When reading and rewriting the text I just posted, I had to think about Joël de Rosnay. You might have never heard of the man. He is a biologist, futurologist and much more.
For those that understand French, here is his Wikipedia profile (and there’s always Google Translate).
In 1995, de Rosnay wrote a book, called « L’Homme symbiotique ».
When I interviewed him about it ages ago (yes, I’m not that young anymore), he explained how he thought people would become part of an ecosystem, a network of human and other beings, technology, nations, computers and much more that would ultimately become some kind of global super organism which he called ‘the cybiont’ if I remember well.
I disagreed on many points with him in the article I wrote back then (always had a big mouth), but I also agreed on many parts.
At that time, his vision, which has been both applauded and criticised, for me ignored the nature of human consciousness in opposition to artificial intelligence.
And to me it also ignored the human potential of freedom. However, I shared his views on the coming of an era in which people would become part of a network that knew no borders and that connected us all, be it from a different angle.
I also shared his view on what I always call “the Internet of immaterial things” that’s coming faster than you can imagine (one word you might want to look up if you don’t know what it is: RFID).
Now, I will not elaborate further on it because it’s quite complex, there is artificial intelligence, molecular electronics and stuff I know nothing about.
And I am not a professor nor biologist like de Rosnay, I’m just a blogger.
Besides, while looking for a bio of de Rosnay, I noticed that his book was translated in 2000 in English as ‘The Symbiotic Man’, so you can read it yourself.
What does all this have to do with my previous post?
I believe that people ARE social networks because it’s in our nature to connect, network, ‘belong’ and share.
The technology is merely an extension of that.
What do you think?
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