles of influence, producing a more sustainable and incompleteness of the city, to get full closure/ the environment - but only the utility. Smart
resource-efficient growth, improved services, and a higher quality of life. control. This is a recipe for built-in obsoleteness. grids help the utility to better manage peak
Imagine if Rome could not have mutated across load and thereby reduce the need to build more
Smart Cities Smart grids
the millennia: it would be a dead city now. power plants. It does not reduce overall power
The planners of intelligent cities, notably Songdo demand or GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions –
in South Korea, actually make these technologies it only displaces them to different periods of the
A city can be defined as ‘smart’ when The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented
invisible, and hence put them in command day. (...) With a third generation smart meter/
investments in human and social capital, as opportunity to move the energy industry
rather than in dialogue with users." grid, the renewable power companies would
well as traditional (transport) and modern (ICT) into a new era of reliability, availability, and
Saskia Sassen have a direct Internet connection to their
communication infrastructure, fuel sustainable efficiency that will contribute to our economic
customer’s power meter, independent of
economic development and a high quality of life, and environmental health. (...) The Smart Grid
the utility. The customer’s meter may be "multi-
with a wise management of natural resources, is not just about utilities and technologies; it is Citizens, not cities, homed" to several different power suppliers such
through participatory governance." - Wikipedia about giving you the information and tools you are the ones who need to get smarter. that the customer can switch energy suppliers
need to make choices about your energy use. A
automatically based on price and availability
smarter grid will enable an unprecedented level Government is retreating from the provision
Cities are real-time systems, but rarely run as of power. This will much more effective
of consumer participation." of many services it used to provide. (...)
such. (...) Now leading cities have started to push in reducing GHG" Bill St Arnaud
this concept further. This will mean moving from Smartgrid.gov Into the breach step the theoreticians of the
departmental solutions to a city wide approach, smart city, promising improved managerial
creating economies of scale and scope that will oversight, greater resource-utilization efficiency, Smart Everything
Estimates show that smart electricity grids
result in: should reduce CO2 emissions in the EU by 9% and predictive models to help keep the chaos Governance without citizenry
Economic development and the creation of and the annual household energy consumption at bay. Many of these interventions will fail
jobs. by 10%. They should also help ensure the secure to deliver on their promise. (...)
‘Algorithmic government’ is a form of
Promoting resource efficiency and mitigating functioning of the electricity system and enable Is there any possibility that we could use government that mostly feeds on raw data,
climate change. the integration of vast amounts of renewables." networked technology to preserve the intricate signals that neither relate directly to specific
Providing a greater place to live and work. European Commission order and innate, pre-existing intelligence individuals, nor to specific meanings, yet can be
of our great urban places? (...) If we want to quantified. It operates by proactively configuring
Running cities more efficiently.
design supple, responsive networked places — the space of possibilities rather than regulating
Supporting communities (...) Smart Everything if we want to invest all the considerable power conduct. It addresses individuals by way
We believe smart cities will become part of of contemporary informatic technology of alerts eliciting reflexive responses, rather
the tool kit for our political and civil leaders Trillions of digital devices, connected through in making places that are worth living in — than relying on individual will and capacity
to create 21st century cities and regions, the Internet, are producing a vast ocean of it will mean taking bold and decisive steps for understanding. (…)
better equipped to deal with climate change, data. And all this information – from the flow beyond the stale rhetoric and dubious
of markets to the pulse of societies – can be An algorithmic government that shapes
population growth, demographic change intellectual heritage of the "‘smart city.’"
turned into knowledge (...) With this knowledge the space of future events, that acts on its
and resource depletion, in an environment of Adam Greenfield citizens in modes of alert and reflex, and never
financial constraints." we can reduce costs, cut waste, and improve the
efficiency, productivity and quality of everything puts itself in the position of being transformed
ARUP by those it governs, nor of transforming them,
from companies to cities." (...) Given all this low-
cost technology and networking, what wouldn’t is a frightening prospect - if only because
you enhance? What wouldn’t you connect? What human freedom can no longer provoke
information wouldn’t you mine for insight? What a response from it: this constant provocation
service wouldn’t you provide for a customer, is precisely what creates public discussion
citizen, student or patient? The answer is, we will and deliberation around norms and rules that,
do all these things. Because we can – and because in turn, are the condition for a sense of collective
we must." IBM destiny to emerge." Antoinette Rouvroy
58 59

32. DAY TOM
TO
Y
a promise we haven't addressed
YESTERDA
OR
What we expect from digital technology
ROW AFT
raw material in service of this promise
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
Interconnect of all economic agents in real time, Reduce the cost of access to consumers,
locally and globally, allowing them to dynamically and therefore create a market for "long tail"
adjust supply and demand, organise supply chains, and niche producers, small-scale producers, etc.
assemble complex offers...
Facilitate access to data concerning markets,
Dematerialise certain products, transform others products and prices, enabling comparison and
into services, mix services with products analysis based on economic and extra-economic
criteria
Track all transactions and interactions to permit
continuous market analysis and prediction, Multiply and enrich channels and interfaces:
and facilitate all kinds of market experiments cross-channel and "customer experience"
The internet makes markets more fluid and more transparent. It facilitates the intersection and
adjustment of supply and demand and makes customisation easier. It eliminates many transaction
and coordination costs.
This transformation benefits both consumers and producers, especially smaller ones.
Consumers have more choices and more information to make these choices–including social and
environmental criteria. Their relationship with merchants, products and producers has been enriched with The effect the Internet has had
multichannel access and new interfaces. on transparency is not exactly clear! The internet, smart phones and new data
On the supply side, producers can gain access to markets (or even consumers) more easily, which promotes
management methods have increased
diversity and even fair trade.
Many saw in the Internet of a great tool for the information available to consumers.(...)
finding information about, and comparing, These technological changes have also given
We’ll find ourselves in a new world Long Tail business can treat consumers products and prices. (...) However, what we see businesses more information about their
of low-friction, low-overhead capitalism, as individuals, offering mass customization is not only significant price dispersion [online], customers’ shopping habits. In some areas,
in which market information will be plentiful as an alternative to mass-market fare. (...) regardless of the product under examination, businesses know more about customers’
and transaction costs low. And the cultural benefit of all of this is much but this trend has not diminished over time. spending habits than they do themselves. (...)
It will be a shopper’s heaven" more diversity, reversing the blanding effects What’s more, the average price of a product sold Better Choices: Better Deals is about putting
of a century of distribution scarcity and ending online is sometimes higher than in the physical customers in charge: in charge of their own
Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, 1995
the tyranny of the hit.." world!" personal data which can be used to inform
Chris Anderson, The Long Tail, 2005 Patrick Waelbroeck, in Les dilemmes de their purchasing decisions and lifestyle choices."
The Internet is a nearly perfect market l’économie numérique, 2009 UK Cabinet Office / BIS, "Better Choices,
because information is instantaneous Better Deals", 2011
and buyers can compare the offerings
As the Fair Trade model is intended
of sellers worldwide. The result is fierce price
to by-pass traditional intermediaries, to save Consumer buying power e-Commerce is no more "sustainable"
competition, dwindling product differentiation, than traditional commerce - maybe even
on transaction costs associated with those will be conquered, never ceded!
and vanishing brand loyalty." less so!
intermediaries and to plough back the savings
Robert Kuttner, 1998 to producers, it appears to be in synch with some Networked markets are beginning to self-
of the systemic competencies of e-business." organize faster than the companies that have The macro-economic analysis could not
traditionally served them. Thanks to the web, identify a significant direct role of ICT
The Internet reduces inflationary pressures by Alemayehu Molla, 2007
markets are becoming better informed, smarter, for overall decoupling [between growth and
intensifying price competition and and more demanding of qualities missing from energy consumption], and the technology
by reducing unit labor costs. It also enhances the most business organizations. (...) is not expected to do so in the near future. (...)
economy’s growth potential by reducing Tomorrow’s consumers will see no dichotomy While information-based ecommerce bears
Markets are conversations.
the macroeconomic costs of carrying inventories between buying online and buying in-store. the potential to decouple economic growth
Markets consist of human beings, not
of finished goods. Finally, it reduces searching from resource consumption, significant savings
They will take the best parts of e-commerce: demographic sectors. (...)
and transaction costs throughout the economy, on a macro scale are however not expected,
search facilitation, time-saving expedience, The Internet is enabling conversations among
because it replaces labor-intensive marketing for various reasons."
24/7 ordering capability, client reviews… and human beings that were simply not possible in
and distribution activities
the best parts of local shopping, where Digital Europe Project, 2003
with Internet search alternatives." the era of mass media."
the human aspect and the physical world
Albert DePrince & William Ford, 1999 The Cluetrain Manifesto, 1999
remain paramount." The issue is to reduce consumption, not
Catherine Barba, Fevad, 2011 only improve it!
60 61

33. DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM
TO TO TO TO
Y Y Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
OR
OR
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
W
W
W
W
ER ER ER ER
-TO O -TO O -TO O -TO O
MO R R MO R R MO R R MO R R
a promise its assessment what is tomorrow’s potential action
promise?
Significant, transformational progress A more balanced relationship between
that brings with it some new forms users and healthcare professionals
of alienation: a more beautiful body… Mybodyismine.com
according to whom? ...healthier Body hacking
at what cost? ...cheaper for whom? Speak up!
Active rights: portability, personal
Between fear-mongering, identity construc- What if we made the wrong promise? data recovery, the right to lie,
tion, the explosion of digital social practices "heteronymity"
their over-exploitation, the last thing
Tools that distribute buying power
digital identity needs is to be unified...
Identity as skill
Digital expression as core
competency
Networks have dramatically enriched
the array of online communication tools. Learn to control our tools
But if this is heaven, it’s also hell... A wish, rather than a promise Rights and tools to manage our
online visibility and availability
Time for assessment What is tomorrow’s promise? What action can we take?
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
A promise .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.……………………………………………………………………………
To be addressed...by you!
.…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.……………………………………………………………………………
62 63

