Connections in the Sky

Information is becoming more and more accessible, and the most recent watershed development in this trend is wireless data transfer. This technology has become so mainstream so quickly that it constitutes a “wireless revolution.” It holds significant implications for many industries, of which a few examples are given in this chapter, and for society in general. In the future, much more data will be transmitted wirelessly, but before this can happen on a truly massive and global scale, tremendous infrastructure development will need to take place. Still, various companies are further developing wireless technology, and networks are becoming more widespread even in developing areas of the world. The future of the information industry and the way individual users interact with it will be highly impacted by wireless technology, and the role and extent of government regulation and the issue of privacy will become two pressing questions.

The Shifting Sands of the Information Industry

This chapter examines the shift from the industrial age to the current “information age” by looking closely at the history of the electronic information industry since the 1970s, with special focus on key individuals and companies. Early pioneers developed remotely accessible database search systems and marketed them commercially. The advent of high-capacity storage media and personal computers in the 1980s made it possible for individual consumers to use databases, and in the 1990s, networking capabilities further supported the emergence of the Internet. Web portals developed, and a handful of companies successfully commoditized Web content. The 2000s were dominated by a move from general search engines to value-added “apps,” as well as by social networking, multimedia technology, and mobile consumer electronics. Throughout, the chapter highlights commonalities among the successful companies that have contributed to the strong and rapid growth of the industry as a whole.

The Beginnings of Infonomics

This chapter addresses the development of the information industry from the invention of the printing press to the present, using the publication and use of scientific journals as an illustrative case. For centuries after the first scientific journal was published in 1665, publication followed a relatively simple information supply chain model. In the late twentieth century, the information supply chain model changed rapidly and became far more complex. The growth of data and databases, university infrastructure spending, database directory production, and researchers’ information search patterns are identified as primary reasons for large-scale changes to the information supply chain. Examination of these four factors reveals current user needs that will drive innovation in the information industry.

Digital Libraries in the Clouds

The business of free represents a radical cultural shift, and many social institutions will need to adapt as a result. This chapter examines the situation of libraries and museums, which are both facing a marked struggle to compete with free and convenient online content. In fact, it seems that for-profit companies, in using various strategies, have essentially beat libraries and museums with their own free content model. Recent decades have seen a decline in public interest in the services museums and libraries provide, which may have multiple possible causes and has led to a loss of revenue. In order to remain solvent, these institutions will need to make changes in their business models to adapt to new technological realities and market conditions. Some efforts to add value to the traditional library or museum experience have already been initiated, although cultivating sustainable funding sources may represent a significant challenge.

Slippery Slopes

In order to clarify some defining factors of business success in the information age, this chapter presents two known failures. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. successfully marketed a reputable product, but certain flaws in the company’s structure and process led to a decision to protect its print product rather than make a shift to digital media, with irreversible results. Among newspapers, the San Jose Mercury News seemed ideally positioned to make a successful transition to the Internet age. Yet it was impossible to do so without the cooperation of other major newspapers, which it was unable to obtain. This example evinces the rise of a new and widespread paradigm in which users expect content without cost, which has proved especially challenging for newspapers. However, several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and The New York Times, have adopted new business models that may lead to sustainability.

Open Source and Open Access

The open source and open access movements, both philosophical concepts as well as models of information flow, have been instrumental in the development of the business of free. This chapter defines both models and traces their history. Open source shaped the growth of the Web and changed consumer expectations, and as a result, companies have developed various ways to generate revenue even while giving their products away. The open access movement grew in tandem with electronic publishing and has led to both the user expectation of free content and a question of how publications can survive that expectation. Open source and open access will continue to influence the software industry, which is developing a “freemium” model for generating revenue from free products. The publishing industry will need to evolve radically, and open source and open access may also drive the integration of “open government” principles into our political systems.

Learning and Playing get Personal

Developments in information technology are finding new applications in teaching, and these “e-learning” approaches are having a significant impact on the way people learn and play. Since e-learning, which includes different types of learning and can be applied to a variety of situations, offers many benefits for students, it is increasingly being embraced in both academic and corporate teaching settings. The market for e-learning has seen remarkable growth as e-learning has been applied in various ways to education in primary and secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, and workplace settings. E-learning approaches are even beginning to affect the way we play, and there is potential for online gaming platforms as new e-learning tools. The remarkable growth of e-learning is no surprise, however, since in the case of both learning and play, e-learning breaks down long-standing barriers.

From Knowledge Management to Social Networking

The Internet has resulted in many developments that have profoundly changed our culture. One of the most recent and most transformative is the rise of social networking. This chapter explores the benefits of social networking in the business world. Compared to traditional knowledge management approaches, social networking offers many benefits both for individual businesses, which may use it to gain competitive advantage, and for the advancement of whole fields of knowledge. The impact of social networking on medicine, law, accounting, journalism, radio and video, and publishing is discussed. Social media is having such a broad impact because it offers new paradigms of knowledge workflow that are changing the way work is done on an individual level, leading to an overall increase in efficiency.