Activists Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms have noticed that as the world changes, the idea of power is shifting. They argue that the forces behind this shift are either “wildly romanticized or dangerously underestimated.”
Old power works like a currency. It is held by few. Once gained, it is jealously guarded, and the powerful have a substantial store of it to spend. It is closed, inaccessible, and leader-driven. It downloads, and it captures.
New power operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. It is open, participatory, and peer-driven. It uploads, and it distributes. Like water or electricity, it’s most forceful when it surges. The goal with new power is not to hoard it but to channel it.
Heimans and Timms are out with a new book expanding on their theory. They join us to explain how it applies to modern movements, from MeToo to the youth-led call for gun legislation after the shooting in Parkland, Florida.
GUESTS
Jeremy Heimans, Co-author, “New Power: How Power Works In Our Hyperconnected World – And How To Make It Work For You”; co-founder and CEO, Purpose, a social change organization; @jeremyheimans
Henry Timms, Co-author, “New Power: How Power Works In Our Hyperconnected World – And How To Make It Work For You”; president and CEO, 92nd Street Y in New York City; co-founder #GivingTuesday, an international day of philanthropy; @henrytimms
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
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