34. DAY TOM
TO
Y What worked What didn’t work
YESTERDA
OR
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
Continued increases in life expectancies: National or European preventative care policies
in France, 81 years in 2008 vs. 66 in 1952. have proven unable to halt the progression of obesity
and their efforts to tackle tobacco use no longer
Scientific and technological advances in the medical
W
ER
O achieve significant results.
field: prostheses, pacemakers, monitoring
-TO
MO R R
and analysis equipment, synthetic organs, etc. Health care spending is still out of control despite
despite successive rounds of cost-cutting measures.
Patient networks with millions of users–like
patientslikeme or Doctissimo–that have transformed Pharmaceutical industrial accidents, e.g., Médiator.
the caregiver/receiver relationship, the rapport
Telemedicine, which has been expected to take off
between healthcare providers and patients,
for the last 30 years.
certain research domains…
Electronic Health Records in most countries
Kinect, Wii, heart rate monitors/GPS
for joggers, digital fitness tools…
 e-Health matters. It can improve Kewin Warwick, I Cyborg, 2002
access to healthcare and boost the quality and "eHealth is accepted as an idea but not yet
effectiveness of the services offered. (...) When as a practical, valuable and essential support What surprised us What we learned
combined with organisational changes tool for facing many of healthcare’s challenges.
Bodies that live longer, Bodies may fall prey to the market: plastic surgery,
and the development of new skills, e-Health can (...) The direction of travel is towards more yet a growing intolerance for ageing. self-monitoring, cognitive doping (memory,
help to deliver better care for less money within informed self-management and responsibility attention…).
The cult of bodybuilding and performance –
citizen-centred health delivery systems. for both patient and citizen. Technology has but a rejection of doping and worry about The body industry is also the desire fulfilment
It thus responds to the major challenges that to become the servant of care, delivering eHealth "human augmentation" industry: cosmetic, aesthetic, health food, sex toys,
the health sector is currently facing." as close as possible to citizens and patients, The emergence of "bio hacking",
synthetic drugs…all are experiencing a period of
bringing subsidiarity into healthcare and increased innovation.
European Commission, 2004 "do-it-yourself bio", bio-art…
enabling results that people on the ground Growing dependence on "preventative" services
An explosion in the number of health coaches,
want and need rather than what others as well as wellbeing and personal development
(e.g., exercise, fitness coaches, prevention,
in the chain think they want." therapy, alternative medicine, home maintenance
Humans have limited capabilities. products and services.
technologies...)
Humans sense the world in a restricted way, EHTEL, 2009 Google Trends able to predict flu trends,
The relationship to the body has a strongly cultural
vision being the best of the senses. Humans although it grossly overestimated
dimension and its evolution in line with digital
understand the world in only 3 dimensions the 2013 outbreak.
technologies varies in different parts of the world.
and communicate in a very slow, serial fashion Much will depend on how the balance of power
called speech. But can this be improved on? Mobile devices as fashion accessories. between the individual, society, institutions, and
Can we use technology to upgrade humans?" professionals will evolve…
Kewin Warwick, I Cyborg, 2002
DAY TOM
TO
Y
DAY TOM
YESTERDA
OR
TO
Y
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
YESTERDA
OR
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
In an era of global empowerment, the p
­ rogressively giving way to a more open
W
ER
-TO O
s
­ tatus of body politics, and of the body itself, MO R R and balanced dialogue that benefits all
remains murky. concerned. Technology Demographics
Medical research continues to make remarkable However, this significant, transformational progress Genome sequencing for (nearly) everyone. Ageing (Northern Hemisphere).
p
­ rogress, from biotechnologies to new diagnostic also brings with it some new forms of alienation.
Rapid progress in biotechnologies and a lowering "Digital natives".
equipment, prosthetics and synthetic organs, and At a time when many are working to transcend consu- of the barriers to its access.
with various forms of telemedicine and preventative merism, it is troubling that corporeal medical care, Practices
care. Increasingly effective forms of medical care and Mini-invasive surgery.
d
­ isease prevention, repair, and augmentation consti- Self quantification.
t
­ echnologies contribute to our steadily increasing life tute its final frontier. Smart, connected objects, including monitoring
expectancy. Liberalisation of certain drugs.
A creeping normalisation is slowly taking hold, which equipment.
The fitness market is in good shape. It rests on a ­ assive
m glorifies beautiful, healthy bodies through societal best Augmented senses and cognitive capacities
Synthetic organs and other uses for stem cells.
community of practice that actively brainstorms and practices like improved eating habits, sports, fitness Personal data sharing between health
shares experiences, and a plentiful supply of goods, training or simple temperance. In a wider context of Companion robots, exoskeletons.
organizations and individuals.
m
­ onitoring and coaching services provided by innova- healthcare expenditure drift and concerns about cost Economy
tive young firms. and safety, this can easily morph into intolerance of
Heavily constrained public budgets.
Hospital patients, the sick and their families have non-standard practices.
d
­ iscovered new latitude, new sources of information When all is said and done, the questions remain: A more Pressure toward (mandatory) prevention,
and freedom in medical social networks like Doctissimo beautiful body…according to whom? healthier at what online or "assisted" diagnosis, telemedicine…
or Patientslikeme. The infantilising, asymmetrical cost? cheaper for whom?
relationships between patients and caregivers are
64 65

35. How this might work
DAY TOM
TO
Y
Arnold, a world-renowned athlete born in 2007, reminisces about his career on the eve
YESTERDA
OR
of his 90th birthday. He need only run through the various generations of implants and microchips which have
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFT
progressively colonized his body to recall successive innovations that have enabled him to achieve outstanding
performance throughout his career, and still keep him feeling great, even today.
W
ER
-TO
MO R R
O 2
At 16, Arnold tests a new
1 generation of chips: tiny 3
Arnold is 12 when he first implants strategically located At 30, Arnold continues
experiments with chips in different areas around his to reach new heights.
programmed to stimulate body, able to optimize muscle His industry sponsors use
his muscles according oxygenation and contraction him to experiment with new
to decisions made and mechanisms. forms of remote-controlled
controlled by his coach using Arnold garners his first patches that enable the
a smartphone. successes, which are validated digestive system to extract
by the International Athletics the maximum amount of
Tomorrow, the availability of new technologies and services will empower us to better care for our bodies, Federation. energy and efficiency from
augment them, place higher demands on them, and feel or express new feelings and emotions… the natural and synthetic
The relationship between patients and healthcare providers will even out with the active support of online foods that Arnold ingests.
communities. Distinctions between repair and augmentation will fade in a more open social context
where a wider variety of norms are more loosely enforced: the tension between societal expectations 4 5 6
(public health, balanced healthcare budget…) and personal desires will be the subject of more open, Throughout his career, At 70, Arnold fractures For the past 5 years,
individualised debate. The result: a guilt-free body, encumbered by fewer social constraints, open to novel Arnold is subject his shoulder: his first accident. Arnold has been
forms of sensory experience. to continuous and He experiments with a "smart" competing in races
comprehensive cast programmed to generate in the ‘85 and over’
monitoring; his data is synthetic regenerative tissue. category, using his
shared with his sponsors His fracture is reduced in two exoskeleton. It hasn’t
and his medical team. hours. stopped him from
besting those 40-year-
old whippersnappers.
How does this differ from the original promise?
The focus shifts from health to how we live, Digital technologies enable us to express
Julie, 32, is a young chef at a popular restaurant. Passionate about her job, Julie makes it
feel, and express ourselves with our bodies. body images that are more diverse, numerous
a point of honour to restore, enhance and magnify all the flavours of the products they cook.
The role of technologies is to increase and open. It blurs the boundaries between repair
An unexpected event will expand the horizons of her sensory experience. Her professional life will never be
the performance of health care regimes, while and augmentation, between care and aesthetics…
the same.
simultaneously subverting them by distributing Apart from its focus on vital functions, it investigates
power, individualizing responses, and rebalancing the workings of the brain and the senses, 2
the relationship between professionals and their stimulation… Julie downloads an
and (im)patients. 1 application that diagnoses 3
The promise anticipates the construction of new
Julie wakes up the morning after a slight hearing loss. Julie follows the advice of her
social and aesthetic norms that will emphasise
a fairly loud rock concert and The same application online health coach, and acquires
differences and desires.
cannot hear very well. She does directs her to the social a digital hearing aid kit. It contains
some online research, and finds networks of patients with only files of detailed instructions
evidence of similar experiences similar conditions. She for a prosthesis, which Julie builds
and practical information about becomes more and more herself in her building’s Fablab.
her treatment options. convinced that she should
correct her temporary
deafness with the help of
a hearing aid.
4
Julie wears her hearing aid 5 6
for three days. One morning Intrigued, Julie surfs Julie’s restaurant is always full
she wakes up with a heightened the web and discovers that after a series of raves given by
auditory sense. She can hear there are also prostheses, the most renowned food critics,
better than usual, on a wider in the form of implants, all celebrating the new art of
range of frequencies. Her body for people with temporary discovering and creating new,
has not only healed, it has been or permanent loss of hitherto inconceivable flavours.
enhanced. taste. Julie decides to
get the implants so she
can experiment with
augmented taste buds.
66 67

36. DAY TOM
TO
Y
making good potential action
YESTERDA
OR
on the promise
ROW AFT
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
A more balanced relationship between Body hacking
users and healthcare professionals What if the Fab Lab community entered the healthcare
What if personal health and bodily stewardship went sector? We could visit the "health" area of a Fab Lab
hand in hand, based on a constant and reciprocal and get a complete check-up (performed by a regis­
sharing of data between patients, communities, and tered nurse using open diagnostic software), laser eye
healthcare industry professionals? Each party could surgery, or print coloured contact lenses. Anyone could
actively defend its interests and negotiate with the build a customised prosthesis (a prosthetic fishing rod,
others. An obese person might make a well-informed for example) and pretty soon, sequence his or her own
choice to try an exoskeleton over dieting – and then one genome.
day change his mind. Examples? DIYBio, personal DNA sequencing device…
Examples? InControl, Blue Button…
Speak up!
Mybodyismine.com Prevention/care,health/wellness,social norms/personal
What if a highly respected firm enabled me to push the health choices, patient information/self-medication,
limits of what technology might allow me to accom- physical commodification/body as sanctuary,
plish with my body? After validation by an official personalisation/solidarity, repair/augmentation,
ethics committee, the Mybodyismine catalogue might enhancement/doping... the staggering array of
include (reversible) sex changes, sensory or memory equally pressing tensions complicates the health
augmentation, temporary or permanent plastic sur- and body relationship debate. But if we don’t dare
gery, synthetic hallucinogens guaranteed to induce to take charge of the discussion, and shed ourselves
zero side effects, electronic implants, custom exoskele- of taboos (but not principles), we will forever remain
tons... spectators of transformations we won’t understand,
and let individual and industrial choices take prece-
dence over solidarity and public health.
EHTEL, 2009
68 69

