New video: the future of the Internet, Data, Privacy and Information (Online Information Conference 2012 Keynote by Futurist Gerd Leonhard)

Just got this new video - it was a good talk, imho,  even if the camera angle is kind of odd... so check it out.  Thanks to Incisive Media for making this available; more details on the conference are available here 

My topic: "Everybody is talking about 'data is the new oil' aka big-data. SoLoMo (social local mobile) is the battle cry of the day. Human-machine interfaces are rapidly evolving and may quickly become commonplace (think Google Glasses, MSFT Kinect), artificial intelligence is the geek-phrase-of-the-day, and Kurzweil says the singularity is near/here. So how will our world really change in the next 5 years, i.e. the way we communicate, get information, create, buy and sell, travel, live and learn? What are the biggest threats and the hottest opportunities - not just in financial terms, but also in societal and human terms...?"    Here is the PDF with my slides.

New Flickr Slideshow: from Ego to Eco - the Future of Business and Innovation

... adapted from my recent presentation at the 5th congress of innovation in Porto Alegre, Brazil....

New video: the future of business and the global shift to a networked society (HBR Poland Keynote)

This is the complete (approx 80 minutes) video of my keynote at the HBR Poland conference in Warszawa March 16 2012. The slides are sometimes a bit hard to see as the video zooms back and forth so if desired you can download the complete PDF (high-res, 26MB) with my slides via http://db.tt/JmKiJyQh (creative commons non-commercial attribiution licensed, as always).

Topic: "The future of business: how to benefit from the global shift to a networked society"
The Internet, or to be more precise, the mobile and social 'Internet 2.0' that has exploded in the past 2 years, is dramatically changing the way we find and are found, how we relate to our customers (and vice versa), and by extension how we buy and sell. In a networked society, the-people-formerly-known-as-consumers are becoming more powerful by the minute; transparency rules and more often than not, interaction comes before transaction and attention is the currency. In this digital world, data is indeed the new oil, brands are publishers, and ecommerce almost entirely becomes mobile and social - and this has significant impact on B2B sectors, as well. Gerd will share his foresights on where things are headed in the next 3 years, provide examples of best practices and illustrate the biggest opportunities and how to prepare for them. The future of business is interdependent, real-time, social, local and mobile - get ready.

 

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The wealth of information (silos versus ecosystems): we need another Adam Smith

Just found this really interesting and thoughtful piece via DataMotive (high-lights, and some links added by me)

"Adam Smith makes a strong and eloquent argument why these silo’s are erroneously seen as a profitable system (by those in control) yet limit the growth of the wealth for all. A more liberal economy would open the door for more specialization and therefore a way higher productivity, for more competition and therefore the push to innovate. More specialization requires a larger “ecosystem” to sell to and to source from in order to get what you need to thrive, aka a large geography/economy to trade with without hindrance. ( The key enabler is trust: without trust the edifice collapses, something we painfully are reminded of these days). The enormous benefit is a much larger wealth for everyone, lifting the boat to unforeseen heights: the title is “The Wealth of Nations”, not “The Wealth of Individuals” and for a very good reason.

This “liberal”  (relatively to what was practice in the 1700′s) view is nowadays something like the 11th Commandment, yet in his day and age it must have been revolutionary. Scary for the powers that be: how can anyone believe that relinquishing power and embracing uncertainty will turn out to be a good thing? More precisely, turn out to be a good thing for you yourself? The more amazing it is that this book has been so influential, that it marks a turning point where this more open economic structure became accepted as a generator of wealth for everyone.

We need a new Adam Smith nowadays, one that explains these old maxims again but now framed for the information economy. In my opinion we are still in the 1700′s of the information economy : copyright laws, intellectual property laws and patent laws take us where no law has gone before, only to carve out copyright guilds, create absolute IP monopolies and sustain patent oligarchies that wage ridiculous battles. A mistaken belief that information has monetizeable value and therefore needs to be locked up. The historic lesson seems forgotten that oligarchies and monopolies stifle growth, that we only can grow by building upon each others efforts. Sharing and trading of (in this case) information will lead to an explosion of productivity and wealth for everyone..."

This is as good of a summary as I anything I could provide: in order to prosper in the future, the 'wealth' of nations- and the 'wealth' i.e. scope of the commons - must matter more than the wealth of individuals (or indeed, individual companies or organizations) - we must move from Ego to Eco (as in... networked, not (just) as in 'green) - see this video of my latest talk on this topic.

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New video of my keynote at EcoSummit 2012: from Ego to Eco

Here is the complete video from my March 24 keynote at EcoSummit 2012 in Berlin (http://ecosummit.net/) speaking on “the journey from Ego to Eco”, see the slideshow here (slideshare); also embedded below. More on the Ego To Eco topic can be found here.

It would be great to get your feedback on my key messages on this fairly new topic, and also on the new slide design I am now using. Thanks!!

