What is 'Wikinomics'? 'Wikinomics' - how the internet is radically lowering the cost of collaborating and what this may mean for divorce.
'These Kids Brains Are Different' began Don Tapscott at a talk I attended prior to publication of his book ‘Wikinomics’ and in a flash I understood why it takes me ages to master iTunes whilst my children do it in seconds.
What was apparently the norm 'screen-wise' for my generation - apparently 24 hours of TV per week - has now been replaced by a multitude of inter-active screens, often being accessed at the same time e.g. PC (FaceBook or similar), MP3 (music), PS3 (gaming when bored with Facebook) and mobile (to text those not on Facebook at that moment) and has given the younger generations a totally different learning experience.
It has re-wired their brains differently according to Tapscott, author of the eye-opening book 'Wikinomics'. Oliver Burkeman, in his thought provoking article, in The Guardian, on the book [ref: Wednesday 5 September 2007] states '...we have barely begun to imagine how the internet will change the way we work and live.' Whilst he doesn't highlight in this article the skills the younger generation are absorbing as a result he makes a great case for collaboration- everyone working together to achieve a win/win situation - and how the internet is radically lowering the cost of collaborating.
What's this all got to do with divorce?
We are seeing big changes in the way divorce is being managed with the rise in popularity of on-line divorces and the associated lowering of the cost of divorce for those for whom this method is appropriate. But what about the rest of the people who need to get divorced but for whom on-line divorce is inappropriate because things aren't straightforward and uncontested and there are joint issues with finances splitting and children arrangements?
The answer for many is in collaborative family law - again, that word collaboration is key here. Collaborative family law is about agreeing to agree, but you know you are unable to do so alone (or with the help of a skilled mediator in mediation.) It's about agreeing you will do what it takes to reach agreement without resorting to court action. Litigation is simply not an option. Instead, a lawyer trained in the collaborative family law process works with you and your partner's collaborative lawyer to put forward suggestions aiming to reach mutual agreement.
If this might be an option for you, read about my case study Olivia at our website [Ref: breakupangels.com/Through-Breakup-Case-Studies.html#collaborative] as she went through this process with great results, achieving the settlement she needed and wanted, which was arrived at speedily with both parents successfully maintaining their relationship as parents of their small child in spite of the challenges of another woman on the scene.
