
Purchase
How the Internet Makes David the New Goliath
St. Martin's Press
May 2013
On Sale: April 23, 2013
320 pages ISBN: 1250021855 EAN: 9781250021854 Kindle: B008RLU15S Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
How seemingly innocuous technologies are unsettling the
balance of power by putting it in the hands of the
masses—and what a world without "big" will mean
for all of us. In The End of Big, social media pioneer, political
and business strategist, and Harvard Kennedy School faculty
member Nicco Mele offers a fascinating, sometimes
frightening look at how our ability to stay
connected—constantly, instantly, and globally—is
dramatically changing our world.
Governments are being upended by individuals relying only on
social media. Major political parties are seeing their power
eroded by grassroots forces through online fund-raising.
Universities are scrambling to preserve their student
populations in the face of less expensive, more accessible
online courses. Print and broadcast news outlets are
struggling to compete with citizen journalists and bloggers.
Our traditional institutions are being disrupted in
revolutionary ways, some for the better. But, as Nicco Mele
argues, the benefits of new technology come with unintended
consequences. In The End of Big, Mele examines: How fringe political forces enter the mainstream and gain
traction using everyday technology—with the enormous
potential to undermine central power What happens when investigative journalism is replaced by ad
hoc bloggers, mobile video, and instantaneous tweets...and
whether they challenge or simply enable power Why Web-based micro-businesses are outcompeting major
corporations, and what innovations will alter the way we
work, own things, and pay for goods and services The collapse of traditional party politics, and the rise of
a new kind of democracy, one which could produce dynamic and
effective leaders...or demagogues How citizen initiatives can replace local and state
government functions, such as safety regulations, tax
collection, and garbage pickup, and do so cheaper, faster,
and better Mele argues that unless we exercise caution in our use of
these new technologies, we risk a dark and wildly unstable
future, one in which our freedoms and basic human values
could be destroyed rather than enhanced. Both hopeful and
alarming, The End of Big is a thought-provoking,
passionately argued book that offers genuine insight into
the ways we are using technology, and how it is radically
changing our world in ways we are only now beginning to
understand.
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