I explained in the Fourth Revolution book how the concept of citizenship would have to evolve to face the reality of the onset of the Collaborative Age. The news from Estonia last year about the launch of the e-citizenship program is one step in that direction.
e-citizens get registered and can then use their pass for a variety of purposes including relation with the public service, authentication of documents, running a business in Estonia from abroad… (more on the current benefits on e-estonia.com!).
Of course that status cannot be used to enter Europe physically or vote in Estonia, but the experiment – which Estonia probably believes will be extremely beneficial to its economy – basically creates a virtual country with a much large citizenship, and possibly significant value creation.
This is just the start of the blurring of the lines of the nation state as it was formalized by the Industrial Revolution. I can’t wait to see what this experiment will lead to!
Some more links for those of you who are interested: E-citizens unite: Estonia opens its digital borders (New Scientist) and a detailed link about users on the official website.
