The Symbolic Revolution

Nomadic lifestyles persisted on Earth until at least 5,000 years ago. They lugged their little belongings, which were few and far between, on their backs and in their hands. Unpredictably, they went on hunts and collected food.

After the Agricultural Revolution, people began to permanently reside on individual pieces of land, developing strong emotional, legal, and physical ties to them. They had a strategy in place before they even started growing their food. Domesticated creatures were brought under their control. Massive changes occurred in population distribution as a result of this new way of human life.

The time it took for the Industrial Revolution to begin was four thousand five hundred years later. Its primary accomplishment was to detach the land from the production processes and raw materials. It also made it more important to have a staff that is well-educated. Urbanization (which fueled mega-factories), mass education, and leisure time were all products of this Revolution.

People started having spare time on their hands for the very first time in history.

In response to the ever-increasing complexity of social and economic systems and the unquenchable appetite for pleasure, a plethora of organizations, businesses, and other establishments emerged.

Despite popular belief to the contrary, the service-oriented society was and is an integral aspect of the industrial domain.

The worst storm in recorded history, the Third Wave (to use Alvin Toffler's wonderful term), is bearing down on us right now. A new era of information and understanding has begun. The future of our economy is shifting toward one that is built on the acquisition, processing, and distribution of knowledge and information, which are like raw materials and processed goods, respectively. More and more people from all walks of life will be able to afford all of them.

That is, in fact, the key difference between this Revolution and its forerunners:

(1) Everyone has an equal chance to participate.

Huge sums of money were required to take part in the first two revolutions. A lack of capital necessitated the acquisition of raw materials, capital goods, land, and other production means (including slave labor) through the use of brute force.

Good ideas, a little (and getting progressively less) technical experience, and ever-decreasingly inexpensive infrastructure are all that's required for this Revolution, unlike previous ones.

Therefore, young people in their garages can join this Revolution (this is how computer behemoths like Apple and Microsoft were founded).

It doesn't care about your age, gender, ethnicity, color, nationality, or sexual orientation. This Revolution Levels the Playing Field.

(2) Never before in human history have we had inputs, outputs, processes, and routes for marketing and distribution that were all interchangeable. Consider the following case study of online product sales (e.g., software):

Computers are used to write software, which involves the manipulation of electronic bits in a virtual environment through programming languages. Thus, the software itself, the programming languages used in its creation, the mental algorithms that are converted to electronic bits, and the Internet's bit streams as a distribution and marketing channel are all interchangeable parts.

The technology's low price tag is a result of this. This is the secret to the rapid dissemination of the Revolution's wares. Production and distribution will no longer be esoteric processes, but rather commonplace ones.

(3) The impact of the Agricultural Revolution on our ancestors is limited. The impact of the Industrial Revolution on only a subset of these people is limited. As an example, in the United States, the proportion of the people engaged in agricultural labor fell from over 60% to around 3% throughout time. The percentage of the population working in industry has also decreased.

The third revolution, however, was different:

Everyone on this planet feels the effects of the Information/Knowledge Revolution, the third and most profound revolution.

Radio, television, computers, cell phones, and the Internet are all parts of everyone's daily lives. On a monthly basis, these goods and services are getting more affordable and widely available. The new Revolution has spread far and wide.

(4) The aforementioned features ushered in a new era of decentralised, high-value-added, rapidly developing, and cyclically active economic growth. It marks the beginning of a period in human history that is neither colonial nor mercantilist. In the past, businesses could only function by importing cheap raw materials from the same markets that bought finished goods made from those commodities for a premium.

Over time, this kind of exploitation will become totally out of the question. Where products are made holds little sway in the modern market. Even with traditional industrial goods, the line between raw materials and completed goods is becoming increasingly blurry, to the point that the traditional distinction between "colonizer" and "colony" is almost nonexistent.

Less developed and emerging nations have a lot to gain from this.

