Reverse Gutenberg Galaxy: Digital Transformation of Economy and Labor

Concepts such as blockchain, smart contracts, DeFi, NFT, DAO, Web3, and metaverse have risen in trend and are said to be revolutionary changes, especially in the field of finance. However, these just extend the modern monetary economy and would only radicalize it, but may not solve the problems the current economy faces such as widening economic gaps. This paper proposes to view general digital transformation (DX) as a paradigm shift from the intellectual framework of fixed points of view and massive homogeneous replications that has dominated our society especially since the invention of movable type, to perspectives of each and individual constructions through digital technology. This approach can explain not only the changes caused by financial technology, but also the changes represented as DX in general, foresee the demise of industrial society in the near future, and describe what the next society will look like. Toward the second half of the 21st century, social structures based on specialization and division of labor will decline, and money will end its role as a tool to drive manpower. In the process, the role of finance will change significantly, if not disappear completely.