Part II
The ‘Unsustainability’ of Sustainability and Our Need to Understand the Era of Social Capital Rising
So far, we’ve gone back to the beginning of brands and, recognising the shifts in society going on at that time, have attempted a quick and vivid sketch of how brands and social capital have been joined at the hip since day one. Brands need social capital in order to breathe, and society and all its actors, it seems, need social capital too. We’ve also argued that a mixture of unfortunate and deliberate actions set us all on the path to what we have called the Era of Social Capital Waning.
But things are certainly changing.
We’re far from being the first to say this, but there seems to be a renewed spirit on the part of civil society to reconnect, engage and operate in a more balanced and harmonious way. We only have to scan the papers, blogs and websites to see anecdotal evidence of this emerging trend: parents wanting to take control of their local schools, communities trying to revitalise communal areas, consumer groups placing pressure on businesses – these are all examples of this rediscovered sense of ‘togetherness’.
Undoubtedly technology has played a major part in this – social media have allowed communities to connect, share and learn in unprecedented ways. The same technology and media have also reduced snaking supply chains and complex distribution networks to short and visible operations, destroying the tried and tested corporate defence of ‘we didn’t know what ...
