In this time of global crisis but also this moment of
deep questioning of our values, initiatives are emerging to cope. In this
image, the movement of the collaborative economy is taking place. This is a new
form of resource and goods management, but also of knowledge based on sharing
and exchange. It finds its values and its power at the time of a "fluid
society", in the words taken from Joel de Rosnay.
Who are the actors of this movement? How do they organize? Some ideas in this
article resonating with the words of the book of Joel de Rosnay
"Surfing life: survive in a society fluid."
At the turn of the
century, the situation is obvious. Our societies undergoing a
period of crisis. This crisis is global by its environmental side: our
planet is fatigue, raw materials are depleted, and the climate is changing with
unequaled intensity. But it has also doubled in recent years that "Mr and Mrs everybody" call
"crisis." Few people have a clear idea of what it really this
financial and economic crisis, only the impacts are visible lower wages, lower
purchasing power, bankrupt the state level...
Short this is the
"crisis" that most media remind us all the time, creating a general
atmosphere of fear and pessimism, often amplified by the passivity or inability
of governments to agree. By the various reactions of the population, we realize
that what we are experiencing is not just a financial crisis, political,
environmental, but also a profound crisis of values and questioning the future
of the industrial era and consumption we know.
However, in this
situation, initiatives emerge, these actions often take root, through
individuals wishing to respond to this situation and find solutions. A new
society built to adapt to these difficult times, a society that dares to ride
the wave rather than be drowned. She decides not to survive but to sur-vive in
today's world. This image taken from Joël de Rosnay in his book "Surfing life: how to live in
society-fluid" illustrates perfectly the metaphor of the wave, current
initiatives of resistance or support instead our world in transition.
"Now a
different approach is needed to survive the complexity of the modern world, its
acceleration, and more, to build our future together. So we need to promote
what I call "fluid society." A society that is
based on flow reports and reports not only on strength. "Joël de Rosnay
But who is this
community of surfers? They are people like you and me who began to be indignant
and react, refusing this black. These are not utopians, at most utopian
concrete. Like the festival of concrete utopias that took place in early
September 2012 in Paris, they are convinced of the efficiency of a direct
action at their level, often without waiting for government assistance. These
people organize themselves and act on their scale, locally, to meet global
disorder as already announced in 2010 so Coline Serreau in his film "Local Solution for a global
disorder. "These communities are worn mostly by young people (25-35 years)
whose main lever is the ecosystem of Web 2.0 networks in which they grew up.
"Net Gen": the
emergence of fluid society
These younger
generation called "Generation Y", "digital natives" or
"Net Gen" by Joël
de Rosnay grew up in an environment where the
sharing, exchange, cooperation are the watchwords. It is in this Web 2.0
virtual ecosystem they evolved. In fact, the web 2.0 that characterizes this
new era of information technology or relationship "calls into question the
established powers, crafts, social and economic theories," according to
Veronique Kleck. This period was also that of an
explosion of computing power exponentially always accompanied also the genesis
of billions information. We are in the era of "big data" created by a
population connected everywhere and all the time especially through mobile
Internet. Faced with these changes, this fluid society must learn to manage
this increasing complexity. She invents "new forms of power to authority,
new forms of collective creation of shared pleasure, participatory democracy
and empowering. '
In this image,
recently emerged a new form of resource management, but also goods based
knowledge sharing and exchange. Called collaborative economy, it covers all
areas of society.
Surf life-how to live in a society fluid Joël de Rosnay
The collaborative
economy implements a range of initiatives from are added in parallel with other
actions, including the social and solidarity economy (SSE). These initiatives
are based on an organization can be defined as "bottom up" (piloting
participatory), that is to say, they emerge from civil
society, not governments or institutions like ESS. According to Joël de Rosnay, we can compare
this governance structure to a "mesh network" or mesh: parallel
system based on a few main nodes but no central hierarchy.
These are the
characteristics of the mesh network that give strength and define its values.
