Skillseta Launches: Techno-Optimism and the Fourth Industrial Revolution — Here is what you need to know.
Twenty-two years into the 21st century, technology has reshaped our world. What skills are essential to thrive in this era of digital communication, health innovation, and information overload? And, will ALL humans make the technological transition?
“You live in a deranged age — more deranged than usual, because despite great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing.” — Walker Percy
Where do you stand in the face of this technological shift? What are people like you and me creating, making, and using to confront these changes directly? Much has been discussed about how we as individuals and collectively as humanity can adapt and stay ahead. Skillseta is a place to stumble toward clarity, to address and make sense of this changing tech landscape, to introduce new technology, explained simply.
As a professional communicator, a curious writer, and an advocate for technological change, my journey has led me to join and serve on the board of my local blockchain council and dedicate a season of the Dallas Business Podcast to interviewing leaders, policymakers, and technologists in the blockchain space. I have expanded my knowledge base by reading extensively, taking various courses, delivering presentations on Web 3 and the technologies driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including: blockchain (Immutable), Bitcoin (digital gold), decentralization (autonomy), artificial intelligence (intelligence of machines), algorithms (blueprint), and data (information). Skillseta’s main reason for existing is to help you gain skills to confidently step into the new world.
Scroll down to the “Get Curious” section for additional links to terms mentioned and defined above.
The question that keeps me awake most nights is “why”? Why do I care and why should society care about taking hold of this technological upheaval?
Simply explained, survival.
In 2020, my mother lost her life to metastatic breast cancer. What if advances in health care were further along that could have allowed her to identify her tumor earlier, measured and informed her of its growth, offered personalized health reminders and follow-up doctors’ appointments in the language and symbolism she recognized and understood? This idea of health technology progress challenges me to seek information and get that information in the hands of people so they can make different choices. Jaron Lanier, a well-known computer philosophy writer and computer scientist, said that “the most important thing about technology is that it changes people.” A part of me wants to believe that more personalized health information and communication could have encouraged my mother to get help sooner and possibly saved her life.
Listen to my conversation with Dr. Azra Raza, Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine and Director of the MDS Center at Columbia University in New York, as she tackles the problem of cancer from the first cell and her ideas on early detection technology — like blankets that scan our bodies while we sleep for heat signatures, one of the early signs of tumor formation.
“Our survival instinct is our single greatest source of inspiration.” — Dr. Amelia Brand, played by Anne Hathaway, Interstellar
Knowledge Acquisition
There is no quick fix to knowledge acquisition, put simply self-education. We must be dedicated to the process of learning and growing that knowledge base continuously.
On a podcast, Marc Andressen discussed the Big Five Personality Traits, and how individuals need a “high IQ to innovate in any category,” breaking down high IQ as the ability to “synthesis a large amount of information quickly.”
Curious on how to wrap a process around the ability to synthesizing large amounts of information, I plugged the question into ChatGPT (see “get curious” section for what is ChatGPT?), here was the response:
“Synthesizing a large amount of information quickly involves a mix of cognitive strategies, tools, and habits.”
- Prioritize: Understand your goal. Identify what’s most important and focus on that.
- Skim and Scan: Get a general sense of the content by reading headings, subheadings, bullet points, and summaries.
- Take Notes: Summarize in your own words. Use tools like the Cornell note-taking system for efficiency.
- Mind Maps: Use mind maps to visually organize information and show relationships between concepts.
- Chunking: Break down information into smaller, manageable units or “chunks”.
- Use Technology: Utilize tools like speed-reading apps, summarization software, and digital note-taking platforms.
- Active Engagement: Engage with the material. Discuss, teach, or debate it with someone else.
- Filter Noise: Avoid unnecessary details. Be discerning about what to retain and what to discard.
- Review and Repeat: Revisit your notes and summaries regularly. Repetition helps transfer information from short-term to long-term memory.”
Become a Techno-Optimist
Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent tech super angel investor ranked number 10 on Forbes’ 2011 Midas List of Tech’s Top Investors, authored a Techno-Optimist manifesto. A few points resonated with me after reading:
#1. Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential.
#2. We believe not growing is stagnation, which leads to zero-sum thinking, internal fighting, degradation, collapse, and ultimately death.
#3. We believe technology is a lever on the world — the way to make more with less.
Skillseta does not support or indulge Terminator-esqe dooms day conversation. There is much to learn and much to do if we are to stay ahead. Accept that humans have and always will choose progress. There are those, as have always been, that will be fearful of change. Thats fine. They may continue to delight in memes, doom scrolling, and outdated health technology. You sense the change coming and intend to accept what is and ride the wave of techno-optimism.
Where we go from here
Skillseta’s weekly essays will immerse you in the world of technology, featuring real-life narratives, expert tips, and curated lists of book and podcast recommendations. The ‘Get Curious’ section at the end provides a handy resource center, linking you all resources mentioned above and to educational courses, journals, blogs from techno-optimists, maker spaces, and more.
“The key to all our human destiny is in the mind and spirit of man. The new source of wealth is not material; it is information, knowledge applied to work to create value.” — George Gilder
- Listen: Dallas Business Podcast Season 3 on blockchain | iTunes, web
- Watch: The Immaculate Conception: Bitcoin vs Fiat Standard, Jordan Peterson and Dr. Saifedean Ammous | Youtube
- Read: Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy by George Gilder | Amazon
- Read: The Techno-Optimist Manifesto by Andreessen Horowitz
- Define: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that uses natural language processing to create humanlike dialogue. | Wikipedia, Developers: OpenAl
- Learn: What is a Blockchain? “A blockchain is a permanent, sequential list of transaction records distributed over a network. Each block in the chain contains a hash of the previous block, along with a timestamp and transaction data. This makes the blockchain inherently resistant to attack or manipulation.” — Consensys Academy course: Blockchain Essentials Course
Skillseta is a blog established by Earlina Green Hamilton, dedicated to inspiring and engaging people in understanding and participating in the 21st century’s technological shift, often referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The platform shares information via its Medium page and multiple social media outlets, providing engaging technology narratives, articles rich in resources, suggestions for books and podcasts, as well as a variety of courses. In the future, Skillseta aims to expand its offerings by launching a series of mini-courses focused on various 4IR Topics. Questions? Suggestions? Edits? Email ehamilton@skillseta.com
