Explain what Kevin Kelly means by the concept of "flowing" in his book The Inevitable. Offer three supporting references that corroborate your finding
In his book "The Inevitable", Kevin Kelly introduces the concept of "flowing" as one of the twelve technological forces shaping our future. By "flowing", Kelly refers to the shift from static, fixed products to dynamic, constantly updating streams of content and services.
The concept of "flowing" encompasses several key ideas:
1. Real-time streams: Kelly emphasizes that we are moving towards a world where information and services flow in real-time. He states, "If we spend money, we expect the balance in our account to adjust in real time. (…) For news, we demand to know what is happening this very second, not an hour ago. Unless it occurs in real time, it does not exist."
2. From products to services: Kelly argues that we are transitioning from owning fixed products to subscribing to fluid services that continually update. He writes, "Formerly solid products made of steel and leather are now sold as fluid services that keep updating."
3. Digital copying and sharing: Kelly highlights how the internet has become a massive copying machine, facilitating the free flow of information. He notes, "The digital economy runs on this river of freely flowing copies."
These ideas are supported by several references from the book:
1. "The initial age of computing was borrowed from the industrial age. As Marshall McLuhan observed, the first version of a new medium imitates the medium it replaces." This quote illustrates how we are moving from static, industrial-age thinking to more fluid, digital-age concepts.
2. "Free is hard to ignore. It propels duplication at a scale that would previously have been unbelievable." This statement underscores the importance of free-flowing information in the digital economy.
3. "We subscribe to the channels… We are bathed in streams of notifications and updates. Tags have replaced links…" This quote directly speaks to the shift towards streaming, subscription-based services and real-time information flows.
Kelly's concept of "flowing" ultimately suggests that our future will be characterized by constant streams of information, services, and updates, fundamentally changing how we interact with technology and consume content.