What is Human 2.0?
We are undergoing a profound change as a society, caused by technology. We are entering a new phase of humanity – Human 2.0.
Computers are now powerful, cheap, and accessible. The Internet enables instant, global communication. Words, sounds and images can be digitized and transported effortlessly. The web is no longer a destination, it is an interface between people – which has levelled the playing field for everyone; we are all creators now, with a global audience and a toolbox of powerful cloud-based services on hand. The death of the middleman disrupts traditional industries such as music and book publishing, and news media. Thanks to mobile technology and electronic money, new paradigms are emerging: open government, augmented reality, knowledge marketplaces, data visualizations, biometrics, and non-geographic communities.
These are exciting times. We are learning how to be a digital, connected society. But it is not enough to observe; new technologies can be used against us – device controls, identity databases, censorship, surveillance and platform lock-ins.
As citizens of this new age we must stay well-informed, participate in the debate and make conscientious decisions which technologies we will invite into our lives, and which we will resist.
What is this site?
Human 2.0 is your hub for keeping informed on new technological developments as they happen, and discussing their benefits and dangers. We will post links, articles, podcasts, audio recordings and videos on the topic – sometimes original content by us, sometimes interesting news and items from around the web.
We invite you to comment, share and reflect on what you find here. Keep in the loop and subscribe to our RSS feed, email list or Twitter page, or just come back to the site regularly. Human 2.0 is the beginning of a conversation about where we are going as a society – join the comment threads and post links to our content. Suggest your own ideas and stories – by emailing us at info@human20.com or by using the hashtag #human20 on Twitter.
Who’s behind the site?
We are Alex Bowyer, and Alistair Croll, analysts at Bitcurrent. We are both passionate about technology and human-centric computing, and fascinated by the way technology can change us as humans. Behind the scenes, Angela Case works tirelessly to keep us to the point, on time and topic. We all work on this site for our own interest and on a voluntary basis. You can read more about us in the profiles below.
Alex Bowyer (Developer & Author)
Alex (@alexbfree) is an analyst and software engineer at Rednod in Montréal, Canada. He works on research and development and specializes in emerging technologies and their social impacts. He also organizes events such as Bitnorth and Ignite. He has a Masters degree in Computer Science from Sheffield University in the UK, and 7 years experience as a Software Engineer at IBM UK, where he specialized in Voice systems, Information management, and Java development.
Alex is passionate about using computers to solve human problems in new ways, and all the things that encompasses – user-centric design, productivity, human-computer interfaces and behavioural psychology.
Alistair Croll (Author)
Alistair (@acroll) has a background in strategic marketing and product management, along with an unhealthy interest in emerging technologies. He’s spent the last fifteen years building startups like Coradiant, writing books on web monitoring and Internet performance, and running events like Bitnorth and CloudConnect.
Alistair is also an advisor to several venture capital firms and a frequent writer and speaker on web analytics, cloud computing, human-computer convergence, and startups.
Angela Case (Content Curator)
Angela (@acase) works as an information specialist at Coradiant where she spends her time on user documentation, usability testing, and vocabulary control. She has a Masters degree in Library and Information Studies and is passionate about the ways humans use technology to access and evaluate information sources.
Like all images on the site, the topic icons are based on images used under Creative Commons or in the public domain. Originals can be found from the following links. Thanks to