hyper-centralized


Powerless member change as a hyper-centralized system defense against change

Hyper-centralized systems resist change. The greater the system is the harder it is to change due to complexity of change and risks associated. Most common strategy hyper-centralized system uses to resist change is to request system members who are not decision markers to make changes. Since these members have no power over the system they will start making changes which change their own behavior but will not change the system. These changes can be beneficial or detrimental to the lives of these members, however the system will not be changed, or if there is any change it will be symbolic, far from the change actually required for the real result.




Reduction of meaning as a resistance to change of hyper-centralized systems

Centralized power depends on centralized mass media and centralized ideology to avoid change. It will always produce content which reduces the overall meaning. It will not only reduce the amount of knowledge and wisdom accessible, but it will also reduce the meaning of words. It will promote the use of empirical language in which words have only one meaning, and lower the use of other forms of language in which words have multiple meanings representing multiple perspectives.

One of the symptoms of hyper centralized power which avoids change is reduction of meaning and perspectives.

As centralized system focuses on a goal, and gets closer to that goal, it promotes more and more a narrow perspective and meaning which serves that goal. Often this goal is not formalized because formalization itself is a risk which leads to undesired change.

As perspectives and meaning are reduces, frustration and need for change will increase. However, only possible way to change is openness which increases knowledge, wisdom, meaning, and perspectives. Using the reduced language and perspectives to achieve change will not cause any relevant change.




The risk of accelerated and globalized collective aka grand narratives

Grand narratives, mass media, and hyper-centralized power can not exist without each other. Their total opposites are personal experiences, personal connections, and small group cooperations, such as family. They are extreme sides of the spectrum with many more options in-between.

Our fulfillment requires participation in both extremes and all options in between. We understand the world in narratives and we need all types of narratives – small and grand – to understand our function.

While all narratives can be wrong, grand narratives, mass media, and hyper-centralization are too complex to fix quickly and damage they cause is great. Damage from great narratives is caused by the conflict with personal stories, and between the grand narratives competing for power.

The expansion of mass media is forcing generalization of grand narratives and creating bigger conflicts between personal and grand, and also between different grand narratives. The speed of change is also accelerating and does not allow time for adaptation.

Without hyper-centralization and such high reaching mass media, individuals required much less energy to balance the grand narratives with more personal ones. Changes and conflicts were slower and smaller giving us time to adapt and repair. Now extreme generalization and speed of change are creating internal individual conflicts which do not have the time to be resolve.

Solution to this is openness, which reduces the conflict between grand and personal, but also slows down generalized changes and conflicts. This will give more time to individuals to process the changes and minimize damage.