If you read the news you can't escape the headlines about WikiLeaks. The thousands of leaked diplomatic cables have fueled the largest flurry of media attention to date, as governments and journalists worldwide react to this unparalleled 'dump' of classified information.
The immense focus on these matters is no surprise to our team of socionomic researchers. Here's why:
· The long-term trend in negative social mood will continue, and people will become increasingly fearful. This will polarize public attitudes toward authoritarianism.
· Increases in surveillance and other authoritarian activities will lead to escalating anti-authoritarian actions.
· Anti-authoritarian activity will in turn generate legislation and other actions to curb freedoms.
· Whistleblower websites like WikiLeaks will increasingly illustrate that an unfettered Internet undermines governments' ability to control information. The days of such unrestricted sites on the Web may be numbered.
· Paranoid governments will seek the authority to shut down large blocks of the Internet, citing security concerns.
Hall's forecasts are playing out rapidly.
And as today's headlines report, some of the cables released shed light on diplomatic tension over Mexico's handling of violent drug cartels. Growing concern about the drug wars in Mexico has been on the socionomic radar since July 2009:
It appears inevitable, then, that drug-related carnage -- and public disgust with it -- will spread… As the violence increasingly affects the U.S., the American government will counter public anxiety with assurances that everything is under control and that the situation is contained to a few small areas.
It looks like those assurances are being called into question, thanks to WikiLeaks. This fulfills yet another of Wilson's forecasts for the cartel violence and government-backed Drug Wars.
The careful analysis of social mood trends allows researchers here to predict important changes that most people never see coming.
The work that became socionomics began over 30 years ago. Today Robert Prechter and an entire research team are dedicated to the continual refinement of this new method for anticipating social trend changes around the world.