Socialism 2.0

If you look at most of the things that we do via the Internet (checking mails, accessing information, downloading freeware, sharing stuff), they have one thing in common: it’s all Free! Dig a bit deeper, and you’ll realize that companies have found (Google) or are trying to find (Facebook) ways to make money on the Net. But the rest, specially the stuff put out there by individuals, is mostly free. With no intent (or ability) to make money of it at any point.

Almost sounds like socialism! But unlike, the pre-21st century version, Socialism 2.0 is neither enforced nor an act of governments. “Digital socialism is socialism without the state”, to quote Kevin Kelly.

Socialism 2.0 even does revolutions better than the Marxist version of socialism. You have no clue who is behind the revolutions in the Arab countries or the occupy Wall Street movements or the UK riots. Things are so decentralized that it makes it impossible for any government to respond. There is no face of the movement who they can arrest or kill. How do they fight the multi-headed hydra when the next head can sprout anywhere?

At sites like Flickr, people put up photos they took, and another set categorizes and tags those photos. Which in turn makes it easy for the next guy to find the exact photo he wants. As Kelly said:

“…this proposition exceeds the socialist promise of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" because it betters what you contribute and delivers more than you need.”

Just goes to show that capitalists can do everything better than the communists, even socialism! And to see how far the circle has come, check out this remark by Jin Liqun, chairman of the board of supervisors of China Investment Corp on the crisis-ridden Euro zone:

“If you look at the troubles which happened in European countries, this is purely because of the accumulated troubles of the worn out welfare society. The labour laws induce sloth, indolence, rather than hardworking.”

Even the Chinese have given up on socialism, but digital socialism not only lives but thrives!

Comments

  1. KumarNovember 21, 2011 at 8:31 AM

    While I find your point interesting and meaningful in its own way, there is something else I would to touch on.

    You seem to hold some ideas along the lines of rivalry. Something along the lines of 'socialism versus capitalism' or 'communism versus capitalism'. The line of thinking has its basis no doubt: the political propaganda that was occurring from one regime to another who differ in their ideology ranging from capitalism to communism, and within this, the recipe varying considerably from extreme right to extreme left.

    You need to take into account one more factor, a very important one at that. The rulers, no matter which type of ideology they profess to implement will be tempted with one single purpose: attaining power and wealth through the authority they hold. This is, in a way, constant. There is another thing unchanging too: all rulers would like to declare that they are for the people and would like to deliver them the best. They may actually not do it but keep professing all the time! Take the case of Hitler. The Germans supported Hitler before he became a manic dictator because they were desperate for someone to take them towards a "better Germany". They had many owes and difficulties and they needed a leader. And Hitler, in his own way, gave them something to grasp. All rulers all over the world just do the same. Keep declaring they are there for the people whom they rule.

    By that token, both communism (the form of authority-dictated socialism) and socialism (having some roots in capitalistic democracy)also keep on pronouncing "we are for the betterment of the common man"

    Each system has advantages and demerits. At the moment, no doubt, the better choice looks like the capitalistic democracy which has reasonable 'socialistic' (in the sense of reaching out to the common man and taking care of the underprivileged or challenged)ideas, practical measures to control miscarriage of justice and upholding of the constitution agreed upon.

    In all this, yes, what you say holds: there should always be the search for cost effectiveness.

    ReplyDelete

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