Scott Snyder’s recently released book, The New World of Wireless: How to Compete in the 4G Revolution
, offers some provocative and valuable insights into the future of wireless.
He considers how emerging technologies can combine with political and social forces to transform communication dynamics in the future.
I hope to offer a more detailed review of the book in the near future. For now I’ll just mention how intrigued I am by Snyder’s discussion of digital swarms. Here is a short description of the concept in Dr. Snyder’s own words:
If you think of wireless networks as connecting a virtual mass of
users and networked objects, allowing them to converge around specific
places, ideas, or activities in a semi-coordinated fashion, this is, in
fact, a swarm. This is a concept beyond the “convergence,” “interconnectedness,”
and “pervasiveness” we have seen in information networks.
Not only are swarms interconnected and pervasive, they also
include a collective behavior and purpose that is not captured in
these other concepts. It is this underlying characteristic that also
makes it so difficult for organizations to see the early signals of this
new paradigm.…
Wirelessly enabled swarms have occurred in recent years, such as
the throngs of disgruntled citizens in the Philippines who tried to take
over government buildings using text messaging to coordinate their
movements. However, the current wireless networks do not support
“swarming” as a natural occurrence due to limitations in interoperability,
location awareness, device intelligence, and capacity. The
newest fourth generation of wireless technology, or 4G, overcomes
these limitations, opening the possibility of swarming as a routine
occurrence in both professional and social situations.
Dr. Snyder’s scenarios for how these swarms, and other technological shifts play out through different future scenarios is an excellent resource for anyone who is invested in the future arch of technology.
