Type 7 Societies

A Type-7 society will have access to planetary orbit, and a robust and largely unrestricted planetary data network, but will also be dealing with resource shortages and environmental collapse.

This civilization will likely have a semi-permanent space station in orbit. (picture by NASA)

The divide between conservatism (making no changes), regression (dialing back to "better days"), and advancement (transitioning to a Type 8 society) may lead to open warfare.

Cultural art will become increasingly preoccupied with apocalypse and social collapse --the regressionists will take this as prophecy, and prepare for what they believe is inevitable. This may result in an evolutionary schism as the advancers transition to a spacegoing culture, leaving the regressionists on the surface.

Footprint: Planetary orbit.

Sustainable Population: Billions.

Government: Representative democracy, plutocracy, corporatocracy, global coalition. Technologically-supported hive-mind (dependent on network).

Bureaucracy: Decentralized and self-referential (organizations and corporations are no longer under the control of the government, and can operate as independent nations in their own right --the bureaucrats are now the true rulers of the world).

The United Nations serves as an international legal authority, independent of any sovereign nation. (picture by Basil D. Soufi)

Language: Adaptive; probably a single common language shared among multiple nations, in addition to their own languages. This language will be easy to learn and error-tolerant (making it easy for immigrants, transients, and businesspeople to learn the basics and understand each other), but difficult to master --professional interpreters will still be in demand, and popular culture will remain largely language-restricted. Technologically-assisted translation has been invented, but is limited and unreliable.

Literacy: Universal, with a robust mass-media. Text will be a primary method of communication, and even the "illiterate" will be able to read signs and labels.

Network: A digital data network will be well-established, but regionally limited (due to geography or economic class). Unregulated and actively struggling against any attempt at censorship or restriction. Access to the fully democratized network is increasingly seen as a necessity, and the network becomes a tool of both social change and social control (by limiting the flow of information). Mass media will rely heavily on this network; this is the age of pop culture and social networking.

By providing access to all citizens, the network can serve as both a unifying influence, and a tool of revolution. (Durarara!!, 2004)

Religion: Organized, denominational, politicized (both as an instrument of political power, and a political power itself). As this society faces environmental and sociological stresses, religion will become more popular and thus politically influential --possibly serving as a flashpoint for revolution.

Science: Digital technology is common. Simple AI is being developed in labs. Scientific development is corporatized (as megacorporations increasingly become the only source of research funding). Simple household robots and even simple mecha are in development.

This society is capable of building simple piloted mecha. (photo by Yoshikazu Tsuno)

 Medicine: Private interests are experimenting with bodily augmentation (via voluntary tech implants and surgical alteration). Advanced hospitals are common, with doctors making use of telepresence (via robots controlled over the network) to serve distant patients. Neural mapping is in its infancy, creating realtime models of living brains, which will in turn allow for lifelike, brain-controlled prosthetics. The genome has been mapped, and the possibility of genetic alteration is being studied, as interest moves from eugenics to transgenics.

Education: Organized academics are common, though may not be universally standardized. Childhood education will include an introduction to computers. Education is increasingly politicized, and there is a growing awareness of the distinction between "education" and "indoctrination" (a gulf that existed in previous societies, but may not have been recognized). Children's entertainment is a massive industry, with a push toward "edutainment" and educational content over entertainment value.

Energy: In the face of environmental issues, society is turning to "green" energy, relying on renewable resources (wind, water, etc), harnessed by advanced technology to create electricity and high-yield fuel cells. Atomic energy is increasingly common, and scientists are working toward more high-yield sources.

Industry: Heavily mechanized. Mass-production is commonplace, with a semi-organized "Maker" movement growing as a backlash. Personal fabricators (simple 3D printers) are invented, but will be rare.

Military: Industrialized and political. Drones (both remote-controlled and self-guided) are beginning to enter service. Covert warfare is now common, and electronic warfare develops (taking advantage of the planet-wide data network). Modern military forces rely heavily on stealth technology, and secure network access to maintain command and control --victory is dependent on technology. Atomic weapons (of various destructive levels) continue to be a threat, though one that most nations will be hesitant to deploy --chemical and biological weapons are more popular, and researchers are working to target them to specific populations. Terrorism begins to replace open combat, taking advantage of the free travel within this society's borders. Private security forces and heavily militarized police forces are increasingly common, as the military becomes overtaxed.

With most threats now coming from inside the society, surveillance and security become major concerns. (Person of Interest, 2011)

Economy: Interconnected global economy, driven by world-spanning trade alliances and outsourced production --which will also help to minimize open warfare (economic sanctions are far more devastating). Shopping malls are being replaced by direct purchases over the network; individual purchases may come from halfway around the planet (as such, discrete postal packages are replacing large bulk cargoes). Entire countries (at a lower level than Type-7) serve mainly as labour pools for overseas consumers, often under barbaric conditions. Piracy returns, though with a shift in focus from stolen goods to hostage ransoming --pirates now attempt to deal directly with government and economic players, seeking larger payouts than would have been possible at lower levels.

Food: Heavily industrialized farming, relying on complex processing/preservation for transport --most foods will no longer be recognizable as animal carcasses or specific plants. Dietary imbalances and allergies are common (due to the increasingly homogenous food supply), requiring supplements. Locally-grown foods are a delicacy, often more expensive than the unhealthy mass-produced food. Farms increasingly have to turn to genetic modification to maintain quotas; this society is in danger of food shortages.

Travel: Worldwide travel networks allow both corporate and private travel for the wealthy (via private jets and yachts). Checkpoints have replaced trade routes, as international travel becomes safer and less closely monitored. International vacations are available to most citizens, though work-related travel is decreasing, thanks to advances in communication (partners no longer need to meet face-to-face to negotiate business deals).

Spaceflight: A network of satellites surrounds the planet, providing broadcast signal coverage, GPS, and visual oversight to militaries and scientific organizations. Unmanned probes are being sent to neighbouring planets, and a semi-permanent space station (relying on regular resupply) will likely be present. Private spaceflight companies will exist, though complex training and mission control is needed for all space operations --probably outsourced to the government aerospace agency.

Private spaceflight companies are capable of reaching orbit without the aid of the government. (photo by MARS Scientific)

Alien contact: Cautious. While this society will maintain a powerful military, social pressures against open warfare will encourage a more careful response to alien visitation; this society will investigate before opening fire. Corporations will be more interested in economic cooperation than in combat --aliens will be seen as valuable trade assets. The switch to digital communications means that radio traffic from this world will decline, though their atmosphere and urbanization will still be immediate signs of habitation. On its own, this society may detect (simple) alien life on neighbouring worlds.

Examples (reality): Modern developed world.
Examples (fiction): Holy Britannian Empire, Lordgenome's empire, La'cryma*, Light Civilization, Earth during the second Robotech War, Invid (Regis' Hive). The settings of Interstellar (regressing), Galilei Donna, Evangelion (apocalypse in progress), The Idolm@ster, Generator Rex, Big Hero 6, Eureka Seven, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Person of Interest, Mr. Robot, and Almost Human (reflecting the end of the period, and the transition to Type-8), and the point when Skynet becomes active. Most media set in the present day (or near-future) will depict a Type-7 civilization.

(* La'cryma is one of those worlds I mentioned which developed interdimensional travel but not space travel; the possibility of avoiding Shangri-La by simply leaving Earth for another planet is not even considered, as Shangri-La's invasion will apparently destroy the entire universe.)