I recall going to listen to a speech by the “futurologist” Watts Wacker a few years ago. He was talking up the idea that in decades to come, major corporations like Ford or Shell would assume the same status as nations, with embassies in capital cities around the world.
I can’t see it happening with businesses like Ford or Shell, which are predicated on one-way provision, but I wonder a bit about organisations like Facebook, which are designed to create and promote a sense of citizenship and community.
At the moment, I feel like a multi-national digital nomad, travelling between MSN, Skype, Facebook, mobile phone, LinkedIn, etc. Far-fetched? Is that a better national model in today’s interconnected world?
I remember commissioning some research a few months ago to validate my hypothesis that people have more allegiance to their digital community than they have to their local community. And hey presto, I was right.
Ask yourself the following: do you know what the people who live next door to your neighbours look like? Would you pick them out in a line-up? QED.
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