37. DAY TOM
TO
Y What surprised us What we learned
YESTERDA
OR
Anonymous (its meteoric rise). Self-censorship.
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
A relatively small number of problems, Identity strategies.
despite fear mongering. A single, federated identity is probably
The constant escalation in methods for human not such a good idea.
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R identification, including biometrics. Everyday Internet use is not all
Personal data overvaluation and that dangerous, despite its flaws.
the Facebook stock slump. There is constant tradeoff between
The success of Facebook Connect, convenience and protection.
the first successful attempt at creating The "privacy paradox": we care about
a federated identity. our privacy without adopting measures to protect it ...
and live with the contradiction.
Even if users might have a practical interest
in uniting their various identities, it is unlikely DAY TOM
TO
that they would want to share their assembled Y
YESTERDA
OR
By 2010 European citizens and businesses identity puzzle with others. Moreover, trying too
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
shall be able to benefit from secure means hard to guarantee, certify and ensure confidence
of electronic identification that maximise in the "realism" of an identity ignores the fact An "arms race" between economic and Private digital identity "providers" that
W
user convenience while respecting data that in many contexts – often the most dynamic
ER
political players increasingly eager to tigh- -TO
MO R R
O will change several times during a given
protection regulations." – people do not want to be themselves." ten security and obtain personal data; and lifetime: today Facebook, tomorrow …?
Commission européenne, 2005 Dominique Cardon, "Le design de la visibilité" individuals who continue to develop more and Mounting pressure–whose outcome remains
more nuanced workarounds: masking, obfuscation, uncertain–in favour of greater symmetry between
("Designing our Visibility"), 2008
partitioning ... organizational and individual knowledge and skills:
Inequalities among individuals’ capacities to moni- data sharing, transparency ...
tor their digital identity/ies, the circulation of their
personal data, their digital footprint…
DAY TOM
TO
Y
Skyrocketing development of powerful identifi­ ation
c
(biometrics, chips...) and traceability technologies
YESTERDA
OR
(NFC, sensors, CCTV, big data ...)
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
W
ER
Despite fear mongering, digital identity -TO O ­ The issues presented by digital identity
MO R R
did not become the single biggest problem management have evolved in tandem with
confronting Internet users, or one that could a booming social web funded by personal data
only be solved using ultra secure tools. capture and use, plus the development of online
Instead, digital identity has become a tool for self- services that rely on more and more detailed client
construction. As such, the old dream of a federated information. More convenience has resulted in less
identity hardly seems desirable: a single, trust­ orthy
w protection; there is growing ­ inequality between the Rather than a single digital identity, wouldn’t it be wiser to devise ways to consolidate the uniqueness of one’s personal
identity management system seems impossible to service rendered and the amount of personal data har- identity (around which we continuously build our own self) and the plurality of one’s public identities (for everyday
imagine; and more skilled users have adopted a range vested – and is poorly ­ rotected by those collecting it.
p tasks, privacy protection, risk reduction, self introduction, partitioning the facets of one’s life…)?
of strategies to project and protect their identity. Howe- Secure, standardized, vendor-neutral, portable personal tools would help individuals to manage both their identity/ties
ver, difficulties associated with managing ­ multiple and their personal data.
identities, profiles, and footprints are now experienced On this basis, individuals would be able to regulate their personal data exchange with third parties their own way:
by a less experienced audience, sometimes reinforcing specialized or "throwaway" identifiers; pseudonyms; anonymous authentication ("I will prove to you that I am
a kind of alienation: without a digital identity, you entitled to X, but without telling you who I am"); personal data exchanges negotiated on a case-by-case basis, security
don’t exist; not taking care of it carries a price. proportionate to real needs …
DAY TOM
TO
What worked What didn’t work Y
making good direct action
YESTERDA
OR
Anonymous (extremely effective). Anonymous (extremely effective for pirates).
on the promise
ROW AFT
The convenience of using one’s digital identity Identity abuses and security issues have persisted,
via Facebook Connect. and continue to increase.
Active rights about a secure, decentralized identity
W
Paradoxically, having multiple identities Users feel that their privacy is becoming increasingly ER
infrastructure, supported by the decentra-
-TO O
protects me. threatened. What if, to today’s protective rights, we MO R R
added more active, positive rights: portability, lization of the Internet itself?
Recommender systems. OpenID and other federated identity systems are
not used. Initiatives taken by major players (Microsoft personal data recovery, the right to lie, "heterony- Identity as skill
e-Reputation built up on certain sites. mity" (lasting and protected pseudonyms) ... ?
Passport, Liberty Alliance...) have failed as well. What if identity management (personal – for oneself,
Major platforms for public services and public – for others) were treated as an essential
Public actors do not safeguard our digital identity. Tools that distribute power
(Estonian identity card) and private services skill to be mastered and recognised?
(Google, Amazon...) organised around "Acentric" social networks (e.g., Diaspora) What if a portion of today’s research and innovation
were oriented toward platforms that give individuals
the "identity" of their users.
more control over their digital identity, e.g., self-ma-
nagement of public identities and personal data, ano-
nymous authentication or disposable identities? What
70 71

38. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM
Y TO The explosion of online personal interactions. Reproduction of social inequalities, tribalism.
YESTERDA
OR
A "democratisation of extended forms Industrialisation, quantification, and
yesterday, a promise of sociality" (Dominique Cardon). instrumentalisation of social bonds and interactions
ROW AFT
More options for individual and by major social networks–and by us.
collective expression. Modern risks, modern embarrassments: identity/
W
ER
-TO
MO R R
O
Online collaboration. identities management, privacy and reputation
issues, overtaxed attention, cyberbullying, etc.
Social networks as platforms used for public
protests or to express policy alternatives.
A real contribution toward the emergence
of a "global public opinion."
DAY TOM
TO
Y
YESTERDA
OR
tomorrow what will change
ROW AFT
We want to keep the internet open for In a few years, men will be able
the protester using social media to organize to communicate more effectively through
Anticipated changes move essentially in one It is easy to imagine how these techniques
W
a march in Egypt; the college student emailing a machine than face to face."
ER
direction: more! might enrich our interactions, but also
-TO O
MO R R
her family photos of her semester abroad; Licklider & Talylor, The computer how they might make them more difficult to
More opportunities for communication using
the lawyer in Vietnam blogging to expose as a communication device, 1968 manage, more intrusive or more prone to various
"ambient computing" technologies
corruption; the teenager in the United States abuses of power and manipulation.
More involvement in communication: tangible, hap-
who is bullied and finds words of support online;
tic, and sensory interfaces; emotional computing,
for the small business owner in Kenya using We are creating a world that all may enter immersive videoconferencing, etc.
mobile banking to manage her profits; without privilege or prejudice accorded by race,
More exchange through improved machine transla-
the philosopher in China reading academic economic power, military force, or station
tion...
journals for her dissertation; the scientist of birth. We are creating a world where anyone,
in Brazil sharing data in real time with anywhere may express his or her beliefs,
colleagues overseas; and the billions and billions no matter how singular, without fear of being
of interactions with the internet every single day coerced into silence or conformity."
as people communicate with loved ones, follow A Declaration of the Independence
the news, do their jobs, and participate of Cyberspace, 1996
in the debates shaping their world."
Hillary Clinton, 2011
YES, this newfound capacity for communication, Provide society and individuals with some kind of ‘grip’
expression, and collaboration fostered by the Internet on their interactions, the flow of data they ­ roduce, and
p
satisfies a profound need and represents a boon for the practices of those who manage commu­ ications n
all humanity. Reductio ad absurdum: would we want for billions of people: what users’ rights are, what tools
DAY TOM
TO
Y Iranian dissidents, Egyptian activists, African scientists, can be used to regulate data availability, how to par-
whistleblowers, migrants, or the struggling voices of tition one’s different universes, choose one’s priorities,
YESTERDA
OR
our young people to be denied these tools? act as an autonomous citizen, or not be detected or
time for assessment...
ROW AFT
located, etc.
YET we cannot just wait for these tools to automa- The right to disconnect, to be unavailable, to be invisible, to
tically generate universal benefit: we have to want it,
The Internet and mobile networks have We are reminded that human relation­ remain silent, to be forgotten Sousveillance ­ edicated
D
W
ER
O and this means thinking about their universal appro-
regulations for large platforms of communication, etc.
-TO
profoundly transformed the array of inter- MO R R ships are embedded in political, social and
priation, their ecology, their place in society, and the
personal and social communication tools economic contexts that have not evolved all Transform this proliferation of digital interaction into
regulation of those who make the tools available.
available to us–and people around the world that much in recent years – unsure, it is likely, of a force that fuels the redistribution of information and
have eagerly adopted them. Something powerful has how to derive benefit from their newfound relational Consider online interaction, self expression, colla­ thus power. Out of the multiple and noisy conver­ ations
s
taken place, and its fertile, liberating quality cannot be energy. We are also reminded that our interpersonal boration, publishing, and commenting skills as core that make up the Internet, how might an ­ ugmented
a
denied; especially when there is evidence that electro- interactions online use technical platforms that are c
­ ompetencies essential to any citizen living in a net­ public sphere – an agora – emerge, capable of hosting
nic communications are not a replacement for face to not exactly neutral. worked world. novel collective representations and ­ nnovative collec-
i
face interaction. Integrate their use into educational settings support tive choices, when public institutions seem less and
And yet we suffer from a kind of high tech hangover: research on digital sociality, etc. less able to do so? How to enrich, represent, map, and
we condemn the artificiality of "virtual" relations, Learn to control our tools, to devise strategies that advance public debate without a center, without any
lament the loss of our privacy and solitude, decry maximise their utility, to transform them as suits our unquestionable authority?
the capture and commodification of our social ties, purposes. Fact checking Data Visualization Controversy
disparage the standardization of social interactions, Dashboards, aggregators and organizers of our online M
­ apping Weighted voting, etc.
worry about the risks presented to our children, to interactions and publications that are open and
d
­ issidents...This new Eden is surely to be found in independent from specific social platforms explore
other people, but so is hell, as the saying goes! "
­ communicational frugality" policies in business, etc.
72 73

