Navigating the Post-Digital Era: From Democratization to a New Capitalist Model

The “post-digital era” has become a recurring theme in my posts, and with good reason. In this new era, digital technology will become so ubiquitous that we will no longer acknowledge its presence, but only its absence — like when we lose power.

The obvious question to ask is how will we get from here to there?

Consider our transition into the post-industrial era. With the shift from industry to services, information technologies, and automation, we formed a new economic model: “servitization.” Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could have predicted this development during the industrial age.

The simple truth is that it’s up to each of us to be agile and adaptable in the face of change. Nowhere is this more crucial than as we prepare for the post-digital era, which is poised to bring about unprecedented changes to global society and the economy.

To bridge this divide, we are turning to futurists for their unique ability to anticipate change, analyze its potential impacts, and provide us with a glimpse into what lies ahead. Of course, I recognize that this is a complex topic, and exploring its depths would require more than a mere article — it would require an entire book. What I will present here is a brief introduction, with the promise of more to come.

By way of a preview, the changes we’re seeing are far too radical to be boiled down to mere technological innovations. Rather, the four social paradigms — order, conflict, structure, and action — are all undergoing profound shifts. While I won’t delve into the social paradigms in this article, I do want to emphasize their importance in helping us to understand and reconnect with the massive shifts that are taking place before our very eyes.

Unlocking the Power of Digitization: Enabling Progress and Transformation

The commercial arrival of the PC marked a significant turning point in the world of computing. For the first time, its power was no longer confined to data centers staffed by clinical, white-coated technicians. The fact that it was accessible to the general public marked an enormous shift, and paved the way for the digital revolution that would soon follow.

However, the true democratization of computational power didn’t occur until the late 2000s, when the smartphone burst onto the scene. Suddenly, the digital…