Introduction. This article is a chapter and update from the book The Digital Challenge for Europe (2021) and originally appeared in the book De Vloeibare Samenleving (2017). The digitalization of society is driving massive changes in the way people and organizations live and operate, which will eventually necessitate new forms of governance for societies. To better understand this transformation,… Continue reading The Fluid Society or How Digitalization Transforms Society
This article was published on 2 April 2025 in i-Bestuur as an opinion piece: https://ibestuur.nl/artikel/kan-europa-overleven-zonder-eigen-big-tech/ If Europe wants to survive economically in the digital age, it must develop its own large international Big Tech companies and a European digital ecosystem. Simplifying the many regulatory and fiscal barriers within Europe, along with creating a dynamic European capital market,… Continue reading Can Europe Survive Without Its Own Big Tech?
The attached article was published on February 28, 2025, in the magazine i-Bestuur as a so-called Podium article. https://ibestuur.nl/artikel/europa-heeft-dringend-een-digitale-raad-nodig/ Europe Urgently Needs a Digital Council The intense debate surrounding the digital era reveals a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportions, in which Europe is not at the forefront. In the U.S., with the might of Big Tech onboard,… Continue reading Europe Urgently needs a Digital Council
Introduction. The world stands at a tipping point. From geopolitical tensions to climate change, from the depletion of natural resources to the loss of biodiversity, the challenges are immense. The consequences – including growing migration flows, social unrest, and economic uncertainty – demand decisive leadership. The question is whether the superpowers, such as the United… Continue reading Superpowers: Obstacles or Keys to a Stable Future?
Below, GPT-4o offers a critical review of the concept of the Fluid Society, as well as several blogs on the website The Future of Our Digital Society: Reflections on The Fluid Society In a world where digitalization is no longer a choice but an unavoidable reality, the website The Fluid Society offers a critical perspective on the… Continue reading GPT-4o about “The Fluid Society”
In the United States, a number of IT billionaires are set to join Trump’s administration. Besides Elon Musk, Peter Thiel (PayPal, Facebook) and Ramaswamy (IT billionaire) will also be stepping in. Their role is intriguing: they are being given a free hand with the mission of making the government more efficient. This illustrates that Big… Continue reading Big Tech to govern
No one can do without digital tools anymore. Life in today’s society has become impossible without them. Whether you use your smartphone to send a message, gather information, take a photo, or join a meeting: of the more than eight billion people on earth, two-thirds owned a smartphone in 2023, which is used daily, often… Continue reading Who controls the world with AI?
This article is an update of the article with the same title from 21 October 2019. Introduction. The world is rapidly digitalising, and as a result, it is increasingly being controlled—perhaps even dominated—by digital systems, backed by parties that develop, use, exploit, and manipulate these systems. While many of these parties are useful and legitimate,… Continue reading The Digital Black Hole
Image created using ChatGPT and DALL-E, AI technologies by OpenAI. 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… Continue reading Is digitalization our salvation?
Democracies are failing. What should you do as citizen?
