Wednesday 29 February 2012
Why it’s Kicking Off Everywhere and the Rise of the Networked Individual
I’ve just finished reading Why it’s Kicking Off
Everywhere, Paul Mason’s analysis of the wave of change which swept the
world last year, from the Arab Spring to the Occupy movement, via the Eurozone
crisis. Anyone who’s watched Mason’s reports on the BBC’s Newsnight over the
last 12 months will already be familiar with his skills as a journalist, and
the book doesn’t disappoint.
Of particular interest are his insights on ‘the networked
individual,’ including a new breed of activist who is passionate about the need
for change on critical issues, and who, armed with a smartphone and access to
social media, has all the tools they need to connect with the likeminded and
quickly build a movement. Mason writes about the ‘emergence of a new kind of
individual with ‘weak ties’, multiple loyalties and greater autonomy.’
The question is: how does this impact the church, and our
communication of the values of the kingdom which are crying out to be heard at
a time like this? There’s a desire for change but also a wariness of the
institutions who have presided over the failures of the current system, with
the church in the role of sometimes-collaborator. How do we foster discipleship
in a world of greater passion and but where ties are held more lightly?
Perhaps one answer is found in Jesus’ image of leaven
working through dough. Could it be that the kingdom of heaven is like ideas
transmitted through a network, subverting, inspiring, disturbing, until all of
it was infused.
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