Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Birth of the Machine

(Via Alistair) Alvin Toffler predicted that the blurring of the line between producers and consumers would create "prosumers". The Cluetrain Manifesto showed us the rise of networked markets. Time Europe refers to the rise of personal content as the "referral economy". Sun's Jonathan Schwartz predicts an Age of Participation.

In his new article We Are the Web, Kevin Kelly dares make even bolder claims:

"We think we are merely wasting time when we surf mindlessly or blog an item, but each time we click a link we strengthen a node somewhere in the Web OS, thereby programming the Machine by using it...

There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants first wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it is born.

You and I are alive at this moment."

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