From Ego to Eco: the future of energy and business (EcoSummit 2012 Berlin)

View more presentations from Gerd Leonhard

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Get this new report (free): the future of technology disruption in business (Ricoh / Economist)

Just found this via Ricoh Europe, in collaboration with The Economist (free PDF download, but requires email registration).  This is a definitive MUST READ. Serious intel and stats here, and totally spot-on foresights.

 

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Video interview, review of my talk at Digital London: from Ego to Eco (Futurist Gerd Leonhard)

Here's a brand-new video from DigitalLondon 2012; good interview with many key topics covered such as sustainability, making money in a networked society, control versus trust, access versus ownership, future of content,  climate change and global warming, how to become a networked company, why interdependence is the future, and much more.

Update: TechWorld has an interesting review of my talk, here. The best snippets:

Speaking at the Digital London conference this week, Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency, said that over the next decade, society needs to make the shift “from Ego to Eco”. “Global warming constitutes the biggest market failure in the history of capitalism,” said Leonhard. “The world is over-heated, over-spending and over-crowded, and a continued focus on growth alone may well kill us.” 

He said that we are now moving from the “age of the network” to the “age of the networked”, where the concerns of the masses overtake the concerns of the one percent at the top of the economic pyramid. Leonhard identifies this as a major trend in business, energy and in politics. “Our entire system of economics and energy used to be based on systems that you had to invest in to build – and those were based on a closed system,” he said. “Now, because of the internet, systems are opening up and we can be decentralised. It's no longer important that you own the power plant, because if you have a distributed network of three million wind turbines you can do the same thing.”

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Stowe Boyd on Slow Capitalism

A very good comment by my Futures Agency colleague Stowe Body: we need to reboot capitalism. Underpaid Genius • Slow Capitalism

http://www.underpaidgenius.com/post/18065701516

‘Sustainable Capitalism’ is a term dreamed up by enlightened and benign members of the 1%: an admonition by the members of the elite to the elite, saying in effect that they should to play more fairly. But it’s not broadly based enough for the 99%, who demand a system rooted in justice, not just a suggestion that the overloads agree to crush us a bit less. What we need is ‘slow capitalism’. A system that rewards all for their work and investments, but which is founded on the full accounting of costs in the world. Businesses cannot be allowed to make a huge profit by moving operations to an unregulated corner of the world where there are no environmental regulations, and spewing poisons into the air and ocean. Investors cannot be allowed to make money on pointless financial transactions that add no value, but simply bleed money from a broken system. And the time horizon of our considerations must be reckoned in decades, not in quarters or microseconds.

Like slow food — which is not really about having leisurely meals, but is all about our obligate connection to the food chain and the earth that sustains it — we need slow capitalism: a world order based on our obligate connections to each other, based on the premise that economic forces should not be used to do harm, but to benefit us all.

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Audio podcast of Radio New Zealand interview with Futurist Gerd Leonhard: the opportunities and friction of ultra-fast broadband (and the future of paid content)

This short interview on my last trip to Auckland was fun - check it out. The interviewer is Kathryn Ryan (and she really knows her stuff!). Thanks for having me, Kathryn.

Ntn-Gerd Leonhard Interview Radio New Zealand

From Nine To Noon on Tuesday 21 February 2012

Gerd Leonhard has been dubbed "one of the leading Media Futurists in the World" by The Wall Street Journal. He is the co-author of the 'The Future of Music Music2.0' and 'The End of Control'. He is the keynote speaker at the Commerce Commission conference The Future with High Speed Broadband: Opportunities for New Zealand. Play (Windows)  Play (Other)

Download: Ogg Vorbis  MP3

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Jeremy Rifkin videos: the empathic civilization, and the third industrial revolution. Must watch!

I have been busy reading Jeremy Rifkin's amazing book The Third Industrial Revolution as well as his other writings (check out his Huffington Post pieces), and wanted to share some of his key videos and resources with you.

His current, and maybe most important topic is the coming convergence of Internet technology and digital communications with energy and environmental issues - the idea of an Internet of Energy. Because of my recent expansion into what I call GreenFutures this concept has really struck a chord with me.

Jeremy Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of seventeen bestselling books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. One of the most popular social thinkers of our time, Rifkin is the bestselling author of The European Dream, The Hydrogen Economy, The Age of Access, The Biotech Century, and The End of Work.

Here is a video of his recent appearance on the Charlie Rose show:

 

Jeremy Rifkin, 'The Third Industrial Revolution' "How lateral power is transforming energy, the economy, and the world." Charlie Rose 06.01.12 [1080p] http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/7302

At a recent RSA event in London:

 

Join Jeremy Rifkin as he describes how the five-pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution will create thousands of businesses and millions of jobs, and usher in a fundamental reordering of human relationships, from hierarchical to lateral power, that will impact the way we conduct business, govern society, educate our children, and engage in civic life.