Huge sums of money and other non-monetary resources would have been required to bring them up to par with the developed world in the (recent) past. Nowadays, a lot less money is required to get the same outcomes. As the wise Western media scholar Marshall McLuhan put it, "The Global Village" is quickly becoming the new normal. Where you are is less important than what you think. The ability to think outside the box, be adaptable, and take calculated risks is highly valued in today's global economy.

The world's nations, whether developed, developing, or less developed, have equal and ample access to these new mental commodities.

The traditional view of economic development as a linear progression from an agrarian to an industrial to a service economy is giving way to newer, more modern ideas. It is recommended that nations like Macedonia skip the agricultural phase and jump straight into the Third Wave, which consists of information and knowledge sectors, according to the new school of economic thought. These industries are a good fit for Macedonia because they are accessible, cheap, easy to comprehend and apply, lucrative, dynamic, and always improving.

There will be other nations that follow Macedonia's bold lead and skip the Industrial Revolution and enter the Information Age without delay. Not only has Israel done it previously, but so have Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and even India, albeit reluctantly. Poorness was inherent in every one of these nations. Some of them are nothing more than deserts, while others are extremely overpopulated or are lonely islands. However, they were all able to become deeply immersed in the movement that was taking place. With the exception of India, a newcomer with only half the party's commitment, all of these countries have the world's highest per capita gross national product.

The risk was worthwhile.

However, this option does come with an intriguing bonus.

Moving away from dealing with concrete objects and toward abstract concepts is what the IT and knowledge industries represent. Regardless of the symbols in question, the methods for manipulating them remain identical. A nation's ability to train operators of symbols determines how well that nation can handle, operate, and change any symbol.

This is also the case when it pertains to the most important symbol: money.

Everyone knows that money is just a symbol. It stands for a consensus that a group of individuals has achieved. There is no inherent worth to it. The manipulation of the symbol known as money is a natural extension of the manipulation of information.

The ease with which a nation processes symbols (=information) is directly proportional to its proficiency in handling various forms of financial transactions. It has a better chance of luring investors, creating thriving money and stock markets, educating the next generation of workers, engaging in trade, and generally becoming woven into the web of the contemporary global economy.

Nomadic lifestyles persisted on Earth until at least 5,000 years ago. They lugged their little belongings, which were few and far between, on their backs and in their hands. Unpredictably, they went on hunts and collected food.

After the Agricultural Revolution, people began to permanently reside on individual pieces of land, developing strong emotional, legal, and physical ties to them. They had a strategy in place before they even started growing their food. Domesticated creatures were brought under their control. Massive changes occurred in population distribution as a result of this new way of human life.

The time it took for the Industrial Revolution to begin was four thousand five hundred years later. Its primary accomplishment was to detach the land from the production processes and raw materials. It also made it more important to have a staff that is well-educated. Urbanization (which fueled mega-factories), mass education, and leisure time were all products of this Revolution.

People started having spare time on their hands for the very first time in history.

In response to the ever-increasing complexity of social and economic systems and the unquenchable appetite for pleasure, a plethora of organizations, businesses, and other establishments emerged.

Despite popular belief to the contrary, the service-oriented society was and is an integral aspect of the industrial domain.

The worst storm in recorded history, the Third Wave (to use Alvin Toffler's wonderful term), is bearing down on us right now. A new era of information and understanding has begun. The future of our economy is shifting toward one that is built on the acquisition, processing, and distribution of knowledge and information, which are like raw materials and processed goods, respectively. More and more people from all walks of life will be able to afford all of them.

That is, in fact, the key difference between this Revolution and its forerunners:

(1) Everyone has an equal chance to participate.

Huge sums of money were required to take part in the first two revolutions. A lack of capital necessitated the acquisition of raw materials, capital goods, land, and other production means (including slave labor) through the use of brute force.

Good ideas, a little (and getting progressively less) technical experience, and ever-decreasingly inexpensive infrastructure are all that's required for this Revolution, unlike previous ones.

Therefore, young people in their garages can join this Revolution (this is how computer behemoths like Apple and Microsoft were founded).

It doesn't care about your age, gender, ethnicity, color, nationality, or sexual orientation. This Revolution Levels the Playing Field.