39. DAY TOM
TO
Y
What we expect from digital technologies
a promise we haven't addressed
YESTERDA
OR
in service of this promise
ROW AFT
raw material
Diagnosis and telemedicine technologies Platforms to support lifelong learning
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R that enable us keep people at home for longer and activity
Surveillance and home care platforms, supported Communication services and platforms
by sensors and other devices installed in patients’ to maintain social bonds
homes (on on patients themselves)
The convergence of nanotechnologies-
Tools and interfaces that enable seniors biotechnologies-computer technologies-cognitive
to use digital technologies to communicate, sciences ("NBIC"), in order to slow or even
learn, play… prevent physical and mental ageing.
Technology allows senior citizens to live independently for longer, without feeling too dependent on relatives
or becoming overly burdensome to health and social welfare systems. Technologies maintain social ties. They
can palliate deficiencies as well as physical or cognitive disabilities. They can even slow ageing. With their help,
we will all live longer and better lives.
Aging is not only a health issue! Let’s just stop ageing...problem solved!
ICT provides a major opportunity to integrate The pilot European Innovation Partnership Conversations about elderly parents Sustaining human physical and mental
people at risk of exclusion and empower on Active and Healthy Ageing will pursue and technology usually center on safety, abilities throughout the life span would be
individuals to fully participate in the knowledge a triple win for Europe: in particular on devices designed to alert a call facilitated by progress in neuroscience and
society. ICT also offers important means 1. enabling EU citizens to lead healthy, active center in case of trouble. But our parents cellular biology at the nanoscale. An active
to address the challenges associated to and independent lives while ageing; are more than the sum of their maladies. and dignified life could be possible far into
the ageing population such as the rise Instead of keeping them safe, can’t some of these a person’s second century, due to
2. improving the sustainability and efficiency
in number of people with high disability rates, devices help keep them happy?" the convergence of technologies. Gene therapy
of social and health care systems;
fewer family carers, and a smaller productive to cure early aging syndromes may become
3. boosting and improving the competitiveness Karen Stabiner, NY Times, 2010
workforce." European Commission, 2007 common, giving vastly improved longevity
of the markets for innovative products
and quality of life to millions of people."
and services, thus creating new opportunities This level of surveillance is unbearable!
for businesses." Converging Technologies for Improving Human
The AAL [Ambient Assisted Living] Joint
Countless machines will monitor the health Performance, 2002
Programme has the following specific aims: European Commission, 2012
foster the emergence of innovative of a body, a mind, or a product (...).
ICT-based products, services and systems Mass-produced objects will each self-monitor
for ageing well at home, in the community, its compliance to standards: self-surveillancers I and many other scientists now believe
and at work, thus improving the quality of life, Our elderly relatives (…) can no longer will make their appearance (...). Sub-cutaneous that in around 20 years we will have
autonomy, participation in social life, skillsbe cared for exclusively by family or placed electronic chips will continuously record the means to reprogramme our bodies’
and employability of older people and reducing in nursing homes. (...) It is time to consider heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol levels. stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse,
the costs of health and social care. This may be what gerontechnology can really offer, Microprocessors attached to different organs will aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live
based, for example, on innovative utilisation shed our irrational negative preconceptions, monitor their deviations from norms. Miniature forever. Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood
of ICT, new methods of customer interaction quit perceiving them as panacea, and merely cameras, electronic sensors, biomarkers, cells and do their work thousands of times
or new types of value chains for independent accept them as a complementary solution nanomotors, nanotubes (microscopic sensors more effectively."
living services."that satisfies a real need. Organizing how that can be introduced into the pulmonary
we care for our elderly (...) will be complex, Ray Kurzweil, 2012
"Ambient Assisted Living" alveoli or the bloodstream) will allow each
the solution will be composed using a palette of us to measure continuously - or periodically -
European Program, 2008
of solutions: professional carers, visits by loved the parameters of our own bodies (...)."
ones, video-surveillance..." Jacques Attali, A brief history of the future, 2006 It is unlikely that our bodies will soon host
"The new future of old age is about staying Richard Saccone, CEO, Link Care Services, 2011 nanobots replacing defective organs, or that
in society, staying in the workplace and staying we will exchange our organs for younger ones.
very connected. And technology is going to be Like heart or other organ transplants today,
a very big part of that, because the new reality is, The elderly and their caregivers are wary future transplants will only concern a small
increasingly, a virtual reality. It provides a way of cameras; they imagine that they are being number of people, and a certainly a small
to make new connections, new friends and new observed. The perceived intrusiveness proportion of the elderly population. Let’s
senses of purpose." of this misunderstood technology prevents it leave the prophesying to the prophets…"
from being accepted and integrated into current
Joseph F. Coughlin, AgeLab, 2009 Eric le Bourg in Futur 2.0, 2007
experimentation and inhibits its validation
for use in private homes."
CSTB, 2011
74 75

40. ODAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM DAY TOM
Y T TO TO TO
Y Y Y
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
YESTERDA
OR
OR
OR
OR
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW AFT
ROW A F T
W
W
W
W
ER ER ER ER
-TO ORRO -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O -TO
MO R R
O
M
a promise its assessment what is tomorrow’s potential action
promise?
Use digital tools to foster educational
The disconnection between the explosion transformation
of individual practices and the immobility A European initiative to share online
of the education system contributes to an educational resources
ever-widening gap between the aims of Lifelong learning, for real
education systems and their actual results.
Games have become a legitimate cultu-
ral form, yet they haven’t gained much A "Gaming Matrix"
t
­ raction in "serious" contexts: their use has "Playful Reality"
not significantly changed organizations Game studies, games in school.
or revolutionized education, nor led
to scientific breakthroughs.
Toward more legitimised forms
The Internet has promised too much; of participation: Local Community
the democratic, participatory revolution Managers; the "participatory 1%"
expected by digital pioneers has not Invest in democratic innovation
taken place. Don’t wait for an upgrade
A promise that needs to be kept! to "political software"
Put an end to the most blatant abuses
Education and training supported
The Southern hemisphere is the future A new practical attitude by digital tools.
of digital innovation, but the dramatic rise
in digital technologies usage is clearly not Use digital technology to foster greater
enough to accelerate development in least transparency.
A promise that needs revisiting... developed countries. Support communities of innovators.
Not just from the North! Digital public goods.
Time for assessment What is tomorrow’s promise? What action can we take?
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
A promise .…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
To be addressed...by you!
.…………………………………………………………………………… .…………………………………………………………………………… .……………………………………………………………………………
76 77

41. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM
TO
Y The massification of personal digital Digital technology has done little to change
OR
YESTERDA
equipment for teachers, students and families. the dominant teaching content, materials
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFTE
and methods, especially pre-university.
Wikipedia and its widespread
(albeit criticised) use by students. Surveys fail to demonstrate the existence
of a positive (or negative) impact of computers
W
R-
TOM RO Online publishing – free, paid, organized
OR
or spontaneous – of a wide variety of educational on school performance.
resources, e.g., classes, videos, documents, A major lack of "critical digital literacy"
exercises, software, or tutorials which are in curricula: searching for and decrypting
a mixed bag of excellent and poor. information, understanding data and computer
"Horizontal" knowledge exchange programs, etc..
via the Internet. The lack of an ambitious, widely-shared vision
Significant and growing use of digital technology of digital technology’s role in education.
in the lifelong education sector: "Lifelong learning" is but wishful thinking for most,
e-learning, self-learning, "serious games", etc. as is earning recognition for skills obtained
Highly innovative initiatives like Khan Academy through experience.
(200 million classes delivered as of mid-2012)
We can utterly transform teaching When every child has a connected laptop,
and Coursera (2 million students registered
conditions by almost entirely replacing books they have in their hands the key to full as of late 2012)
with television. (...) Do you realise that development and participation. Limits are
this means children can have fun instead erased as they can learn to work with others
of being bored? (...) The point is not to eliminate around the world, to access high-quality,
teachers, the point is to restore their noblest modern materials, to engage their passions What surprised us What we learned
function: being there to help those and develop their expertise." The use of digital technology for education Technology in itself does not improve
who need help." One Laptop per Child, 2012 relies more on social interaction than on interaction the performance of education systems; all students
with a program or with educational content. do not benefit equally, and the use of technology
André Malraux, 1974
"Disruptive" public initiatives, like the NYC cannot be dissociated from other aspects of learning
Department of Education’s iZone. or teaching.
Homework for sale; and the ire, shared by many Despite being familiar with machines, "digital
Digital learning will create a positive natives" do not prove significantly more competent
teachers, elicited by students’ use of Wikipedia.
hopeful disruption of really customizing than their elders in programming or other advanced
learning where students learn at their own pace, The persistence of paper textbooks.
digital skills.
and learn in their own way and learn The comeback of "digital literacy": "Program
Computers potentially open the door to very diverse
to standards that are world class." or be programmed" (Douglas Rushkoff)
forms of teaching and learning: multimedia/written,
self-directed/peer-to-peer/courses, learning by doing/
Digital Promise, 2011
intuition/deduction...
DAY TOM
TO DAY TOM
Y TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
OR
YESTERDA
for assessment...
ROW AFTE
time
ROW AFTE
tomorrow what will change
W
R-
In 2010, there was at least one recent com- TOM RO methods, as well as the kind of work expec-
W
OR R-
puter for every 4-5 French secondary school ted from pupils and students are very similar
TOM RO
OR
students. Teachers, students and families alike to what they were 20 years ago. Innovators in the
were nearly all equipped and connected. In 2011, 60% field feel isolated and ignored. Most innovative compa- Technology Education systems
of French pupils and students reported working from nies in the industry are struggling. Scientific and technical advances in neuroscience and A lack of financial resources in public school systems.
home via the Internet, and 28% of 18-24 year olds repor- Such a disconnection between the (inevitably unequal) the cognitive sciences. The crisis of teaching as a vocation.
ted using it to receive some kind of training (source: explosion of individual practices and the immobility of Options for temporary or permanent "human aug- The massive multiplication of educational options
Credoc). The same goes in other European countries. the education system contributes to an ever-widening mentation". and offers targeting families and individuals.
Digital technology developed for educational and gap between the aims of education systems and their Ubiquitous computing and "hybrid" or "augmented" International initiatives with unchecked ambitions:
t
­ raining purposes is a booming innovation sector: actual results. reality associated with mobile phones. edX, a joint venture between several major U.S. univer-
thousands of researchers, businesses, and local initia- The "data deluge", the semantic web, Big Data, and sities, aims to register a billion students!
Digital technology has yet to fulfill its other promise:
tives are exploring its possibilities. more generally, the growing importance of data as a
personalised, easily accessible and "lifelong" learning
Yet the heart of education has hardly changed. At is not a reality yet, at least not on a large scale. Traditio- resource and an object of knowledge.
best, computers and the Internet are used as a means nal temporal partitions between school age, working Society
to search for information; they are very rarely used age and retirement age endure as the central organi- A growing number of "digital natives", including tea-
as tools for production and collaboration and almost sing principles of our lives. chers and policymakers.
never used in the classroom. Classroom layout, ­ eaching
t
The rapid and constant evolution of knowledge.
Less and less linear career paths, a constant need for
re-skilling.
78 79

42. DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise? How does this differ
ROW AFTE
from the original promise?
W
R-
TOM RO
OR
The original promise saw individuals as consumers Technology profoundly transforms educational
demanding education where, when and how they institutions and learning methods, but does not
wanted it. The new promise treats them as active dictate what these transformations will be. Instead,
citizens, deeply immersed in networks in which they it enables all kinds of combinations, e.g., between self-
learn, interact, work, play, and share knowledge. directed and peer learning; lessons taught by teachers
or tutors, and mass education; distance education
The promise focuses on learner motivation,
(not necessarily solitary) and face-to-face teaching;
enjoyment and involvement, from an early age
and between knowledge transmission, co-production
and throughout life. It is interested in personalised
and application.
education (learning one’s own way at one’s own pace)
as well as collective work; in the powerful learning The promise opens up new perspectives
Tomorrow, standardised, ultra-selective education systems will be replaced by a diverse set of platforms capable of efficiency of project-based activities and for education professionals: rediscovering a sense
combining educational rigor with large-scale customisation. By breaking up the unities of time, place and action that experimentation; in "learning by doing"; in the of purpose; exercising pedagogical freedom; enjoying
shape a typical "class", these platforms will produce a near-infinite variety of combinations between forms of learning: co-production of knowledge between teachers and the ability to wholly focus on one’s personal strengths,
initial and lifelong, face-to-face and distant, individual and collective, taught and tutored, theoretical and practical... learners; in play; in the recognition of knowledge be they in lecturing, tutoring, or the creation
In a constantly changing world, where everyone’s participation will depend on his or her capacity for "re-skilling" gained from experience, etc. of learning material.
and "up-skilling", the main task will be to cultivate people’s aptitudes and appetites not only for continuous learning,
but also for acquiring and sharing knowledge.
The role played by the public school system shall consist in extracting coherence from this diversity, making sure every
child and adult has equal access to education, organising the continuity of individual lifelong learning paths,
and evaluating results.
DAY TOM
TO
Games and other forms of digital Y
making good potential action
OR
YESTERDA
media serve to model the complexity
ROW AFTE
and promise of ‘systems’. Understanding on the promise
and accounting for this complexity
is a fundamental literacy Will educational ICTs make educational
W
Use digital tools to foster Lifelong learning, for real
R-
reform possible? Will they be limited to better
TOM RO
of the 21st century." Quest2Learn, 2010 educational transformation OR
illustrating traditional lessons or designed, Why? Because young people today are
Why? The penetration of digital technology into l
­ ikely to hold a number of different jobs and will
to increase the already excessive number of tests,
every aspect of society and the economy is but one of constantly need to refresh their knowledge; because
We will require new approaches to education and hence succeed in fundamentally changing the reasons the way we learn must change. our development models are in crisis and in need of
and learning, and new types of technologies nothing at all? "agents of change".
What? Require all stakeholders in the educational
to support those new approaches. The ultimate Beyond the equipment, beyond enforced community to use common digital platforms that are What? The "right to lifelong learning" awarded to
goal is a society of creative individuals who are bureaucratisation and 'technicalisation', beyond open, based on standard software and hardware ­ rather
( each individual; examinations replaced by "credits" to
constantly inventing new possibilities the stupidity of result-driven management, than specifically designed for education) and focus on render learning itineraries more flexible and enable
it will take time, resources, and intelligence exchange, production and collaboration; enable real official recognition for experiential knowledge; a "trai-
for themselves and their communities."
to develop high-level teacher training; otherwise, computer literacy among students, and apply it to ning currency", modelled after Moniba, that compen-
Mitchell Resnick, 2002 other disciplines; facilitate the choice and combi­ ation
n sates training hours received as much as those given
despite the best intentions, school will not be of remote, face-to-face and hybrid learning modes, using knowledge-sharing networks; a new "resumé"
able to fly into the future." including for core subjects; proactively support disrup- that allows people to collect and exploit their formal
Pierre Frackowiak, 2010 tive public education experiments modelled after New and informal skills, and plan their future learning
School is a place where students learn
York’s "iZone", etc. (ePortfolio).
largely by working on projects that come from
their own interests - their own visions of
A European initiative to share online
a place where they want to be, a thing
educational resources
they want to make or a subject they want
Why? To compete with North American entrepreneurs
to explore. The contribution of technology is
and universities (e.g., Khan Academy, MOOCs); to send
that it makes possible projects that are both a "transformational shockwave" through our educatio-
very difficult and very engaging. nal systems.
It is a place where teachers do not provide What? Proactively develop a European platform for
information. The teacher helps the student "massively open online courses" (MOOCs); schedule the
find information and learn skills." replacement, over three years, of paper textbooks with
digital resources from all possible sources, with a pu-
Seymour Papert blic body ensuring their "curation"; integrate student
& Gaston Caperton, 1999 coproduction of Wikipedia pages or other ­ nline re-
o
sources in their curricula.
80 81

43. How might this work?
Jacqueline, 46, is a history and geography teacher l’œuvre She likes: geography
La promesse à in Limoges.
(more than history), and field trips. She does not like: correcting papers, repeating the same course year after
year, dispensing the official curriculum, and disciplining.
Jacqueline, 46 ans, prof d’histoire-géographie à Limoges. Elle aime : la géo plus que l’histoire ; les sorties
2
sur le terrain. Elle n’aime pas : corriger des copies, répéter le même cours chaque année, décliner le programme officiel,
faire la discipline. Students from several schools
1 2
work together on the atlas, some 3
After years of teaching classes over several years. As the project
Des élèves de plusieurs lycées Jacqueline is also
1
which had become increasingly progresses, adults, professionals
travaillent ensemble sur l’atlas, 3
responsible for three
difficult toannées à Jacqueline
Après des manage, tenter and amateurs also contribute. suite.
certains plusieurs années de high school courses, yet
Jacqueline a aussi
hastenir des classes de plus
de finally managed to Within this collaboration, students des
À mesure que le projet progresse, she gives no classes.classes
la charge de trois
inaugurate a new project: over
en plus difficiles, Jacqueline a divide tasks: there are statisticians,
adultes, professionnels et amateurs, She has selected two elle
de lycée et pourtant,
5 years, she and her students will
réussi à faire passer un projet : cartographers, specialists Tout en
y contribuent également. excellent online courses
ne donne plus de cours.
construct an Atlas of Limoges,
sur 5 ans, elle construit avec incollaborant, les élèves se répartissent
field surveys, while others from which students
Elle a sélectionné deux
including its physical geography,
ses élèves un atlas de Limoges. are publishing y a des statisticiens,
les tâches : il everything online choose. She only checks
excellents cours en ligne
history, population data,
Géographie physique, histoire, using cartographes, des spécialistes
des OpenStreetMap. their attendance les élèves
parmi lesquels and
economy, city planning, projets
population, économie, etc. des enquêtes terrain, tandis que their scores on tests
choisissent. Elle vérifie
d’urbanisme, tout y passe. d’autres mettent l’ensemble en ligne included in the course.
juste leur assiduité et
à l’aide d’OpenStreetMaps. leurs résultats aux tests
4
6 55 6inclus dans les cours.
Pourtime she has saved, now
The éviter le copier-coller, Although Jacqueline is no lover
Sans adorer les écrans (elle To avoid copying and
Jacqueline no longer constantly des
that she is invente des devoirs et ofest fière de son proud mobile),
screens (she is vieux of her 4
pasting, Jacqueline has
in class, she reinvests in
exercices qui font appel à plusieurs old mobile), she encourages
Jacqueline encourage l’usage devised homeworkgagne
Le temps qu’elle and
the "atlas project" as well as
registres de connaissance – ainsi, le the use of technology
du numérique en cours et in-class faisant plus cours,
en ne exercises that
suppor­ ing her students
t
plus souvent, qu’à des observations inà la maison.at home. She
school and Sauf exception, elle involve multiple registers
elle le réinvestit dans la
de terrain. Dans The adults
in small groups. de nombreux cas, no longer accepts handwritten
n’accepte plus de devoirs écrits of"mission atlas" ainsi que
knowledge - and, more
partici­ ating in the atlas
p
ces devoirs viendront nourrir des assignments, except inpeuvent
à la main. Ses élèves often than not, field
dans l’accompagnement
project sometimes give her
pages de l’atlas : difficile de plagier exceptional circumstances.
utiliser leurs portables observations. In many
de ses élèves en petits
a hand.
alors que ce que les élèves publient Her students can use chercher
en cours pour aller their cases, theseDes adultes feed
groupes. duties will qui
sera lisible par n’importe qui ! mobile phones to get the most
les informations dont ils ont the pages of the atlas:lui
participent à l’atlas it’s
up to date information they
besoin, même pendant difficult to plagiarize when
donnent parfois un coup
may need, even during tests.
les contrôles. whatmain.
de students publish will
be readable by anyone!
Seymour Papert & Gaston Caperton, "Vision for Education", 1999
82 83

44. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM
TO
Y Video games have become ubiquitous in our society. Games have failed to assert themselves
OR
YESTERDA
They have become truly democratised: the typical in the educational domain, and are often perceived
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFTE
player is now a 40-year-old female. The Wii and as being in opposition to the "seriousness"
characters like Mario have even managed to create expected of education.
intergenerational bonds. The industry is present Virtual games lacking clear goals have not met
W
across a spectrum of digital devices.
R-
TOM RO
OR with lasting success (e.g., the relative failure
Successes: military training games, flight simulators, of Second Life). Games purported to "transform
the Foldit players who have helped scientists the world" (e.g., Evoke) are often limited to creative
to understand the structure of an enzyme similar writing exercises with no real impact.
to that of the AIDS virus. Although the serious game Ethical questions: marketing games, the American
market remains limited, annual growth is close Army-funded recruitment game, etc.
to 50% (source/date).
Games have inspired new schools (Quest2Learn)
and organizations.
That’s a lot of time to spend playing games.
Maybe too much time, considering how
many urgent problems we have to solve in Games are the cartoon version of real What surprised us What we learned
the real world.’ (...) In fact, I believe that if world sophisticated problems. Snakes and The success of small, incidental "casual games", Research in cognitive science and neuroscience
we want to survive the next century especially for mobile devices. has demonstrated the capacity of games to train
ladders? It’s Euclidian geometry! It’s a Cartesian
In many games, the emergence of "micro-societies": the brain, and game use is even being considered
on this planet, we need at least 21 billion hours space. It has wormholes, for Pete’s sake.
guilds, new forms of leadership, cooperative in cases of traumatic brain injury (a Posit Science
of game play every week." Jane McGonigal, 2010 Who here teaches physics? Superstring theory? company initiative).
initiatives, artisanal trades, a division of labour,
Play a game! Games are distillation of cognitive parallel currencies and markets, etc. Research has demonstrated that the adoption
schemata. That’s. What. They. Are." of an "avatar" can actually create changes
Everything in the future online is going The emergence of hybrid gaming forms: gestural
Raph Koster, 2005 interfaces (Wii, Kinect), augmented board games in behaviour (viz. Proteus effect research at Stanford
to look like a multiplayer game. If I were 15 years University).
(e.g., les Editions Volumiques), "real games" that are
old, that’s what I would be doing right now."
partly played in a real-world city, games played Gaming has begun earning its stripes as a cultural
Éric Schmidt, 2010 via social network, etc. form, on a par with music, film, etc.
User content co-creation in games like Spore,
Minecraft or in Second Life, or through mods
of more traditional games.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
DAY TOM
TO
for assessment...
ROW AFTE
time Y
OR
YESTERDA
ROW AFTE
Video games have breathed new life into "Gamification" transforms all kinds of tomorrow what will change
W
R-
TOM RO
the (age-old) idea that games are a boon OR h
­ uman activities into games, primarily by
for people and the world. Children’s edu- a
­ llocating points, bonuses or status as a reward
W
R-
games have been around for some time now. The for specific actions. But this hasn’t ­ happened TOM RO
OR
Wii console has led to the emergence of video games without raising a few eyebrows. Many ­ erious games
s
that encourage physical exercise, as well as gaming e
­ ffectively eradicate the playfulness and imagination
experi­ entation by the elderly. Research has shown
m of a regular game, and gamification itself actually Technology Society
that some brain games increase cognitive function poses real ethical problems: when the rules are not
and delay cerebral ageing, and that "massively multi­ written by the players, or even discussed, wouldn’t More realistic simulations through "Generation Y" at the helm of organisations
player" games produce new types of leadership and a game that attempts to produce desired individual either virtual or augmented reality–rendering Continued attempts at "gamification"
social organization. "Serious" games can now be found b
­ ehaviours actually have the potential to perpetrate the game indistinguishable from reality in business, education, health, the environment,
in recruitment, training, military strategy and business all kinds of player manipulation? (e.g., piloting military UAVs).
politics, etc.
settings. Despite the dynamic they may create, serious games Forms of interaction that use our bodies,
Numerous initiatives have sought to harness gamers’ still represent less than 3% of the total gaming market. our senses and our emotions Economy
energy in support of scientific research or to solve And despite some individual success stories, their use
The rise of "transmedia" companies that integrate
p
­ olitical and social problems. Foldit players help has not significantly changed organizations or revolu-
a wide spectrum of entertainment forms, including
r
­ esearchers understand how proteins "fold". Supers- tionized education, nor led to scientific breakthroughs,
the use of games that are not strictly ‘fun’.
truct brought together 8,000 players in a foresight let alone changed the world…yet?
exercise, while Evoke urged its players to find out how The development of "open source" games
their contribution could "change the world". and gaming tools. "Generation Y" at the helm
of organisations
Continued attempts at "gamification" in business,
education, health, the environment, politics, etc.
84 85

45. DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
what is tomorrow's promise?
ROW AFTE
Eric, 22, is studying for his Biology Masters. His studies have never been his passion, but he really
wants to get his degree. He plays ice hockey, and often travels for hockey games.
W
1 2 3
R-
TOM RO
OR
On the first day of term, Eric has access to all kinds By becoming more involved in
the university gives Eric a of games via the university these circles, Eric gets more points
smartphone in exchange for his U-store. He can get to know from his university, because
commitment to the "Play Your other students that belong the games are part of his learning.
Degree" program. The university to gaming circles, which Part of his education revolves
expects Eric to use the phone to is how he meets Nina; around the games themselves:
build relationships and manage a student with a passion teachers and students dissect
practical details, but they for 3D puzzles modelling game rules, comment on them,
Tomorrow, gaming will be a recognised and valued means of educating oneself, transforming oneself, especially want him to use it to enzymes and genomes. and link them to their theoretical
and taking action that will transform the real world. Gaming will be seen as one of the most powerful learn differently: by gaming. knowledge, then rewrite them
ways to appeal to people’s creativity and sensitivity, solicit participation without financial compensation, collectively. Experimentation, trial
and organise collaborations that achieve common goals. Gaming will enable those less involved in and error and cooperation,
traditional forms of collective action to assume a more active role in society. Some of these games will not as well as controversy, are strongly
remain the private creations of businesses or institutions, but will become the product of collective encouraged.
co-construction with avid gamers who participate directly in the creation of rules, scenarios, worlds…
Their investment will make it possible to articulate and sustain a different view of the world, and will open 4 5
new vistas of potential toward a more playful reality… The school sets "challenges" for At the weekend, Eric takes his
students to solve concrete problems smartphone with him. During his
or contribute to research projects. journeys, he participates in a large
How does this differ from the original promise? Recently, Eric was able to participate
in the simulated construction
online simulation on the evolution
of urban and suburban wildlife.
of bicycle paths on campus, as well From the end of his first semester,
Games no longer change the world: gamers do. Games are now more closely integrated into
as the analysis of a large clinical his commitment is valued,
Their energy will no longer be harnessed en masse, the real world and everyday life. It is no longer
study on a subject he previously and even if he acknowledges
they will no longer be manipulated, they will choose a question of playing "seriously", but of making
knew nothing about. that the method is still slightly
to contribute when they so desire. society more "playful", more open to experimentation
unorthodox, Eric realises that
Game rules, and the games themselves (ideas, and trial and error, and more error tolerant.
he is really enjoying his studies.
scenarios, characters, techniques, etc.) will be
co-produced by players with increasing frequency.
Game rules and aims should be openly discussed
and agreed upon.
DAY TOM
TO
Y
making good potential action
OR
YESTERDA
ROW AFTE
How might this work? on the promise
Max, 43, works in a restaurant, but he lives for gaming. Gaming allows him to lead a parallel life A "Gaming Matrix" by playing games or inventing them (and
W
R-
TOM RO
that is more exciting than his workaday life, and helps him to bond with and wield a sort of power Why? To maximise the number of games,
OR hence their rules); identify, support and eva-
over the world. "serious" or not, from all walks of life. luate initial experiments, and facilitate their
reproduction; recognize the "playful contribution"
2 What? A vast bank of tools, templates, rules, scenarios, made by citizens or employees - even financially, if the
A Ghanaian gamer he has played 3 graphics and sound effects that would facilitate the
game has resulted in solutions that produce econo-
1 with before sends him his second Another challenge asks him creation or modification of open source games. Open
mic gain; create communities or "guilds "of motivated
Max gets up at 7am. challenge of the day: a game to photograph as many blue source content available on the Matrix might include
players willing to participate in multiple projects, or
The first thing he does is check where players create a new type objects as he can. Max likes e.g., 3D models of large cities, which would give deve-
events where they can propose their own projects, etc.
his game inbox. of political structure for a network this kind of challenge: lopers the tools to create games with concrete links to
His first challenge is from of rural communities. The game he has noticed that constantly reality, or scientific databases, which might facilitate the
the city-planning department, runs in text mode and on observing the external world development of games that support research, etc. The Game Studies, Games at school
offering him a Sim City-style his smartphone: he will be able tends to increase his "Gaming Matrix" would also include systems that faci- Why? To develop (video or non-video) game usage
game based on installation to play during his breaks at work. self-control. At the restaurant, litate player involvement in several games at once, e.g., in education and training, and multiply critical and
of the city’s future tramway. He everyone praises the calm a "game inbox", a username manager, virtual currency multi­ isciplinary research on gaming, which will be
d
makes plans to tackle it he maintains when he deals that would be valid in several game environments. essential for games to continue to be an exercise in
this weekend. with difficult customers. freedom and collaboration rather than manipulation.
4 5 "Playful Reality" What? More "Game studies" academic labs; reposi­
6 tories of open and reusable basic game rules and
It is evening. He is ranked 88th Tonight, he will Max has come up with an idea related Why? To find new ways of making decisions or wor-
on the "blue objects" task–not be completely king collectively, to widen the circle of those who take c
­ omponents, as well as tools to reverse-engineer
to Exoplanets: use the existing platform to build
bad out of 1800 players. He engrossed part, and invent innovative solutions to old and new games whose rules are not open; teaching methods,
an open source space wargame. Each player
has had little time to invest in in "Exoplanets", problems. and even entire schools, founded upon the principles
who discovers an exoplanet would be allowed
the text mode game, however, a game that
of video games; the recognition of play as an official
to populate it with an alien race of his own What? Invite public actors, non-governmental orga-
although it has started with involves delving form of participation in educational activities, etc.
and set out to conquer the galaxy. Although nisations and businesses to address real problems
a bang: the players are already into astronomical the concept requires programming skills he does
in the process of drafting data to help NASA not have, he is sure of one thing: he will pitch
a constitution! identify possible the idea to the network tomorrow so he can
exoplanets. assemble a team to develop the game.
86 87

