"The internet is entering a second era that’s based on Blockchain. The last few decades brought us the internet of information. We are now witnessing the rise of the internet of value. Where the first era was sparked by a convergence of computing and communications technologies, this second era will be powered by a clever combination of cryptography, mathematics, software engineering and behavioral economics."World Economic Fourum (WEF) Realizing the Potential of Blockchain
The Third Industrial Revolution (3IR) was marked by the emergence of computing and the conversion of information to digital formats. Starting in the early 1960s, and for the next forty years, the role of computing expanded largely in commerce and industry. With the advent of the personal computer and its increasing processing power, the widespread availability of the Internet and the emergence of cellular telephones as handheld computers, computing transitioned from a technology to a mainstay of business and personal life. Effectively, computing became like electricity--ubiquitous, cheap and easy to use in new applications.
While code and computing power were the original limiting factors, what now limits computing is the ability to correctly understand the social environment. Of course, this social environment is complex and therein lies the challenge for computing. Complex systems such as social systems are not deterministic but rather stochastic. Instead of using calculations we use computation, simulation and rules-based modeling. However, to properly develop these approaches we need disciplines such as game theory, behavioral economics and the social sciences such as psychology. This is the trend which the World Economic Fourum (WEF) highlighted above.
In simple terms it looks like computing has matured to the point where it needs to be multi-disciplinary in order to add further to its functionality...and in this case that means involving the social sciences to give insight into those pesky, complex humans.
Some articles on this theme:
If you want to understand the Blockchain philosophically and technically, the WEF paper referenced above is very good.