We live in a time of great historical disruption and transition from the Industrial Age to what some are calling the Connected Age. No longer will traditional thinking and action be able to adapt to a society that is constantly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex.

We live in a time of such historical transformation that we need the interest, involvement and knowledge of many people working in collaboration to deal with such complex issues as climate change, peak oil and shift of energy systems, biodiversity loss, population growth and the interaction and impacts of multiple new technologies.

It is becoming more obvious that many local leaders are not familiar with trends and weak signals, and, as a result, are not able to develop effective strategies for emerging issues. As a result, a process I call ‘mobile connecting’ is evolving. With the advent of smart phones and GPS systems, we are entering a new age that will reshape how our society operates by instantaneously accessing the knowledge and opinions of all interested citizens.

This eventually will lead to a new concept, ‘mobile governance,’ where community leaders, especially in smaller communities, begin to realize that they are not able to keep up with new ideas and methods. These leaders will develop new ‘knowledge connection’ processes that will utilize community members to find cutting-edge concepts and techniques. As these new types of processes develop, a shift will occur from the norm from radical individualism, so rampant in our society, to levels of deeper collaboration.

Ultimately, a transformational governance and decision-making structure will emerge, in my opinion, due to mobile technologies in which as many people in the community as are interested are involved.

The age of representative democracy will slowly fade into the dimming glow of Industrial Society. It has served us well, but is too slow to adapt to constantly changing conditions. What is emerging is unknown….. but iPhones, smart mobile technologies, cloud computing and a different kind of leader able to facilitate connections, will be key factors in the emerging next phase of democracy.

Rick Smyre
President, Center for Communities of the Future