Take a look at this flag semaphore (sorry, my husband was in the Navy). This signal represents the letter “k” but also the number “0”, so it can further mean that it’s “okay to transmit” – that we have a receiver ready to accept your communication.
Now say the word “hive.” If you linger on the “v” sound, it actually sounds like a live beehive. You can hear the bees buzzing away, transmitting communication as they work together in community. (Note the “commun” in each of these words, which is Latin for imparting commonality.)
It so happens that the semaphore for “v” is this: 
Now put the invitation to transmit together with the live buzz, and what do we get?:
Cool, eh?
It’s essential to fully understand this Hive icon, because it’s the living heart of everything the Hive will become.
As I’ve been saying, modern economies are dependent on the symbiotic alignment of four things:
When it comes to our Hive, technology is embedded within it, just as the printing press has been embedded within “newspaper” for hundreds of years. It’s technology that will allow each human to uniquely transmit and receive within the overall Hive. (Note: This doesn’t mean that our founding company is going to be a “tech company.” It isn’t. But we can talk about that later.)
But what are we going to transmit?
“Media” just means information/communication. “Marketing” is less-in-your-face advertising. And “entertainment” includes all kinds of arts and also all utilities, like GPS apps.
See, the key to recreating the symbiosis that created and fueled our modern economy but that was broken by the Web is to recognize that (1) because of the power of the Internet and its leveling of barriers, each human being is now a publisher, a reader/viewer/user, and a creator, (2) we naturally move between these three roles constantly online, and (3) each of these roles carries its own benefits and obligations.
Believe it or not, our simple Hive icon has the power to energize economies the world over, save journalism, advance culture, and even protect the environment.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Next time (probably Thursday), I’ll introduce you to the Hive’s fractal, which is very exciting.
Tags: protect the environment, save journalism, save the economy
