The Third Industrial Revolution, by Jeremy Rifkin, is one of the most intriguing books that I have ever read. In this book, Jeremy Rifkin describes the revolutionary economic and social changes that are occurring due to a new information system, the Internet, and a new energy system, renewable energy, merging. These changes are coined The Third Industrial Revolution.
The Internet has created a new way of sharing and creating information that has never been scene before. People are able to instantly interact with each other around the globe, access an infinite amount of information on any desirable topic, and influence society no matter how poor or young they may be. The Internet will increasingly make our world more efficient and interconnected by allowing devices to communicate with one another, such home appliances or medical records, furthering the use of efficient manufacturing processes, such as 3-D, and developing a smart grid for energy. The Internet has also fostered a way of thinking that democratizes power and fosters creative disruption. The Internet has allowed everyone the opportunity and ability to develop and create what they wish, transferring the power from the select to the masses. Anyone who has access to the Internet has the ability to take Harvard classes online, start a movement, build an app, or rent a couch in a stranger’s apartment for the night. The Internet has become a platform for disruption within every part of our lives, by allowing anyone to explore and redefine the limits
Renewable energies will become more proliferous as improved storage mechanisms are developed, reigning over fossil fuels. The shift to renewable energies in conjuncture with the Internet will allow for a monumental shift in the way our society produces energy. For example, each home will have the capacity to become a small power plant, generating enough electricity to power itself and sell to other homes through virtual markets. Energy monitoring programs will enable appliances within a home to be switched on and off remotely, according to the energy demands of the grid, and turn off unused lights or lower the heat when the home is vacant.
The Third Industrial Revolution is lateralizing power among the world. The Internet has already changed and democratized many industries, such as the hotel and wedding dress industry by embracing human’s desire to share. Renewable energies will empower the homeowners by allowing them to produce their own energy, ending our society’s reliance on large and monopolistic energy companies. These changes are all around us, in every possible form.
I highly recommend reading The Third Industrial Revolution, as it has changed my view on current changes within our world and opened my eyes to the possibility of the future.
