The Future is Here

What do Alvin Toffler and Michel de Montaigne have in common?

Alvin Toffler speculated a few decades ago that consumers in the post-industrial information society will produce their own products for consumption. Moving beyond customization, consumers of today participate in the production process. Blogs are a clear example of this. Information technology companies provide the infrastructure that coordinate and support consumers who produce their own products for others, and themselves.

Michel de Montaigne wrote essays on diverse topics and mailed them to his fellow aristocratic, intellectual friends. His thoughts and musing influenced his society and his world. He is the foreshadow of today's bloggers, who write tidbits of informal essays on a variety of topics, and communicate to others around the world.

We have come full circle. Let us hope that we don't have an end to this age of enlightenment like it did back then, with revolutions and wars. I think we will be okay as long as we don't have our own Marie Antoinette who tells the poor to eat cake when they don't have bread.