Deep Convergence

Abstract

Technology is changing in a rapid rate, and it is increasingly clear that most aspects of our lives are deeply entwined with digital technologies. What this means for us, as individuals and as a society, is difficult to predict. In this chapter, we explore this emerging future through the idea of digital convergence. At one level convergence refers to the integration of what were previously discrete and independently used technologies and services. In some sense, digital convergence is the first step towards an unfolding journey that will spark other convergences which will allow us to imagine and create new worlds and new selves. It is here, at this boundary, that human creativity comes to the forefront. These new creations are ways of developing a deeper understanding and unfolding of who we are as individuals, as groups (such as organizations or nations), or even as a species.