Technology and Decentralization

Gandhiji believed that everyone should create the resources to feed and clothe themselves. He wrote in Young India, (15–11–1928): “For the universal realization of this ideal, it was necessary, that the means of production of elementary necessaries of life remain in the control of the masses …. Their monopolization by any country, nation or groups of persons would be unjust.”

I was curious to examine whether the idea of a decentralized future sought by Gandhiji is consistent with the fundamental way in which technology changes society. Technology, like living things, evolves. Once technology gets into a culture, it acquires higher and higher complexity. This concept is called the Technology Imperative. This development is not driven by technological determinism but by the human tendency to pursue change.

The printing press is a classic example of how technology promotes decentralization. Printing changed how information was collected and distributed and was the earliest technology driver for decentralizing knowledge resources. Internet and digital technology made decentralization more effective. Cloud technology and the shift to the digital economy infused new possibilities for devolution. The digital economy can transform finance, money and governance through dispersed trustless consensus, allowing transparent and secure transactions.