Posted by Scott Bozinis, CEO of Legal Futures Associate InfoTrack
So, Guy Fawkes Night is nearly upon us once again. I’m looking forward to the bonfires, fireworks and the sparklers. I’m sure everyone of a certain age is aware of the history – and more specifically – the intention of the plot. For younger readers, the idea was to blow up English Parliament and King James I with the intention of starting an uprising of English Catholics. With Guy (Guido) Fawkes often cited as the main conspirator, it is his face that often represents groups viewing themselves as modern day ‘revolutionaries’ (a term I use loosely in some cases).
Whilst the Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt at prompting a revolution, there are many revolutions over the course of history that have dramatically changed the world. Rather than looking at individual revolutionaries who completely changed mind-sets (an opportunity to doff my cap to Ghandi, Martin Luther King and many others), I thought I’d look at major worldwide revolutions over that really did change the way we live and what each revolution has meant to man.
The Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic revolution is an incredible period of time and probably the first demonstration of the evolvement of Homo sapiens. According to history, during the Palaeolithic period (which lasted from the beginning of human life to around 10,000 BC), people lived as nomads, in groups of up to 20.
However, after 10,000 BC, there was a dramatic change from a hunting and gathering behaviour to a more civilised culture. The establishment of social classes and a focus on agriculture led to the rise of settled civilisations. Civilisations began to establish elders and chiefs along with the identification of warriors. At the same time, animals began to be domesticated to help with agricultural work and a basic calendar issued to keep a track of the planting and harvesting.
This revolution saw people working together to establish social relationships and new tools were developed such as metal weapons to protect their resources.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution of the late-1700s to the mid-1800s would not have been possible without the introduction of the steam engine. Whilst the engine was originally inadequate with many faults, it was developed by several different engineers before being used in a variety of industries.
The steam engine improved productivity for industry and new technology meant that the engines were later introduced to boats, railways, farms and road vehicles. This allowed industries to increase production and led to less manpower being required but this change was essential to growth locally and on a national scale, validating the economic importance of industrialisation.
Again, the revolution changed society with the western world beginning to centre on cities as labourers who had worked in cottage industries or farms moved there in search of jobs.
The Digital Revolution
It is fair to say that we are currently living in the midst of a digital revolution. The internet instantly provides us the information we need at our fingertips, and with sophisticated tools such as smartphones, our social existence has developed to the point where we are all connected to each other, no matter our geographical location.
This sets an expectation in our professional and personal lives – we want our technology to be simple and our information to be delivered quickly.
The digital revolution has given consumers access to greater knowledge and grown expectations around the speed and delivery of information. Responding to these heightened expectations, businesses of all sizes and industries have had to adapt and adopt new technology that delivers efficiency. Every revolution is an evolvement of social class, human behaviour and technologies.
What is fascinating about revolutions are the profound changes in human behaviour, be it social or technological, or a combination of the two. Changes that, in turn, have seen increased productivity and improved connections, socially and economically – from local to national, to global markets.
Most importantly, each revolution sets a higher level of expectation in some sense, and the digital revolution means we all now want – need, even – for everything to be simple and instant. With the internet so convenient and fast, we have greater knowledge and can quickly make a purchase decision based on this information.
But what is the impact of the digital revolution on conveyancing? Well, in my mind, conveyancing must continue to evolve alongside the current revolution to meet consumer needs by working with providers who have the necessary solutions that enable them to work smarter, not harder.
At InfoTrack, we are challenging what is considered ‘normal’ by using technology that is smart but perfectly simple. Being able to perform all the conveyancing tasks within a single platform means that conveyancers are able to evolve into working smarter, improve efficiencies and ultimately drive profitability.
Will the digital revolution be televised? I doubt it as it’s more likely to be consumed on small screens through social media!