IntroductionThe more reflective one’s attitude <strong>to</strong>wards life is,<strong>the</strong> more it seems that values and lifestyles arethings that are up for decision. Life is no longerunambiguous or simple. People can experience<strong>the</strong>mselves as <strong>to</strong>urists between lifestyles, and lifeas something <strong>the</strong>y have <strong>to</strong> form an attitude <strong>to</strong>ra<strong>the</strong>r than participate in naturally.The sociologist Dean MacCannell has claimed thatmodern lifestyle with a high pace <strong>of</strong> change, freedomin relationships and a choice <strong>of</strong> values paves<strong>the</strong> way for “<strong>to</strong>urism as a way <strong>of</strong> life.” Life becomeslike watching oneself on a stage with props andscenery which might have been different – andperhaps should have been. A plot which is notnecessarily as interesting as <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs’. Au<strong>the</strong>nticitybecomes an experience – not a way <strong>of</strong> life.“Primitives who live <strong>the</strong>ir lives <strong>to</strong>tally exposed <strong>to</strong><strong>the</strong>ir “relevant o<strong>the</strong>rs” do not suffer from anxietyabout <strong>the</strong> au<strong>the</strong>nticity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir lives…” ”The oppositeproblem, a weakened sense <strong>of</strong> reality, appears with<strong>the</strong> differentiation <strong>of</strong> society in<strong>to</strong> front and back.Once this division is established, <strong>the</strong>re can be noreturn <strong>to</strong> a state <strong>of</strong> nature. Au<strong>the</strong>ncity itself moves<strong>to</strong> inhabit mystification 1) .The au<strong>the</strong>ntic life becomes an unattainable ideal,which <strong>the</strong> modern human being only dreams about.In fact, we have lost it, but may – ideally – win it back.Complexity and confusionGlobalization as well as information and communicationstechnologies mean that we are confrontedwith events in o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world on a dailybasis. Complexes <strong>of</strong> problems we have no possibility<strong>of</strong> making up our minds about or gaining experiencefrom. A large part <strong>of</strong> reality is thus handeddown <strong>to</strong> us by way <strong>of</strong> filters.We could call this phenomenon “illusion preparedness.”What is <strong>the</strong> news on biodiversity in SouthAmerica, <strong>the</strong> hole in <strong>the</strong> ozone layer, gangs in <strong>the</strong>Bronx, or <strong>the</strong> working conditions <strong>of</strong> Finnish doc<strong>to</strong>rs?It would be difficult <strong>to</strong> form an attitude <strong>to</strong> all <strong>the</strong>seproblems if it were not for expert statements andassessments.1) Dean MacCannell, The Tourist: A New Theory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Leisure Class (1976; University <strong>of</strong> California Press, 1999) pp. 93-1054 R E A C T I O N S T O T H E P A C E O F C H A N G E
There are hundreds <strong>of</strong> processes between consumerand c<strong>of</strong>fee shrub and between <strong>the</strong> live pigand <strong>the</strong> sausage. Even something as relatively lowtechnicalas a ball-point pen is impossible for its user<strong>to</strong> produce. If a pho<strong>to</strong>copying machine breaks downor <strong>the</strong> server is down, we have <strong>to</strong> call a specialist.Specialists install, maintain and replace <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>olswe use every day. In <strong>the</strong> same way, specialists andexperts tell us about <strong>the</strong> state <strong>of</strong> nature, <strong>the</strong> “evil”and “good” <strong>of</strong> war, healthy diets, dangerous foodstuffs,and critical political regimes. We tend <strong>to</strong> be“amateurs” in our own houses.“Product revelopment”The world becomes dull. Everything is “been <strong>the</strong>re,done that,” <strong>the</strong> barriers have been broken down, andmost things are possible. If not in reality, <strong>the</strong>n in virtualreality. And this distinction is already crumbling.In some areas, and for certain segments, <strong>the</strong>principle is “product revelopment.” Making productseasy <strong>to</strong> relate <strong>to</strong>. Products that make you feel comfortable.Glasses blown by mouth, tableware with <strong>the</strong>user’s personal mark, a ball-point pen “<strong>the</strong> colour<strong>of</strong> plastic” (i.e. pastel, <strong>the</strong> colour <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first