“The change from atoms to bits is irrevocable and unstoppable.” It’s been over 20 years since Nicholas Negroponte made that claim in his groundbreaking book, Being Digital. He was describing the process of digitalization, making the point that atoms are the essential building blocks of the physical world, while bits are those of the virtual.
Political decisions have always affected social and economical aspects in a region – whether the change is as small as new parking restrictions, or as major as countries entering war with one another.