Modern Social Structure

The modern world is organized according to various horizontal and diagonal administrative and organizational bodies. Yet at the same time most common people perceive the world to still consist primarily of a simplistic local government structure (the nation state). In today's globalized world, the power of the nation state is dissolving and a global order is already here. Transnational Corporations now have power and wealth that often supercedes that of the nations they reside among. Ethnic network structures are global as well as secret societies and other forms of human organization. We are no longer defined so much by the land we stand upon, but rather the organizations that we identify with and have membership among.

By understanding society we can better adapt to it and maximize our own success within it. 

Hee Song's vision of the 21st century is a bit overly spiritual and not focused enough on real concrete solutions but is an interesting introduction to the modern "network of networks" that defines human power structures.

http://www.newciv.org/ncn/ncs/vision1.html

The crash of western civilization is another good article

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/attali.html

Lastly I would recomend the book "the sovereign individual" to begin the discussion

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sovereign-Individual-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371942209&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sovereign+individual

I believe many people are unconsciously jumping upon this trend, whether it is the person who increasingly focuses on his church network, or the increasing influence of a corporation. In order to survive we need to be a part of such networks and stop expecting the ever weakening government to serve all of our needs as a society. 

Discussion topic: how can we organize ourselves into effective networks as a means to cope with the continual decline and inability of local and national governments? Also, why is it necessary to organize into networks to compete with other people who are already organized and "connected"?