The World is Flat

Thomas Friedman in his book, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, proposes that we have had three great eras of global transformation:

Globalization 1. 0 (1492-1800) - "Globalization 1.0 was about countries and muscle. That is in Globalization 1.0 the key agent of change, the dynamic force driving the process of global integration, was how much brawn - how much muscle, how much horsepower, wind power, or later, steam power - your country had and how creatively you could deploy it. In this era, countries and governments (often inspired by religion or imperialism or a combination of both) led the way to breaking down walls and knitting the world together, driving global integration."

Globalization 2. 0 (1800-2000) - "In Globalization 2.0, the key agent of change, the dynamic force driving global integration, was multinational companies."

Globalization 3.0 (2000-?) - "And while the dynamic force of Globalization 1.0 was countries globalizing and the dynamic force in Globalization 2.0 was companies globalizing, the dynamic force in Globalization 3.0 - the thing that gives it its unique character - is the new found power for individuals to collaborate and compete globally."

If he is correct, and I have no reason to doubt his analysis (it has the clear ring of crystal), then an innovation commons is one of the essential building blocks of Globalization 3.0.

He also states that "Self Organizing Collaborative Communities" is one of the ten forces that flattened the world (#4)

Any comments or elaboration?