(2) Never before in human history have we had inputs, outputs, processes, and routes for marketing and distribution that were all interchangeable. Consider the following case study of online product sales (e.g., software):

Computers are used to write software, which involves the manipulation of electronic bits in a virtual environment through programming languages. Thus, the software itself, the programming languages used in its creation, the mental algorithms that are converted to electronic bits, and the Internet's bit streams as a distribution and marketing channel are all interchangeable parts.

The technology's low price tag is a result of this. This is the secret to the rapid dissemination of the Revolution's wares. Production and distribution will no longer be esoteric processes, but rather commonplace ones.

(3) The impact of the Agricultural Revolution on our ancestors is limited. The impact of the Industrial Revolution on only a subset of these people is limited. As an example, in the United States, the proportion of the people engaged in agricultural labor fell from over 60% to around 3% throughout time. The percentage of the population working in industry has also decreased.

The third revolution, however, was different:

Everyone on this planet feels the effects of the Information/Knowledge Revolution, the third and most profound revolution.

Radio, television, computers, cell phones, and the Internet are all parts of everyone's daily lives. On a monthly basis, these goods and services are getting more affordable and widely available. The new Revolution has spread far and wide.

(4) The aforementioned features ushered in a new era of decentralised, high-value-added, rapidly developing, and cyclically active economic growth. It marks the beginning of a period in human history that is neither colonial nor mercantilist. In the past, businesses could only function by importing cheap raw materials from the same markets that bought finished goods made from those commodities for a premium.

Over time, this kind of exploitation will become totally out of the question. Where products are made holds little sway in the modern market. Even with traditional industrial goods, the line between raw materials and completed goods is becoming increasingly blurry, to the point that the traditional distinction between "colonizer" and "colony" is almost nonexistent.

Less developed and emerging nations have a lot to gain from this.

Huge sums of money and other non-monetary resources would have been required to bring them up to par with the developed world in the (recent) past. Nowadays, a lot less money is required to get the same outcomes. As the wise Western media scholar Marshall McLuhan put it, "The Global Village" is quickly becoming the new normal. Where you are is less important than what you think. The ability to think outside the box, be adaptable, and take calculated risks is highly valued in today's global economy.

The world's nations, whether developed, developing, or less developed, have equal and ample access to these new mental commodities.

The traditional view of economic development as a linear progression from an agrarian to an industrial to a service economy is giving way to newer, more modern ideas. It is recommended that nations like Macedonia skip the agricultural phase and jump straight into the Third Wave, which consists of information and knowledge sectors, according to the new school of economic thought. These industries are a good fit for Macedonia because they are accessible, cheap, easy to comprehend and apply, lucrative, dynamic, and always improving.

There will be other nations that follow Macedonia's bold lead and skip the Industrial Revolution and enter the Information Age without delay. Not only has Israel done it previously, but so have Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and even India, albeit reluctantly. Poorness was inherent in every one of these nations. Some of them are nothing more than deserts, while others are extremely overpopulated or are lonely islands. However, they were all able to become deeply immersed in the movement that was taking place. With the exception of India, a newcomer with only half the party's commitment, all of these countries have the world's highest per capita gross national product.

The risk was worthwhile.

However, this option does come with an intriguing bonus.

Moving away from dealing with concrete objects and toward abstract concepts is what the IT and knowledge industries represent. Regardless of the symbols in question, the methods for manipulating them remain identical. A nation's ability to train operators of symbols determines how well that nation can handle, operate, and change any symbol.

This is also the case when it pertains to the most important symbol: money.

Everyone knows that money is just a symbol. It stands for a consensus that a group of individuals has achieved. There is no inherent worth to it. The manipulation of the symbol known as money is a natural extension of the manipulation of information.

The ease with which a nation processes symbols (=information) is directly proportional to its proficiency in handling various forms of financial transactions. It has a better chance of luring investors, creating thriving money and stock markets, educating the next generation of workers, engaging in trade, and generally becoming woven into the web of the contemporary global economy.

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