This mesh of communities allows speedy action without creating a major problem
in the case where one of the nodes would disappear, unlike the usual
centralized and hierarchical. Indeed, with a hierarchical model, when a node
runs out, it is the whole system integrity is jeopardized. It is thus adaptive
capacity and redundancy of the mesh network that is its strength: "One of
the advantages of mesh networks is their redundancy which makes them durable
and reliable. The network as the ability to repair itself as
self-organize." Collaboration and sharing are the keystones of this
network. The strong competition is not more the strong value. A soft power is
taking place and involves more collaborative work between teams closely
associated." These communities also rely on a culture of "open"
born on the Internet via the first initiatives of Open Source software.
Sharing, empathy, fraternity, transversality of
approaches and solutions, showcased by Joël de Rosnay to surf life are suitable to define the core values
of these new actors.
OuiShare: the collective of the
economy collaborative
Initiatives made
by these actors are numerous and increasing at a high speed. ". They also
have an ability to quickly export including through
web 2.0. These projects are supported by the France Ouishare
working group for the development of Collaborative Economics. In a few months, Ouishare was powered by a small group of volunteers to
organize a movement that is growing and internationally. It represents more
than 300 members in 15 countries in Europe, North America and Latin America
contributing in English, French and Spanish in the dissemination of the values
of collaborative economy.
It is a large
diverse community made up of social entrepreneurs, journalists, researchers,
hackers, designers, activists, etc.., which takes possession of all
socio-economic areas for rethink in terms of relationships based on sharing,
exchange, and a culture of "open."
These projects are
numerous and based on a key concept: the "Peer to Peer" or P2P, ie the direct exchange between two people where everyone is
both a consumer and producer. These reports were originally developed in the
field of consumption so as merchantability or non- merchantability. For
example, you can include carpooling platforms for mobility, Airbnb
or Couchsurfing for housing, the Hive who says yes to
food. This movement of "peer to peer" is rooted more in all areas.
From energy sector, with the development of "smart grids" as recalled
by Joël de Rosnay in his
book, the field of finance (kisskissbankbank),
education (Unishared) and the production of goods (wikispeed) . This is all sectors of the economy are
affected. As concluded elsewhere Joël de Rosnay: "The peer will reach key sectors of the
economy and prepare the ground fluid society and its economy adapted."
So these
communities know to ride the wave knowing adapt, overcome, "hacker"
current issues or use collective intelligence to try to solve them. This mesh
network is enriched with increasingly rising as the level of complexity of
trade and relations.
The collaborative economy: and tomorrow?
This leads to
theoretical questions about the future of this movement: How will organize this
cooperation in the long term? Can it be applied to very large scale? The science of complexity demanded by Edgar Morin then appear
crucial. They are necessary to analyze the parameters underlying these
communities and solutions for their management of local a scale on a global
scale today.
Perhaps we are
entering an era of collaborative revolution similar to the industrial
revolution as envisaged Rachel Botsman or maybe these
changes will shape the society smoothly? We cannot know today, but it is
important I believe it to be attentive to these developments in the era of this
fluid society.
For on-life means
first of all believe in knowledge and knowledge open to all and where all
shared (Yes Share) is the key word.
Références :
Article based on « l’économie collaborative
à l’ère de la société fluide » validation du cours de sociologie
économique au CNAMhttp://fr.slideshare.net/cgrusondaniel/rsv202-lconomie-collaborative-lre-de-la-socit-fluideclya-grusondaniel-14618231
Surfer la vie-Comment sur-vivre dans la société fluide - Joël de Rosnay-Edition : LLL Les liens qui libèrenthttp://www.surferlavie.com/
Numérique & cie société en réseaux en gouvernance-Véronique Kleck- édition
Charles Léopold Mayer
OuiShare : la
communauté de l’économie collaborative -http://ouishare.net/
Scoopit : Vivre dans
une société fluide- http://www.scoop.it/t/vivre-dans-une-societe-fluide