Breakpoint: Why the Web Will Implode, Search Will be Obsolete, and Everything Else You Need to Know About Technology is in Your Brain - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1137464666 ISBN 13: 9781137464668

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Synopsis

What can the human brain and its relationship to the internet tell us about our society, our technologies, and our businesses? A lot, as it turns out. The internet today is a virtual replica of the brain, and the networks that leverage it grow and collapse in ways that are easily predictable if you understand the brain and other biological networks. We're living in the midst of a networking revolution. All of the major technology innovations of the 21st century - social networking, cloud computing, search engines, and crowdsourcing, to name a few - leverage the internet and are thus bound by the rules of networks. We've seen the exponential growth of these technologies, and they've led to a more efficient and tightly connected world. But what many people don't realize is that all networks eventually reach a breakpoint and collapse. This happens in the brain, it happens in nature, it happened to MySpace, and it will happen to Facebook and Google. It is critical to understand where the breakpoint is in the networks you use in order to achieve optimum success. Navigating the world of new technologies today can be like walking through a minefield unless you know the path. Imagine what you could do with a roadmap for where things are headed? In this fascinating look at the future of business and technology, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel shows how the brain can act as a guide to understanding the future of the internet and the constellation of businesses and technologies that run on it. He'll show how leaders like Marissa Mayer are using artificial intelligence to literally remake Yahoo! and how startups like oDesk and Kickstarter are using crowdsourcing, the next wave of revolutionary technology, to create something much larger and "smarter" than the sum of their parts. Stibel offers a fresh perspective about the future of business and technology in a candid and engaging manner.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

How does the brain predict the collapse of the web?

What can reindeer teach us about networks?

How do ants use internet technologies?

Why do sea squirts eat their brains to survive?

We are living in a world in which cows send texts to farmers when they're in heat and the most valuable real estate in New York City houses computers, not people. Robots are delivering cups of coffee and some of humanity's greatest works are created by crowds.

We are in the midst of a networking revolution--set to transform the way we access the world's information and the way we connect with one another. Studying biological systems is perhaps the best way to understand such networks, and nature has a lesson for us if we care to listen: bigger is rarely better in the long run. The deadliest creature is the mosquito, not the lion. It is the quality of a network that is important for survival, not the size, and all networks--the human brain, Facebook, Google, even the internet itself--eventually reach a breakpoint and collapse. That's the bad news. The good news is that reaching a breakpoint can be a step forward, allowing a network to substitute quality for quantity.

In Breakpoint, brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel takes readers to the intersection of the brain, biology, and technology. He shows how exceptional companies are using their understanding of the internet's brain-like powers to create a competitive advantage by building more effective websites, utilizing cloud computing, engaging social media, monetizing effectively, and leveraging a collective consciousness. Indeed, the result of these technologies is a more tightly connected world with capabilities far beyond the sum of our individual minds. Breakpoint offers a fresh and exciting perspective about the future of technology and its effects on all of us.

About the Author

Jeff Stibel is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur. He is currently serving as Chairman and CEO of The Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation and was previously President and CEO of Web.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW). Stibel is also Chairman of BrainGate, a company whose "brain chip" technology allows the severely disabled to control electronics with nothing but their thoughts and was featured on 60 Minutes. Stibel is the author of Wired for Thought: How the Brain is Shaping the Future of the Internet (Harvard Business Press, 2009). He was the recipient of a Brain and Behavior Fellowship while studying for his PhD in brain science at Brown University. He resides in Malibu, California with his wife and two children.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1137464666
• ISBN 13: 9781137464668
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 324