Alan Moore

“We are currently in the final throes of an industrial, mass media, consumer society and are on the brink of a communications revolution rivaling Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press."

These are the words of Alan Moore, whose book No Straight Lines (2011) sketches a vision of the network society that is currently evolving. The book presents an inspiring plea for a more human-centric world, in which people work together to create better and more sustainable societies.

“I believe in participatory and collaborative cultures,” says Moore. “The means by which we deliberate, share and discuss with each other is also the means by which we can lead each other and unleash our intellectual collective capital.” The old, rectilinear approach is now outmoded, says Moore, who warns that companies and organizations that fail to convert to a more democratic form of leadership will ultimately fall by the wayside.

Moore worked as a creative director in the marketing and communications sector until he saw the first signs of change in 2005, prompting him to write his debut Communities Dominate Brands. “Since then I’ve become more radical,” says Moore, whose consultancy SMLXL advises corporations on how they can best innovate in the network society.