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Overview

Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed out? Maybe that’s because we’re currently living in a period of great change. This era is similar to the Renaissance, which lasted from 1450 to 1550. It was a time of discovery and accomplishment ranging from the development of the printing press to new forms of art that culminated in masterpieces by Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. Similar phenomena are happening today with international trade at an unprecedented level, as well as effects from new media on information exchange.

Computers are changing the world in several ways. First, you probably know more people on Facebook than you think. Second, periods of progress also cause instability and radicalism, which can lead to violence.

Big Idea #1: We are living in a modern Renaissance, but it’s not all pretty.

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are two well-known artists who created some of history’s most famous masterpieces. Millions of people go to see their work every year, which is a testament to the greatness of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance was a period in Europe from about 1450 to 1550 during which great scientific and artistic achievements were made. It also had its downsides, however.

The term “Renaissance” is a controversial one, as it suggests that all of the things associated with it are good. In reality, however, the idea of “Renaissance Europe” was crafted by nineteenth-century European historians in order to justify their own cultural superiority and colonialism throughout the world.

Despite the innovations of astronomers, theologians and explorers during this period, the Renaissance was also a time of great destruction and suffering. Diseases like smallpox were spread across oceans, practically exterminating the Aztecs, Incas and other Native Americans.

The New Renaissance is similar to the Renaissance of the fifteenth century. In both cases, there was a period of growth and prosperity. The New Renaissance started in 1990 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and ended in 2008 with the economic crisis that began in America. During this time, China rejoined world trade as well as commercial internet services such as Google and Facebook were created.

The world is changing, and it’s happening fast. The World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed in 1995 as a way to encourage international cooperation and economic advancement. It has 161 members today, representing every major economy in the world.

However, progress comes at a cost and that toll has damaged the environment over the past 30 years.

Big Idea #2: New technology radically changed the Renaissance world and the same is happening today.

The world has changed dramatically over the past 25 years, and there are parallels with the changes from 500 years ago. For example, in 1450 a German entrepreneur invented movable type so that he could print books for people to read. Today we have electronic devices such as computers and tablets, which have had an enormous impact on our lives.

Since the invention of the printing press, there have been more books printed than scribes had written in all of Europe combined. The speed at which people are adopting new technologies is increasing exponentially. In 1988, when fiber-optic cables were first installed across oceans and continents, only 400 million people used it; by 2000 it was 1 billion users and today (2015) three billion use this technology.

The internet has had the fastest adoption of any technology in human history. It connected all of humanity and changed our world forever.

If Facebook were a country, it would have more than 1.5 billion people living there. What’s even more amazing is that the average number of degrees between two random users on Facebook is less than four. In other words, most people know someone who knows someone else who knows one of their friends.