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Balance of Power Shifts in ‘Flat’ World

By Jeff Feinman

January 1, 2007 — (Page 1 of 2)
Society’s class systems could undergo a major shift because of today’s technology, author Thomas J. Friedman said during a Manhattan panel discussion last month.

With his book “The World Is Flat” serving as the backdrop for the panel, held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, Friedman explained how global technology is creating an explosion of wealth that could shift balances of power.

The author, who also is a foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, said that one effect of a flat world is a tremendous influx of money into the middle classes of China and India. Another is access to information from around the world. This gives those people a greater stake in the success of globalization, and could push them to try to stabilize the geopolitical situation that brought them their newfound wealth. “When the world is flat, a revolution will come from the middle,” he said.

Joining Friedman on the panel—called “Staying Ahead in a Flat World: What’s Next?”—were Tim O’Reilly, CEO and founder of O’Reilly Media; Brian Behlendorf, CTO and founder of CollabNet; and Devin Wenig, COO of Reuters Group.

Friedman cited how technology might be helping to move the Persian Gulf constitutional monarchy of Bahrain toward democracy.

“There was a remarkable story during the elections about how the Bahrainis were using Google Earth to zero in on the palaces of the ruling family, and for the first time, were able to see beyond these walls and view pictures of the homes of the ruling elite,” Friedman explained. Though the Bahrain Ministry of Information had access to Google Earth banned, many feel that the images will radically inflame further cries for democratic reform and aid in the push for equality between the rich and the poor, Friedman added.

While discussing how today’s technology is shaping the future, the panelists also touched on how past events have shaped today’s software industry. For example, the thinking and values of the Vietnam War era may have helped to mold today’s developers.

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