Ciberpspv

Richard Florida, es director del grupo de investigación Creative Class Group, con sedes en Washington DC y Toronto. Es autor de los libros The Rise of the creative class, The Fliegh o The reative Calls y Who´s your City.

Página personal: http://creativeclass.com/

1. Does technology represent a new democratic strength?

Technology and innovation are critical component’s of a nation’s ability to drive economic growth and creativity. It represents a true democratic opportunity — a means for tapping into the creativity of every single human being. As I wrote in The Rise of the Creative Class and emphasized in Who’s Your City, we have to tap into the creative talents of everyone Only a third of the world’s workforce work in occupations where they are expected and paid to use even a modicum of their creativity. The great challenge for us is to expand the structures of the creativity — through innovation and new technological advancements — to harness the creativity of much larger segments of the workforce in the service and manufacturing sectors alike. We are all creative beings and have the potential to contribute to the creative economy.

2. Do you think the patterns which support the web 2.0 will become part of the political parties?

Sure. Look at the impact these technologies are having on the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Both U.S. political parties are using web 2.0 features to enhance collaboration and networking. As I have written about many times before, collaboration is an essential element of creativity and innovation. It’s important to underscore the importance of clustering and human networking. Web capabilities can extend an individuals ability to cluster and network, however, it cannot replace the importance of physically connectivity.

3. What changes will the massive use of technology by citizens bring in the attitudes of political elites?

It’s not surprising that technology has helped to create a more inclusive political process. For many, the use of technology capabilities, like web 2.0 features, has given more individuals the opportunity to actively participate in the political process. Individuals are now active in the political process rather than passive, one-way participants. The creation of new useful forms of knowledge and information - active blogs, online networks, etc. — have also helped to educate the general populace more issues than ever before. Because of all of this, I think political elites have to be more aware and reactive to the public’s pulse; in a sense technology is fostering a system is oriented towards interaction rather than one-way information dissemination.

4. What are the main risks associated to progressive implementation of technology in the development political activity.

Public leaders and political parties have to remember that technology — like web 2.0 features — can not replace a person’s need for face-to-face interaction. Individuals partaking the in the political process must have the opportunity to physically interact and collaborative. Human clustering is a real economic force — you can see it in place in the Spiky World — and it looks to have the impact politically, as well.

5. What in your opinion is the importance of the place where we live?

The place we choose to live is the most important decision we ever make, largely because it influences and shapes all the others: from job opportunities and career options to our investments, the friends we make, the people we date, the mates we ultimately choose and the way we raise our families.

Finding the right place is as important as—if not more important than—finding the right job or partner because it not only influences those choices but also determines how easy or hard it will be to correct mistakes made along the way. Place remains the central axis of our time—more important to the world economy and our individual lives than ever before.

Puedes leer las respuestas de:

• Juan Freire (27/07/08)
• Eduardo Madina (28/07/08)
• Guillermo López (29/07/08)
• Carlos González Triviño (30/07/08)