The End of Big
How the Internet Makes David the New Goliath
by Nicco Mele
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Pub Date Apr 23 2013 | Archive Date Jun 01 2013
Description
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 where our freedoms and basic human values are 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.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“Anyone
who is not asleep is unsettled by the speed and sweep of technological change,
as it upends our workplace, our institutions, leisure, culture, individual and
communal behavior. To comprehend the awesome changes we have and will
experience, the opportunities and the pitfalls, Nicco Mele's The End of
Big is a clear-eyed, compellingly written account bursting with vivid
anecdotes and analysis.” —Ken Auletta, New Yorker writer and author of
Greed and Glory on Wall Street, World War 3.0, and
Googled
“In The End of Big, forecaster Nicco Mele – one of
the internet’s early masters – looks technology squarely in the eye and asks the
hard questions: Exactly how powerful is our new-found connectivity, and what’s
its effect on the media? On politics and government? On business? And on our
culture? If you want to know what’s really going on, get this book – and see
the future and your options with new eyes." —Alex Castellanos, Political
Consultant and Media Commentator
“The intense and direct way the Internet
and smart mobile devices connect us and the planet challenges existing
institutional arrangements everywhere we look. The End of Big presents a
provocative analysis of a world on the cusp of disruptive change and asks if we
have the vision and will to remake it along small-d democratic lines.” —Mitch
Kapor, founder, Lotus Development Corp.
“Is it news that we all now live
in a constantly-connected brave new world? No. But what is news is that
technology has become an accelerating force in its own right. Forewarned is
forearmed: If you have a vested interest in any aspect of business, politics,
or culture, you’ve got to get a copy of Nicco Mele’s new book – The End of
Big – so you can actively manage the changes that are about to impact you
the most." —Joe Trippi, Author of The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised
“The End of Big covers the consequences of our
constantly-connected, technology-fueled society – and nobody is better qualified
to write about it than Nicco Mele. This book is an honest assessment of the
most complex and fast-moving parts of our world. Nicco keeps a watchful eye on
the institutions we rely upon because they’re now very much up for grabs. His
continued focus is on protecting human values, our social structures, and our
freedoms. Get a copy of this critical new book. It will forever change your
thinking about business, politics and culture.” —Howard Dean, Six-Term Governor
of VT
“Technology is redefining every
aspect of existence – at work, at home, in the community, and in our private
lives. Nicco Mele’s The End of Big will help you chart a
path forward that fits with your values, your world.” —Stew Friedman, Practice
Professor of Management, The Wharton School and Author of Total Leadership:
Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life
“We can give birth to a new
kind of culture with institutions to match that doesn’t cower at the
technological advances but embraces that technology to bring us back to our
communities so we can build a better future. For anyone who has ever felt
overwhelmed by technology, take hold of this book. Now.” —Jeffrey
Seglin, Harvard
Kennedy School Lecturer
“If
you'd like to better understand the rapid societal changes that technology has
wrought, The End of Big is an indispensable guide. Nicco Mele provides an
erudite yet supremely accessible look at how politics, media, business, and
almost every facet of modern life has been transformed by the digital revolution
– and prepares readers to make better choices and become more informed
citizens." —Dorie Clark, Author of the forthcoming Reinventing You: Define
Your Brand, Imagine Your Future (Harvard Business Review Press,
2013)
“In The End of Big, Nicco Mele rightly argues that a now
familiar tsunami of technology is changing our world in distinctly unfamiliar
ways -- with accelerating velocity. He also delineates a range of choices each
one of us can make to reinvent business, politics, and culture for a better
tomorrow, in light of his findings and insights. Read this cutting-edge book,
understand your options, and start moving forward in new directions – for
yourself, for your organization, and for the good of our collective future.”
—Jeffrey F. Rayport, founder and chairman of Marketspace and author of Best
Face Forward (Harvard Business Review Press, 2005)
“Radical
connectivity changes EVERYTHING, says Nicco Mele, and it’s hard to disagree.
From how we shop to how we work to how we govern, the end of BIG means the end
of top-down, centralized hierarchical control. What it will look like when we
get there remains blurry, but we can be assured that it will be radically
different from the past. This book is an engaging guide to the underlying
forces that are eroding all that is BIG, and its many examples will pull you in
to this sweeping story of change." —Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of
Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School, Author of Teaming: How
organizations learn, innovate and compete in the knowledge economy
(Jossey-Bass, 2012)
Marketing Plan
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781250021854 |
| PRICE | $25.99 (USD) |
