Courtney Martin says that in the wake of the recession, Americans are consuming less and communing more.
And it’s not just objects that are getting smaller. Andy Hobsbawm, author of the upcoming book Small Is the Next Big Thing, explains, “We’re seeing a fundamental shift in the centre of gravity and balance of power from the monolithic, the hierarchical and the centralised, towards the miniature, the networked and the distributed.” He talks about how everything from media production to urban planning are being taken over by the “little people”—nonprofessionals with great ideas and goodwill.
