In a system that is based upon extraction, people tend to have fewer choices. The goal is to maximize everyone's contributions to gain the most out of the system. Often, this includes wage slavery albeit sometimes highly paid.
When a system is based upon contribution, with nobody extracting in the traditional sense, the options open up great. Creativity and innovation are what really matters. Decisions are voluntary based upon individual desire as opposed to hierarchical ones.
We see a major shift away from permission to the permissionless.
People are free to do as they see fit. Wherever one seeks to contribute, that is where he or she is able. Nobody needs to offer permission. An individual is free to jump in where needs are perceived.
Compare this to a traditional business where one typically needs permission to help out in another department. Roles are defined and clear. Everyone knows what part of the system he or she fits into.
What is your role on a platform such as Steem?
This is up to each person to answer if he or she chooses. The truth is there is no need to define a role because, if there is one, it was self-created. It can change, morph, or even go away based upon the whims of the individual. Whatever it is was self-determined. Nobody assigned it or can stop it.
Essentially, it is the epitome of volunteerism.
Even the fact that one is involved is a voluntary decision. Nobody is forced to be here.
The same is not true in the present system. Sure, some will say that showing up for work is voluntary, but it is? Let us be realistic. A single mother showing up to some job she hates to earn just above minimum wage to feed her two young kids has no choice. I guess you could say well she chooses not to let her kids starve but, common, that is not a choice in almost all instances. Outside the few psychopaths, all would do what was necessary to make sure those kids are fed.
Of course, the same is true for all of us. We have little choice in the matter. It is show up or starve. Really not a choice when it comes down to it.
With a paradigm shift, humanity will be presented with new options. We are still going to be in a world where earning money is still required. However, the payout will be based upon contribution that is chosen on a daily basis.
Let us look at the Steem platform as an example. There are many different "tribes" we can opt to get involved with. We see the ones that are listed on Steem-Engine. Yet, that is only a portion of them. There are a number of different ones that are not so formal that people chose to be a part of. We have hundreds of different opportunities to be a part of something and contribute. What is elected is up to the individual.
This is where the power of horizontal integration enters the picture. Our present system is vertical in nature. Companies seek to establish a vertical hierarchy. The goal, for many, is to work their way up that ladder because there is where more of the rewards are.
We also see this with industry leaders. The leading companies taking a larger piece of the market pie, thus providing better payouts to those involved. Ones that are at the bottom tend to be at a disadvantage.
Individual contribution becomes collective. The only question is whether that collection is 3 people or 30,000. Splinterlands is widely successful because there are thousands of people contributing each day to that application. Other do not enjoy the level of success because of the numbers, yet that does not take away from their impact. The ecoVillage is having a tremendous effect to on those involved with that project.
Ultimately, money is a tool for collaboration. Peer-to-peer interaction allows for two people to get together and operate. Cryptocurrency is so revolutionary because of the fact it allows any two nodes on the Internet to transfer value. This is a very powerful addition.
It is an idea that completely uplifts the idea of commons. Implementing a commons system just got a great deal more effective because of the monetizing ability of it. Thus, a system that is made up, in great part, of extractors and rent-seekers is no longer the only game in town.
In the end, people will find that commons offers a great deal more than the present system. I would expect this idea to flourish greatly over the next decade.
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