The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri

In his work “The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium,” Martin Gurri applies the knowledge he has gathered from his experience at the Central Intelligence Agency to make a bold claim: that the post-modern world is currently experiencing a seismic shift in freedom, power, and subject matter. Drawing on examples from the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, as well as newer examples such as the rise of artificial intelligence, Gurri examines how these movements are challenging various traditional power dynamics and models of authority.

Beginning with a historical examination of the industrial revolution and its accompanying shift from a land-based economy to a mass-media-driven economy, Gurri examines how even as traditional models of authority had remained in place, a dynamism was created in which people’s understanding of the world was increased. This increased access to information, Gurri claims, has allowed people to challenge the traditional power structures put in place by those authorities, leading to the current “revolt of the public” we are now seeing in the new millennium.

In his analysis, Gurri argues that the industrial revolution led to two main outcomes: the empowerment of the public and the decline of the centralized top-down structure of authority. This decline of centralized power gives somewhat free rein to the masses. They not only have access to more information than ever before, but they can convert it into action. This makes it possible for a variety of social movements to arise, even when those with authority sought to prevent it. In particular, Gurri focuses on four of these movements (the digital revolution, social media, the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street) to show how these complex, decentralized and bottom-up networks of the public have enabled them to undermine the authority figures and as Gurri calls it, “bring down the Temple” of centralized power.

Gurri is not without his skeptics however, and claims central authority still has the upper hand in many aspects of life. He argues that the “temple” of power is far from completely smashed, though it might be slowly fracturing and decaying due to the shifting power dynamics; so far, revolution has mostly remained within the framework of existing laws, institutions and social norms. But still, the decentralized networks of the public are slowly eroding the ground beneath the feet of authorities, making it increasingly difficult for them to maintain their stranglehold.

The future of centralized power and authority then, as Gurri concludes, lies in the hands of the public. He argues that while the revolts of the public may not instantly bring down the temple, they are slowly but surely pushing the existing power dynamics towards a new equilibrium, in which authority will inevitably have to be exercised in a more open and decentralized fashion. To date, the public has been able to effectively challenge those in power and their authority, and continuing disturbances in the way authorities operate and act is inevitable if the public is to become truly empowered and for the balance of power to be leveled.