Outsiders changing the world

“On the fringes, you get glimpses of how the future might look.”

Journalist and author Jamie Bartlett joined the AKQA team and clients in London to discuss his latest book, Radicals: Outsiders Changing the World. Reflecting on the influence that fringe thinking can have on society, Jamie shared stories from his research into radical movements, including transhumanists, ferocious libertarians and political extremists. Discussing how the fringe ideas that we dismiss and ridicule today can sometimes become the mainstream thinking of tomorrow, Jamie talked about how groups of motivated people, experimenting with unusual ways of living, can seed ideas that shift the dial of what we consider ‘normal’. In an era of rapid technological, environmental and demographical change, we need fresh thinking to help us survive new challenges. According to Jamie, it's radical ideas - whether we agree with them or not - that will change the way we live.