Is digitalization our salvation?

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The world is undergoing three profound transformations: shifting geopolitical structures, an escalating climate crisis, and a digital revolution. Each of these changes puts existing systems under pressure – together, they sketch a vision of a radically different future.

1. The Crumbling of Geopolitical Structures. Western hegemony, long a guarantor of global peace and international law, is in decline. Authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China, sometimes in alliance with countries like Iran and North Korea, openly challenge the Western model. Meanwhile, internal divisions grow within the West itself – between the US and Europe, and within democracies influenced by populism.

The BRICS bloc seeks to create an alternative to the Western-led order but struggles with internal contradictions. The world is moving towards fragmentation and growing tensions – a multipolar global system in which new forms of cooperation must be forged.

2. The Climate Crisis: Nature as Afterthought. The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a pressing reality. Overconsumption, overpopulation, and an economic model that exceeds the planet’s limits demand urgent change. Environmental preservation must take precedence over economic growth. Disasters are forcing governments to act, but global cooperation remains elusive.

We have detached ourselves from our ecological context – at the cost of biodiversity, pollution, and planetary health. Without a rapid course correction, not only our prosperity but our survival is at stake.

3. The Digital Revolution as a Gamechanger. Digitalisation intersects with both previous transformations. Technology connects people globally, enables like-minded individuals to find each other, and disrupts traditional hierarchies. Artificial intelligence, networks, and platforms are laying the groundwork for a new kind of society: fluid, borderless, and knowledge-driven.

Humanity is evolving from group-minded creatures into autonomous thinking individuals. Where group-thinking once prioritised loyalty, consumption, and competition, we now see the rise of individual responsibility, network-based communication, and global citizenship.

From Herd Animal to Individual. Group-thinking has led to overpopulation, ecological collapse, and short-termism. Democracies often act as popularity contests in which scientific insight is sidelined. But digitalisation makes new forms of organisation possible.

Across the globe, scientists, activists, and engaged citizens are connecting online – not based on majorities or geography, but on shared purpose and expertise. In thousands of digital meetings, knowledge is exchanged on sustainability, education, health, and innovation.

Digital Salvation?. This digital infrastructure offers more than just hope – it may become our way out of today’s chaos. Hundreds of millions of people are now connected via social media and digital platforms, forming voluntary, horizontal networks. NGOs, citizen initiatives, and small-scale enterprises harness collective knowledge to take meaningful action.

Though the economic impact of these efforts is still small compared to multinational corporations and states, their influence is growing. The digital space empowers individuals to resist misinformation, break free from groupthink, and sidestep authoritarian control.

Towards a Fluid Society. The third transformation – digitalisation – is not an extension of the old order but the seed of a new, fluid society. A world in which people, science, and NGOs collaborate across borders without centralised power structures – where expertise and initiative matter more than background, language, or status.

The traditional nation-state will persist, as people still live locally and need physical infrastructure. Yet its dominance as a power structure will wane. The same applies to corporations: while global businesses will remain essential for certain goods, many megacorporations will lose relevance in a future where individuals and networks operate with agility, purpose, and global support.

Conclusion. The three major transformations – geopolitics, climate, and digitalisation – bring instability but also new possibilities. As legacy systems falter, digitalisation may offer a way forward. Not as a miracle cure, but as a toolkit for a reimagined humanity: connected, responsible, and capable of co-creating a sustainable future through shared knowledge and solidarity.

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