46. What worked What didn’t work
DAY TOM
TO
Y Network amplification of political and social The balance of power has remained virtually intact.
movements, e.g., Anonymous, the Arab Spring.
OR
YESTERDA
Experiments continue to be isolated,
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFTE
The proliferation of digitally-driven, collective and non-reproducible.
participatory experiments, e.g., FixMyStreet, rewriting Reinforced inequality: digital technology
Iceland’s Constitution, participatory budgets. has failed to include those on the margins of society.
W
R-
TOM RO
OR The democratic use of open data, A certain degree of manipulation of participatory
e.g., WhereDoesMyMoneyGo innovations in order to retain control.
What surprised us What we learned
The collective intelligence emerging The Internet has become an effective means
from certain debates, an ability to develop new of challenging authority, but it requires skills
insights or educate one another, etc. that not everyone has. And it is more effective
The multiplication of applications to encourage at challenging the status quo than it is
participation, e.g., colorvote, co-ment. at constructing solutions.
The perversion of digital technology used as a tool Top-down innovation is ineffective,
and bottom-up innovation has little to no effect
For citizens, the Internet is a unique for communication more than one of engagement,
e.g., live coverage of municipal councils without on the powers that be.
information and education resource and thus
allowing for interaction. When practices and processes are not documented
can be a helpful tool to promote freedom, A digital revolution, but political apparatus
Citizen production of data for the public good, or evaluated, they do not spread.
democracy and human rights." remain docked. New uses, old controls.
often in opposition to institutional authority,
G8, Deauville, 2011 Free cultures, prying merchants. Technology e.g., Regards citoyens, the Open Knowledge
is changing the world and it’s doing it now. Foundation, Wikileaks, OpenStreeMap
We are all handed a new opportunity:
Using new information and communication trim our own sails, take our public life back
tools, (...) this ‘active citizenry’ is deeply into our hands, or let the Old World rule and
transforming the role of elected officials, control as it’s always done. Ship’s apprentice
who have become mediators among citizens or old sea dog, politically disillusioned
instead of confiscating the powers or utopian: climb aboard." No new promise is necessary: what we need is to find the means to better honour and more widely fulfill the ­ urrent
c
of representation. It is also transforming promise! "Open government" is on everyone’s lips and this is a good thing. However, will this openness remain
David Dufresne et Pierre Mounier,
public administration, which is rediscovering limited to transparency, accountability and communication, or will it truly distribute knowledge, expression and
Parti Pirate, 2012
its real public function." power? Will it be possible for the people to reinvent public services, or to participate in local, national, and European
political decision-making? Digital technology is becoming commonplace. But will men and women dare take hold of
Michel Hervé, De la pyramide it to express their ideas, practice counter-democracy, participate? Will they have the digital education that enables
aux réseaux, 2007 them to do so?
DAY TOM
TO
Y
making good potential action
OR
YESTERDA
DAY TOM
ROW AFTE
Y TO on the promise
OR
YESTERDA
for assessment...
ROW AFTE
time Toward more legitimised forms forms of government or even convince
W
R-
of participation?
TOM RO
OR established powers to hear what they have
to say. This will not change on its own. The
Democracy and the Internet: p
­ ioneers has not taken place. ­ articipatory
P Create the job of Local Community ­ anager:
M
W
R- onus is on them to make their opinions and their
a mixed picture a guide and facilitator of civic digital interaction who
TOM RO
OR mechanisms–digital or not–remain isolated: desires equally as powerful as those of institutions,
successful participatory experiments remain promotes involvement and exchange between local by self-organizing into diverse and active collectives
Digital technology has often served the ­ emocratic
d within the sphere of local best practice, and very communities and individuals, moderates debate, capable of expressing their protest in institutionalised
ideal of freedom of expression while at the same time rarely scale up. ensures openness and trust among participants and form, e.g., drafting proposals for legislation, lobbying.
serving those who want to censor it. It has served to makes sure that every contribution is acknowledged
advance the cause of transparency, but failed to shift However, despite the absence of any truly radical and equally valued. Invest and innovate
the balance of power. The Internet has invited more t
­ ransformation, democratic experiences of recent
Establish the "participatory 1%": any local initiative Create a public participation fund that will finance
public participation in public debates, allowed more years have taught us much. Institutional participatory
must devote 1% of its budget toward publicly debating communities and associations that defend common
people to contribute, amplified social and political initiatives have largely failed: political institutions
its merits. The goal is threefold: interests, which will enable them to level the playing
p
­ rotests, and connected activists. But digital techno- remain ill-equipped to take external opinions and
proposals into account. They are often destabilized to guide participatory endeavours toward reaching field between lobbyists and themselves, and get their
logy can only achieve so much on its own. It has hardly
when faced with innovation or the unexpected; they out to the voiceless, own proposals on the agenda.
reinvented how politics works. Worse yet, by favoring
those who express themselves more skillfully or more tend to use the Internet to speak rather than listen. to ensure that citizen involvement wields real power, Support initiatives to develop innovative tools
often, by helping communication professionals reach Nevertheless, self-organized, bottom-up democracy– and to enable truly productive efforts to co-design and methods that foster active civic participation,
new levels of efficiency, it tends to "empower the albeit imperfect–is often stimulating. Often feared, the and co-produce public services. e
­ specially ones which focus on enabling citizens’ grasp
empowered". Furthermore, the tools often used are divorce of online and face-to-face communications has of and access to complex issues, long-term deliberation,
not come to pass: convergence and hybridization are Organize citizen empowerment without
themselves technologically limited: they facilitate hybridization with more immediate (i.e., face-to-face)
now the norm. Nor have digital formats enabled an waiting for an impossible upgrade to our forms of communication, and civic counter-expertise.
aggregation and binary simplification rather than "political software"
complexity, patient deliberation, and synthesis. instant, push-button democracy: collective debates can
be extremely rich democratic moments, full of intel­ Despite the Internet, citizens remain mostly isolated,
In short, the Internet has promised too much; the demo- ligence and contributive creativity. unable to effectively participate in institutionalised
cratic, participatory revolution expected by ­ digital
88 89

47. DAY TOM
TO
Y
When it comes to development,
YESTERDA
OR
yesterday, a promise
ROW AFT
the problem with making promises is…
that they often come from the North, and hence express Northern vision and often promote Northern interests.
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R that they are rarely kept.
Implementing strategies based on We put 100 books on a laptop,
appropriate uses of ICT will enable Africa but we also send 100 laptops. That village now
to face the third millennium with the conviction has 10,000 books." Nicholas Negroponte,
that underdevelopment is not the continent’s fondateur de One Laptop Per Child In the North, digital technology is an agent Digital technologies exacerbate a number of
destiny, and that its strengths can be leveraged of change in almost every sector: it transforms tensions between different goals and expectations –
to accelerate its march towards a better future." everyday practices, it destabilizes institutions, and it will be up to us how these bear fruit:
Development requires water and information it reshuffles value chains, it shifts the balance
Jacques Bonjawo, Révolution numérique dans Between endogenous development, rooted
… Economic, social and political life in the 21st of power between political and economic powers,
les pays en développement, Dunod, 2011 in the culture of each community, which recognises
century will be increasingly digital, and those it redefines how innovation happens... Similarly,
the salience of indigenous knowledge and languages;
without ICTs will be increasingly excluded … in the South, digital technologies ought to be adopted
and individual aspirations to be part of an open world
as the means to distribute the necessary tools
The use of contemporary technologies Ask poor communities or look at how they spend (in 2011, "Facebook" was the most frequently
and skills to voice opinions, innovate, participate, and
and innovation can impact citizens at what little money they have – not always, but which otherwise facilitate social, economic
queried term on Google Africa).
the bottom of the economic and social pyramids, sometimes, they prioritise the ICT option." and political change. Between empowerment and mass deployment:
which in turn is vitally important to national Richard Heeks, Institute for Development Policy digital technology can play a key role in enabling
The forms that these transformations may
citizens’ free speech, and empower activists as much
growth and sustainable development." and Management, 2009 take might surprise us. For example, when India
as entrepreneurs – but only on the condition
Fondo Regional para la Innovación Digital announces national implementation of a biometric
that it also provides the simple pleasures
identification program, we might interpret
en América Latina y el Caribe, 2012 this as heralding a police state; however,
of communicating, learning, playing…
some development economists consider this Between profit and not for profit, formal and
a necessary step toward guaranteeing citizens’ access informal: companies, from major telecom operators
to their rights, as it corrects the arbitrariness and to small cyber cafe operators, play a positive role in
corruption that more informal procedures allow. supporting digital development. Digital technology
Which doesn’t mean that increased Internet policing can, in turn, contribute to economic development
DAY TOM
TO in many countries is not worrying... rooted in local innovation, but whose market may
Y be continental or even global. Yet at the same
OR
YESTERDA
time, just like in the North, pressing economic and
for assessment...
ROW AFTE
time ecological issues require new responses that are
based on political and civic collaboration, bottom-up
Where will the future’s transformative and sustainable development. The strong contribution, the creation of public goods ...
W
R-
innovations emerge? Everywhere...inclu- TOM RO
OR growth of LDCs in recent decades has, in
ding the most unexpected places: from fact, produced few jobs and few sustainable
amateurs in garages, out of Fab Labs…and in
Southern hemisphere countries. Not only are highly
enterprises, focused as it is on natural resource
exports. In other words, the development of digital
Where to go from here?
innovative services being devised there, but also uses technologies does not in itself create the conditions
we would never have thought of in the North. Despite for sustainable, endogenous development. It has
R D' H U I
a lower standard of living and more expensive tele- even spawned new difficulties: a struggle to obtain OU
com rates than in the North, 80% of the people living rare earth metals, electronic waste, the exploitation
A few general indicated by
HIER AUJ
DE
in emerging market countries have a mobile phone of ­
low-paid (and sometimes underaged) workers
MAIN AP
subscription and 30% have access to the Internet; in to manu­ acture hardware, the equipping of dicta-
f directions this new attitude:
the least developed countries (LDCs), fully one third torships with surveillance techniques…
of the population has a mobile phone. Entrepreneurs,
IN
RE
urban youth groups and villagers come up with inno- 3 examples of innovations originating Put an end to the most blatant abuses: S-DEMA Use digital technology to foster greater
vative ways to use these tools on a daily basis. Cultural from southern hemisphere countries grossly unequal telecom costs in the South vs. transparency and accountability in public
diversity increases the potential for new opportuni- Ushahidi, a website and open source platform the North, waste exportation, the sale of surveil- s
­ ervices and policy-making (open data...).
ties. But these innovative approaches can be difficult that enables crowdsourced crisis management. lance technologies to authoritarian regimes...
Devise strategies for the creation of digital
to ­ ncover, extend or recognise.
u
MXit, the South African social network, which has Education and training efforts supported public goods: knowledge, content, data, blueprints,
Yet this will become crucial, considering that a in excess of 60 million users – far more than Facebook – by digital tools: t
­ echniques...
d
­ ramatic rise in the use of digital technologies is in Africa. What if the digital transformation of education that
Evaluate current development initiatives that
clearly not enough to accelerate LDC development. developed countries have, until now, been unable to
M-PESA, a banking transaction, payment and trans- employ digital technology on the basis of their
The "Millennium Development Goals" adopted by the implement, began in the South?
fer application enabling person-to-person payments results, rather than their grandiose claims.
United Nations in 2000 will not be achieved as sche- Help communities of innovators to create, develop,
and transfers via mobile phone, which has quadrupled
duled, particularly with regard to poverty, ­
hunger interconnect, and operate locally and internationally.
the number of active bank accounts in Kenya.
90 91

