Wednesday, February 11, 2009

We are in a world of wild culture

Inspired by Peter Rawsthorne, who is consulting for lawyers while pointing to the end of the gated community that is lawyerdom. Others chime in .

Which brings me to review the term "Wild culture". Wikipedia and self governance are examples of wild culture in action. Wild but not ineffective anarchy: they use some very unobtrusive and effective pruning mechanisms, thanks to social media.

We too often refer to the "amateurization" of governance, encyclopedias, publishing or lawyerdom, but Wild culture is also about the efficiency of wild dissemination.

In fact, there will be lawyers, politicians and publishers. But "lawyerdom" and "publishing" and "governing" as we have known them are not surviving Wild culture.

There is no public/professional firm division any more, caused by a self-perpetuating barrier to entry, and sustained by cowardice and greed. We are seeing the efficiency of wild culture instead. That is:

People will probably use legal means, and governance, and publishing resources, more than ever. Because they are empowered to do so, and are not put off by a $400/hr clock ticking against them.

The "pros" ( eg lawyers, copyrighted publishers and politicians/ political administration) may be in less demand, and sherpa-like agencies (e.g. book, info subscription, blog or learning consultant, wikis)in greater demand. Because with participative learning resources, self education, self representation, and self publishing - 98% of issues can be handled by my wild self, thank you.

This means efficiency, access, democratization. To climb the mountain, I can walk up as high as my lungs will carry me. There is no sentry at the base of the mountain asking for your membership card. I can hire a sherpa, and in special cases, a "professional" (lawyer, big book publisher) to traverse the segment I can't. But these people don't own the entire journey any more. It is my own unique journey, and though the so called "professionals" may quiver and quake, the world is enlivened by the enabled wildness of it all.

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