Much to the surprise of futurists
Who predicted a virtual economy
Dominated by online currencies
Where things bought and sold
Exist as hyper-spatial symbols
Of old world realities
Based on solid commodities.
Trade used to mean exactly that:
Something tangible exchanging hands
Horses for silver, goats for wives,
Kingdoms for gold, power for lives,
A physical process forcing us all
To interact, to argue, to forestall,
To find common ground, to compromise
To read other people, tell truth from lies.
Futurists may yet have their wish
As the internet turns from tool to fetish
For ones and zeros will soon exceed
Dollars and cents in the stampede
To digitise our very existence
Even commodify cyber-resistance
Our analogue selves dooming us
Like the beautiful, useless abacus.
© shaun patrick green 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment