The Age of the Infovore: Succeeding in the Information Economy

by Tyler Cowen

Overview

Previously published as Create Your Own Economy

"Will change the way you think about thinking."—Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind

Renowned behavioral economist and commentator Tyler Cowen shows that our supernetworked world is changing the way we think—and empowering us to thrive in any economic climate. Whether it is micro-blogging on Twitter or buying single songs at iTunes, we can now customize our lives to shape our own specific needs. In other words, we can create our own economy—and live smarter, happier, fuller lives. At a time when apocalyptic thinking has become all too common, Cowen offers a much-needed Information Age manifesto that will resonate with readers of Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational, Steven Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You, and everyone hungry to understand our potential to withstand, and even thrive, in any economic climate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101432990
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/29/2010
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	818,645
File size:	522 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University. He is a prominent blogger at marginalrevolution.com, the world’s leading economics blog. He also writes regularly for The New York Times, and has written for Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wilson Quarterly.

Read an Excerpt

Preface

When the economy is doing poorly, people “cocoon” and turn to less expensive pleasures. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, people cut back on the expensive evening out and looked to board games, radio, and family entertainment at home. People learned how to do more with less and those tendencies shaped American life for decades. The Great Depression wasn’t just an economic event; it was also a cultural shift. And there is another cultural shift going on right now. In bad economic times people exercise more, eat out less and cook more, and engage in more projects for self- improvement and self-education. Usage at public libraries goes up and people will spend more time on the internet; (after all, once you’ve paid for your connection most of the surfing is free). These trends are more important than most of us realize and in this book I will tell you why. I will tell you why they are not just short-run trends but why they presage something much deeper about our future and about how we use information.

The challenge is this: When a recession comes, rather than surrendering, what can we do to empower ourselves and create a better life? What technologies can we use and how? How can we use information in a more powerful way? To whom should we look as the new role models and the new heroes? How can we turn inward and improve who we are and how we organize our internal personal worlds?

This book is about the power of the individual to make a difference and also to change an entire world, whether or not the supposed economic forces are on your side. To thrive in an era that produces and devours information like never before, you need to become more adept at finding, sorting, and absorbing ideas, news, and all kinds of data. The age of the infovore has arrived.

Editorial Reviews

"Will change the way you think about thinking."—Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind 

"Delightful and provocative."—Newsweek.com 

"Tyler Cowen has written one of the most stimulating defenses of Internet information culture."—The American

"A tour de force."—Robert H. Frank, author of The Economic Naturalist

From the Publisher