Hutchison Management

On Monday September 24th, Don Tapscott delivered some important and prescient remarks to The Walrus Talks Connections. He spoke of the need for a “new social contract we all have to build for the digital era”. A few days earlier this month the World Economic Forum (WEF) issued a report titled “Agile Cities: Preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” There is an interesting dichotomy between these two public presentations, mirroring what’s going on in general around the world.

Don is one of the world’s leading observers, thinkers and writers chronicling and participating in the world’s ongoing digital revolution. He is focused on the issues of trust and democracy in our societies, arguing that the present evolution of our new digital society with its uneven distribution of wealth and knowledge has elements similar to feudal days. Don argues we need to come together nationally to create a new digital democracy and replace the faltering one we created for the industrial age.

Meanwhile, the WEF report referencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and introducing “Agile Cities”, provides another descriptor to compete with and perhaps complement “Smart, Intelligent Resilient, Sustainable, Investable, Innovative” and many others. They are all part of today’s urban digital transformation which is attracting billions of investment dollars and began around the time when I and other colleagues pioneered the creation of Smart Toronto ’94, twenty-four years ago. However, we must now prioritize and respond positively to Don’s call for action on the urgent need to study and create new national social contracts supporting a new digital democracy to replace our faltering industrial age ecosystems with their evolving feudal qualities.