State of the World 2025
Author: Charles Blass Issue: 2025-01-01
State of the World 2025
via Charles Blass
In January 2000, Bruce Sterling and Jon Lebkowsky initiated their annual “State of the World” discussions on The WELL, a pioneering online community platform. The inaugural conversation, titled “A Viridian Future,” focused on Sterling’s Viridian Design Movement, which emphasized environmentally sustainable design and technology.
These dialogues have continued annually, covering a wide range of topics including technology, politics, culture, and global trends. Each year, Sterling and Lebkowsky offer insights into the evolving state of the world, reflecting on past predictions and current developments. For instance, in the 2014 discussion, they examined the influence of major tech companies, referred to as “the Stacks,” on global society.
The “State of the World” conversations provide a unique longitudinal perspective on the intersection of technology and society over the past two decades. They are accessible through The WELL’s archives and Jon Lebkowsky’s personal website, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that have emerged during this period.
Here is the 2025 edition: Bruce Sterling and Jon Lebkowsky: State of the World 2025. They write, “This conversation will continue for at least two weeks, through January 13, assuming the state of the world is relatively stable for that long and we aren’t zapped by an electromagnetic pulse...”
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