Pitch
What's happening when we prefer to learn cooking from Jaime Oliver's Dream School on YouTube, than in a culinary course at our local PA?
Description
Make life easier/more difficult for Singapore?
Easier
Describe the change
Increasingly, global cities are global network societies, where spatial and temporal distance is no longer the barrier to interaction that it once was, thanks to technology that makes communications instant.
One effect of the global network society sees the local community get disrupted or even completely bypassed as people find belonging and support online.
While we celebrate how technology can connect us, we should know that it can also disconnect us from each other.
How do we preserve and promote opportunities for social encounters locally? How do we support online connections with anyone from anywhere, as well as support offline connections with people and organizations around us?
In 2030, in response to Singapore's speedy globalization, her population will hopefully prioritize community organizing, national culture, and social cohesion. All of these are aims that technology and other features of a network society can be employed in service of.
How will this change impact Smart Nation Singapore in 2030?
If we don't address the potential fragmentation arising from a network society replacing what was once a more-local community, we might experience firsthand how spatial proximity does not guarantee close-knit ties, and a shared citizenship does not automatically make national identity. Above all, we must also look to ways to incorporate those who are neither digital natives nor intensive users of technology in our high-tech society.
Smart Nation SG can benefit from interactions with, and the expertise of global networks, whether it be the Singaporean diaspora or tech-minded problem-solvers (e.g. this very call-to-action). Locally, the heterarchical nature of network organization (versus a hierarchical, top-down approach of bureaucratic organization) can generate a wealth of insight.
Smart Nation SG can also support festivals, events, conventions et al. that engage with parties and populations around the world. These platforms will increase our linkages, which translate to influence.
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