Posts tagged cities
We are living amidst a global revolution.
We have access. We are being heard. We are making a difference.
And it’s sparking new behaviors.
It’s not only inspiring – it’s empowering.
As I read Time’s piece, it reminded me of a common misconception around social media – that it in of itself is the revolution.
Technology is a facilitator of human behavior, not a creator.
Time’s Kurt Anderson put it perfectly:
“In the Middle East and North Africa, in Spain and Greece and New York, social media and smart phones did not replace face-to-face social bonds and confrontation but helped enable and turbocharge them, allowing protesters to mobilize more nimbly and communicate with one another and the wider world more effectively than ever before.”
So as we wrap up 2011, I can’t help but fixate on technology’s role on facilitating motivation and what that means for 2012.
A study by the Guardian and The London School of Economics concluded that these protesters are motivated by anger about poverty, unemployment and inequality as well as overaggressive policing.
In 2012, I hope we can redesign the relationship between cities and people.
By that, I mean re-build systems to motivate and inspire action from a place of community, collaboration and innovation, rather than anger and displeasure.
And maybe, just maybe, Time’s 2012 Person of the Year will be “The Citizen.”
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