Numerical technologies connect presently practically all the inhabitants of the planet. At each moment, it has become feasible to keep informed about what happens in any place of the world. Jeremy Rifkin considers that it is the sign that we are entering in a new era, "the civilization of empathy". According to Jeremy Rifkin, by connecting most people of the planet, Internet facilitates the development of an empathic relationship between all of them. One of the consequences he foresees, is the development of what he calls a distributed capitalism, and the growing use of "peer to peer" transactions.
Although such an evolution is highly desirable, it is not obvious that we are really moving that way. The main consequence of Internet has been the development of financial activities at a global scale, which are operated in a way which has nothing to do with empathy. We are creating a society of screens, through which most transactions are operated now. Such a situation extends even to areas such as war, blurring the distinction between videogames and reality, in a most disturbin way. Furthermore screen pictures can be manipulated, giving a wrong perception of reality. As shown by the italian linguist Raffaele Simone, Internet culture is based upon direct and most often emotional emotions, rather upon rational thinking. Since, the concept of empathy is somewhat dangerous as hatred is its counterpart. Still, the overall picture is more complex as the Internet helps also to gather a diversity of viewpoints and appears as the main area of freedom.
Les technologies numériques relient
à présent pratiquement l’ensemble des habitants de la planète. à chaque instant, il est possible de s’informer sur tout ce
qui se passe dans le monde. Il est également devenu beaucoup plus facile de
voyager et de rejoindre n’importe quelle autre région. Les différences dans les
modes de vie tendent à s’estomper. Les mêmes produits et les mêmes marques sont
utilisés partout. Jeremy Rifkin n’hésite pas à voir
dans cette évolution l’avènement d’une « civilisation de l’empathie ».
D’après Jeremy Rifkin, en connectant chaque personne à une très large
collectivité, l’Internet favorise le développement des relations empathiques
entre l’ensemble des habitants de la Terre. Cette évolution conduirait également,
selon lui, à une nouvelle forme de
capitalisme, qu’il qualifie de « capitalisme distribué ». Celui-ci
verrait le triomphe des transactions « peer
to peer » entre individus, favorisant un développement du lien social.
