Shifting into Web 2.0 technologies is indicative of our entrance into the Age of Aquarius.  With Web 2.0 technologies

(e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs), we have shifted from a simple push of information, that being a static webpage, to an interactive environment.

The major distinctions of the Age of Aquarius are these: the breakdown of structures, personal liberty in combination with respect for all mankind, the balance of the will to change and the will to preserve, the urge toward civilization and consciousness.  One of the planetary rulers of Aquarius is Uranus (the other is Saturn), and as I discussed last week, Uranus is almost always going to cause change in the sudden breakdowns of structures, much like a lightning bolt.

We are already seeing many breakdowns in societal structures with the Age of Aquarius, and social media further enables this.  Here’s one example – it used to be that the elite celebrities were not accessible to ordinary folks except through the lens of media cameras.  However, when Britney Spears revealed that she was not sending her own Tweets via Twitter, her followers voiced their disappointment.  Why?

With social media, there is an expectation for authentic, immediate connection. We’re used to technology that enables a one-to-many network where one content originator can distribute information to many receivers.  And yet, the reason Web 2.0 is changing the game, is that now technology also enables the many-to-one channel.  In other words, all readers have access to a blog writer in the form of commenting, all fans have access to Britney via Twitter (at least the one she chooses to follow).  The information flow is no longer one-way, it is two-way, and the results of which are publicly accessible.

The dynamic of this two-way information flow can be especially fearful to many of us.  For example, authors who are innately introverted will experience anxiety as they transition from a paper-bound book publishing format to an electronic and interactive publishing format.  CIOs who have Facebook accounts will have to face the possibility of frustrated employees ‘writing on their walls.’  Professors who write their own textbooks have to be vulnerable to student book reviews displayed on Amazon.  All of us are now more exposed, more vulnerable to feedback.  The traditional hierarchies of how we receive feedback are breaking down, and with the breakdown are arising many new channels for this feedback.  Sometimes feedback is helpful and welcomed, sometimes it isn’t (have you ever instigated an incident of road rage and driven away quickly hoping to never receive the other person’s ‘feedback’).

This openness and vulnerability that is increasingly becoming the world in which we live has consequences.  The consequences include an integration of sorts.  The integration of all of our groups of friends via Facebook is but one example.  Now, with those from past and present, personal and professional environments all on one webpage, one is forced into a kind-of ‘this is the real me” moment.  This dynamic demands a new level of responsibility, and therein lies the archetype of Aquarius’ other ruler, Saturn.

The responsibility invoked by this new dynamic of technology isn’t so much to guard who you are and what you say dependent on the audience for fear of being offensive; but rather to own up to what you say and who you are to the audience, knowing you may be offensive.  This subtle shift brings with it the paramount responsibility of authenticity.

And with this responsibility of authenticity the elements of increased social consciousness emerge, which usher in the Age of Aquarius.

What do you think?  How are you experiencing your changing personal paradigm, as a result of technology?

Note: I originally published this post on www.depthpsychologytoday.com on January 25, 2009.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Britney Spears Goes Social, Sort Of

Astrology is an important lens with which to view the world from the perspective of depth psychology because like all cultural traditions there is something to be learned from it. A foundational principle of depth psychology is “as above, so below.” Basically, this means that things reflect each other. Thus we have discussed symbols being reflective of inner dynamics, and so too can the planets be reflective of what is going on inside an individual, as well as a culture. Astrology has survived for over two thousand years, and that fact alone makes it important to understand its language, in my perspective.

Astrologically speaking, the years of 2007-2012 are extremely important years. Interestingly, the acknowledgment of these dates as a critical time period coincides with many other traditions, such as the Mayan calendar.

During this time period, the planets Saturn and Uranus are quite active, and they oppose each other. These planets each stand for a symbol. Saturn is the principle of tradition, duty, finiteness, time, and limits. In an individual astrology chart we would often see this planet as a symbol for the relationship to one’s father figure, and to authority in general.

The planet Uranus can symbolize many things, not the least of which is change. Uranus is the symbol for things quickly shifting, it can feel like a lightning bolt, because things substantiate that didn’t seem possible in the previous circumstances. Uranus can also symbolize rebellion, freedom, reform, revolution, and the unexpected breakup of structures. I’m quoting a lot from Richard Tarnas’ influential book, Cosmos and Psyche; also, I am mentored by one of the best in the business.

So, symbolically we have an opposition between pre-written rules, limits, existing structures and reform, revolution, and the unexpected breakup of structures. Sound familiar?

As a collective group, say the nation of the U.S., it becomes easy to see this planetary opposition played out in the recent Presidential election. We had the 32-year politician and war veteran opposing the junior Senator running on a campaign of hope. Were astrologers able to predict the results of the election? No, not really. The beautiful thing about the stars is the individual, or group, has free will to choose how to implement the planetary principles into their life. This time, the U.S. chose change and reform.

So, what happens next? Well, perhaps even more interestingly, Saturn and Uranus can also be reflective of the economic crisis, where we see Saturn as representing the status quo and Uranus representing the breakdown of past structures. Many economists have repeatedly stated that the current economy is not behaving according to past rules and behaviors, and that they don’t really know what to expect from it in the future.

One of my favorite sayings is “Change is only welcomed by wet babies” and from my experience in babysitting, I’m not even sure that is true. So, while the opposition between Saturn and Uranus may be exciting because we see a new leader who (finally) brings a diversity in experience, thought, and heritage to the White House, it is also uncomfortable to watch our financial structures radically change.

To me, one thing does seem clear and that is this- thriving in the next few years will require an attitude of flexibility and cooperation. What do you think will be necessary?

Note: I originally published this post on www.depthpsychologytoday.com on January 18, 2009.