RSA Animate video

 

 

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Income inequality: Who exactly are the 1%? | The Economist

"The richest 1% earn roughly half their income from wages and salaries, a quarter from
self-employment and business income, and the remainder from interest, dividends, capital gains and rent. According to an analysis of tax returns by Jon Bakija of Williams College and two others, 16% of the top 1% were in medical professions and 8% were lawyers: shares that have changed little between 1979 and 2005, the latest year the authors examined (see chart). The most striking shift has been the growth of financial occupations, from just under 8% of the wealthy in 1979 to 13.9% in 2005. Their representation within the top 0.1% is even more pronounced: 18%, up from 11% in 1979..."

via www.economist.com

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Read this manifesto for sustainable capitalism (good Al Gore quote)

Manifesto for sustainable capitalism | Climate Spectator

"We are once again facing one of those rare turning points in history when dangerous challenges and limitless opportunities cry out for clear, long-term thinking,” Blood and Gore argue in their Wall Street Journal article. “The disruptive threats now facing the planet are extraordinary: climate change, water scarcity, poverty, disease, growing income inequality, urbanisation, massive economic volatility and more. Businesses cannot be asked to do the job of governments, but companies and investors will ultimately mobilise most of the capital needed to overcome the unprecedented challenges we now face.”

My personal keywords: clear and longterm thinking. Full stop.

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A key thought on capitalism - so where to go from here?

so very true. what a challenge!

"Capitalism is based on the economics of the industrial era, economics of scarcity. And they don’t fit the information world..."

—Monitor Group founder Chris Meyer at TED Global (via wiredvanity)

(Source: curiositycounts, via wiredvanity)

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New audio / video interview on the future of branding, business and the Internet (incl. some comments on SOPA), via TribeRadio

A few days ago, I did a fairly lengthy and deep skype interview with Toronto-based Marie Germain from Branding 2.0 (see her Twitter channel here), touching on many issues including the future of commerce, selling, marketing and branding, so-called social media (I much prefer the term Social OS), current issues in technology and the Internet (such as SOPA - the deeply disturbing but nevertheless impending U.S. Stop Online Piracy Act), and media / content trends.

There are some quite juicy snippets in this interview, such as:

"In an truly digital society we probably don't need marketing as we know it"

"We are moving from a society, and an economy, based on EGOsystems to a society that is based on ECOsystems (i.e. INTERDEPENDENCE)"

"The old days of commerce were based on handcuffing consumers, now it's all about attraction, engagement and conversations (being a magnet rather than using handcuffs)"

This video uses an interesting format in that it is based on an audio track that was recorded on the phone, and superimposes some related images over it. Interesting.  If you just want the audio track, here it is:

Gerd Leonhard TribeRadio Interview Jan 2012: Branding, SOPA et al

From the TribeRadio Youtube post: "World-renown futurist, Gerd Leonhard, in this interview speaks of the very serious challenges businesses and brands face; he offers solutions. On a more sombre note he exposes the ploys of controllers on internet freedom, SOPA to be clear. The Wall Street Journal acknowledges Gerd as one of the leading media futurists in the world. Powerful! Incisive! Gerd is simply delicious to the ears. Keynote Speaker, Founder of The Futures Agency, Advisor to top corporations and governments, author of five books, "The Future of Music", "Music 2.0", "The End of Control", "Friction is Fiction" and "The Future of Content". Gerd's background is in music; however, today he is a top game-changer, inspiring entrepreneurship and guiding us into a prodigious digital world. To reach the Host of Tribe Radio, Marie Germain: at her blog, http://Branding20.wordpress.com or her biz site, http://MarieGermain.com..."

Be sure to check out the other audio / video interviews on here channel as well, including Jeffrey Hayzlett ('Running the Gauntlet' book, former CMO of Kodak).

 

Tags:

• Gerd Leonhard
• Media Futurist
• The Futures Agency
• Future of Brands
• Brand Future
• Future of Business
• magnets or handcuffs
• From ego to eco
• SOPA
• #SOPA
• Stop On-line Privacy Act

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Thomas Friedman video on 'that used to be us': must-watch for everyone in the U.S.!

A lot of really great insights here on what is going wrong in America, from technology to education to innovation. I don't agree with all of it but his talk (and the book "That used to be us") is brilliant, no doubt.

From Youtube: "Reid Hoffman introduces, again, three time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of That Used To Be Us, Thomas Friedman.Mr. Friedman was our first inDay speaker and our first to return. He won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, his third Pulitzer for The New York Times after becoming the paper's foreign-affairs columnist in 1995. Previously, he served as chief economic correspondent in the Washington bureau and the chief White House correspondent previously. In 2005, Mr. Friedman was elected as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board and now spends time looking to recognize others for transformative work. More about Thomas Friedman: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com "