48. DAY TOM
TO
Y
a promise we haven't addressed
YESTERDA
OR
ROW AFT
raw material
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
These technologies replicate Digital technologies need social vision!
and extend social inequality!
Will social networks help people climb Our aim is an equalitarian information
the social ladder? (...) That was the original society with communities with cultural, social
Through the tools and knowledge it makes available to everyone, digital technology helps to overcome utopia, now it’s now a dream at best. But and political dimensions. If we want
social divides. It improves the chances of the poorest and most isolated. It promotes social interaction and it endures: we believe that technology is going an information society which is really inclusive,
economic inclusion, education and democracy: it is the avenue toward upward mobility
to build equality. In fact, the web reflects and digital technologies should be presented with
for the 21st century.
magnifies the social dynamics that existed values embedded in them, as social instruments
before its appearance.(...) There is no doubt that able to improve democratic participation
people can grow their networks more efficiently and improvers of people’s lives."
Some 30% of Europeans have never What an opportunity for people who live
and easily with digital tools. But mainly E-learning towards Social Inclusion, 2004
used the Internet. These people – mostly elderly, in poverty and sometimes in isolation, to create,
their existing networks. A huge part of
unemployed or on low incomes – lack the skills, learn, inform others, share their experience
the population lacks the contacts and the
confidence and means to use digital media of the fight against poverty, get the support of
network primers that allow access to it all."
and are thus unable to participate in today’s existing knowledge and information…they need
Danah Boyd in TIC 2025, 2010 The commons is a key piece of building
society. Digital skills and media literacy play no longer feel alone, and might find their place
a sustainable, healthy and fair society. Shared
a huge role in employability and equal in a society to which they can finally contribute."
things means we use less resources overall;
societal participation." Jean-Pierre Pinet, ATD Quart Monde, 2003 If technology cured social ills, then we’d hope that we can slow down the frenzied work-watch-
European Commission, 2010 that during the golden age of innovation in spend treadmill; and that we’re investing
a technologically advanced country, in community rather than clutter and consumer
Our experimental projects show that there would be some dip in the poverty rate. debt. (...)
Mission Statement: To create educational women, be they young and starting their Yet in the same four decades, the rate of poverty
opportunities for the world’s poorest children education, looking for a job or changing fields, There’s a shift emerging which offers some
in the United States stagnated at around
by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, single mothers, (...) on the whole see computer real opportunities for building support for
13 percent, embarrassingly high for the world’s
low-power, connected laptop with content access and training as providing them with the commons.
richest country." Kentaro Toyama, 2010
and software designed for collaborative, joyful, greater freedom and more opportunities Increasingly people want access to stuff,
self-empowered learning. When children have for professional advancement and social not all the burden that comes with ownership.
access to this type of tool they get engaged participation. Digital skills also allow them Instead of owning a car and dealing with all
in their own education. They learn, share, create, to improve their self-esteem and sense that comes with it, we get one just when we
and collaborate. They become connected to each of self-worth, their parenting, and to better The digital divide
want through city car share programs. Instead
other, to the world and to a brighter future." reconcile their family and professional lives." is not technical, it’s social! of hiring a plumber, we swap music lessons with
One Laptop per Child François Enaud, ANSA (Agency for Active one through skillsharing networks. Why buy
Solidarities), 2010 Access to ICT tools, networks and services, and something to own alone, when we can share it
even digital literacy, are merely preconditions with others? From coast to coast, there’s
We are resolute to empower the poor, for e-Inclusion. Beyond that, the real issue a resurgence of sharing, so much that it even has
particularly those living in remote, rural and is whether ICT makes a difference to an a fancy new name: collaborative consumption."
marginalized urban areas, to access information Inherently, relational technologies are levers individual’s ability to take an active part in Annie Leonard, 2012
and to use ICTs as a tool to support their efforts of empowerment, creativity, collaboration the different spheres of society, i.e. work, social
to lift themselves out of poverty." and appropriation. (...) Where individuals are no relationships, culture, political participation,
World Summit on the Information Society, longer able to work together, these technologies etc. The issue is one of empowerment rather
2004 facilitate the creation of trust; when the social than access. (...) e-Inclusion is not a mechanical We believe that putting the transformative
bond has been broken, they allow for its repair; result of the growth of the information society. potential of technology into the hands of
when confronted with stagnation, they facilitate Depending on today’s decisions, our information millions creates an unprecedented amount of
action; when faced with individualism, society can either become more inclusive or opportunity and re-establishes the link between
they encourage the pooling of resources." more polarised" technology and society. By increasing society’s
"Liens" Manifesto, 2011 capacity for innovation as a whole,
eEurope Advisory Group, 2005
we foster general competitiveness in addition
to developing people’s individual ability to tailor
everyday life and their immediate environment."
Fing, 2010
92 93

49. FING, A LEADING
THINK TANK
GENERATING AND SHARING
NOVEL AND ACTIONABLE IDEAS
TO ANTICIPATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS
PROJECTS BENEFITS
A MAKER OF NOVEL UNDERSTAND AND INFORM
What is shifting, where, by whom, why...
AND ACTIONABLE IDEAS
ANTICIPATE
A NETWORK OF DISRUPTIVE Future scenarios, opportunities,
INNOVATORS new businesses, tensions...
STRONGLY LEVERAGED INNOVATE
Produce change rather than submit
COLLECTIVE INITIATIVES
to it
A LOCUS OF DEBATE
BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
FING IN 2013
Digital Disruptions 2013 Partners:
THINK TANK FORESIGHT DO TANK
REFAIRE: EXPLORING THE INTERNET ACTU INFOLAB/OPEN DATA
FRONTIERS OF D.I.Y. France’s leading media source Spreading and sharing
The future of industry? covering a new “data culture”
digital transformation
LIGHTENING UP THE CITY MESINFOS / MY DATA
Using digital technologies to DIGITAL DISRUPTIONS Empowering people
build the “frugal city” Taking the time to think ahead with their own data
DIGIWORK RESEARCH CONNECTOR
Rethinking the workplace, work
organisation and working life
INNOVATION LABS
BODYWARE
THE CROSSROADS
Digital innovation’s new fron- OF THE POSSIBLE
tier 150+ innovative projects per FING is supported by:
year, from France and Africa
OWNING IS SO PASSÉ !
FING, KEY FIGURES
300+ MEMBERS large corporations, start-ups, cities and regions, universities, research labs,
nonprofits and professionals / 150,000 READERS PER MONTH of Internet Actu /
20,000 EVENT PARTICIPANTS / 1,000+ INNOVATIVE PROJECTSpresented at the Crossroads of
the Possible events / 25 BOOKS PUBLISHED
94

50. 2013/2014
At the intersection of technological innovation,
economic change and social transformation,
what «Digital Disruptions» will exert their influence
in the coming years?
“Digital Disruptions” is a yearly collective cycle of foresight
that involves innovators and policymakers, researchers and
designers, entrepreneurs and activists together in a unique
future-oriented community.
This year’s edition focuses on the “Promises” that digital
technology has been making to Society and the Economy – and
the promises it should make for tomorrow.
Promises that «stick» express widely shared hopes, dreams,
beliefs and intuitions. They fuel creativity, entrepreneurial
energy, and human desire, as much as they are fuelled
by them. They inspire concrete technical, economic or political
choices. Through them, we tell the story of a future we hope
to build. We have to take these promises seriously, even if
they are not kept.
What can we learn from the confrontation between past
promises and reality?
Considering everything we have learned, what ambitious,
forward-looking and credible promises would we want
to formulate? And what would it take to keep them?
DAY TOM
TO
Y
OR
YESTERDA
ROW AFT
W
ER
-TO O
MO R R
Fondation Internet Nouvelle Génération
www.fing.org www.internetactu.net