The future of consciousness
and the dawn of Homo cyber

     We have entered an age in which these legal “beings” we call corporations must listen more closely to voices of the people upon whose lives they have an impact. If these structures are to retain their protected legal status, the people who control them must realize that their companies have a significant stake in sound environmental practices and just relationships with the employees who give them life. This, of course, must still be done in a context that delivers quality products and services to their customers as well as a decent return on their shareholders’ investments.

     Without a great deal of conscious deliberation, we have created joint human endeavors (corporations) that, at least legally, have a potentially unlimited life-span. Additionally, at the dawn of the 21st century, our species has embarked upon an adventure in consciousness, the scope of which has never before been seen on this planet. In a few short years we will behold a world in which a substantial number of humans will have access to virtually unlimited amounts of relatively uncensored information. This will be true not only in developed nations, but in the third world as well. Few people, and yet fewer companies, have begun to come to grips with what it will mean when anyone, anywhere can obtain almost instant information about anything.

      Already, on the streets of Tokyo one is bombarded with images of young people carrying electronic devices that keep them continuously connected to the Internet and thus to all of their friends. Before long teenagers in the U.S. will begin purchasing and using “personal electronic companions,” which over time will become information clones of their owners. As these devices seep upward into the lives of their parents, we will begin to see a powerful shift of awareness in the buying decisions of consumers. These newly evolving, technically enhanced people are the genesis of a new branch of our species, Homo cyber. How this will affect you and your company is the basis of Lawrence Hagerty’s keynote speeches and consulting practice.