plastic)seems more “right,” unspoiled and “original.”The mark <strong>of</strong> origin becomes visible. And it seemssimple.Digital pace <strong>of</strong> changeThe fundamental “laws” governing digitalizationsuch as, for instance, Moore’s Law and Gilder’s Laware defended more vigorously than laws passed inparliaments. According <strong>to</strong> Moore’s Law, a microprocessor’scalculation capacity doubles every 18months while <strong>the</strong> price is halved. At <strong>the</strong> moment,this is ra<strong>the</strong>r true every 12 months. According <strong>to</strong>Gilder’s Law, bandwidth is tripled every 12 months.A consequence <strong>of</strong> this development is <strong>the</strong> possibility<strong>of</strong> communication irrespective <strong>of</strong> time and place.Today, e-mails and video conferences almost makethis possible, but in a few years from now it will probablyalso be possible for many companies and citizensusing virtual-reality equipment and <strong>the</strong> like,<strong>to</strong> create a feeling <strong>of</strong> almost being present at <strong>the</strong>meeting in Tokyo or almost being on a beach inPolynesia. Our five senses are digitalized or in <strong>the</strong>process <strong>of</strong> becoming so. Visual sensations and soundmay almost unproblematically be transferred digitally.When it comes <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> sense <strong>of</strong> <strong>to</strong>uch, “gloves” arebeing made (at <strong>the</strong> MIT Media Labora<strong>to</strong>ry, amongo<strong>the</strong>r places) which make it possible <strong>to</strong> feel somethingthat is half-way around <strong>the</strong> world.Scent can be transferred digitally (www.digiscents.com),and so can taste. Even intuition is being digitalized.Recently an Israeli s<strong>of</strong>tware programme(http://bschool.huji.ac.il/templates/) was placedwell in a competition about who could make <strong>the</strong>best advertising concepts. When <strong>the</strong>se technologiesare integrated and probably become more or lessavailable on <strong>the</strong> Internet, <strong>the</strong> world is literally at ourfingertips. And not just <strong>the</strong> present physical worldbut also <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> travelling in time and place.The pace <strong>of</strong> change is supported by <strong>the</strong> continuouseconomic growth. 2)Freeing ourselves from traditional human and physicallimitations may now be overcome on apparentlylarger scales than ever. From this point <strong>of</strong> view, ahuman life without digital props seems ra<strong>the</strong>r limited.<strong>Reactions</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> pace <strong>of</strong> changeThis report takes a shot at pinpointing what happenswhen <strong>the</strong> pace <strong>of</strong> change is high. The first part takesits starting point in <strong>the</strong> changes caused by urbanizationand high-speed technological change, such as<strong>the</strong> longing for what is genuine. The second partcontinues this complex <strong>of</strong> problems, examininghow technology makes <strong>the</strong> natural human beingin<strong>to</strong> a dying species. Both what is natural and whatis genuine is something we may only glimpse, forinstance as <strong>to</strong>urists. A kind <strong>of</strong> leitmotif is – as <strong>the</strong>headline for part three reads – “Wanting What’sBeen Lost.” The report goes on <strong>to</strong> describe variousways in which that which has been lost is attemptedregained in modern society. In part four, his<strong>to</strong>ry,nature and traditions are suggested as ways in whichoriginality can be preserved in modernity. Traditionsare also <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> part five in which <strong>the</strong> messagereads that traditions can been viewed as a <strong>to</strong>ol forcreating stability in <strong>the</strong> dynamic civilization in whichwe live. Part six elaborates on this dynamic, whichis about constancy for flexibility because flexibility– despite its many qualities – makes it difficult <strong>to</strong>maintain one’s identity. Finally, in part seven, <strong>the</strong>report explains how rituals can stage and functionas a focus in <strong>the</strong> complex society. In conclusion,<strong>the</strong> report provides examples <strong>of</strong> how <strong>the</strong> consumerseeks confrontation with <strong>the</strong> risks inherent in complexity.C O P E N H A G E N I N S T I T U T E F O R F U T U R E S S T U D I E S2) Please refer <strong>to</strong> Appendix with diagrams, Diagram 4M E M B E R S R E P O R T 1 / 2 0 0 05