Information 2. 0

This course text maps the shifting world of digital information and what those shifts mean for the people who create, move, store and use it. Its scope runs from publishers and broadcasters to the information professionals responsible for content in every format. The second edition has been thoroughly revised and draws on examples of companies and individuals who are turning these changes to their advantage. It also looks ahead to how readers will consume information and how wider society may change as a result.

The chapters follow the life of information through production, distribution, storage and consumption. Each one includes case studies that highlight the particular problems and openings facing the industry. A recurring thread is how public and commercial bodies are losing their clear boundaries. Amazon, for instance, has expanded from bookselling into producing the devices and software used to read. Apple still builds computers yet also runs a major marketplace for music and apps. Google leads web search, has scanned millions of volumes from major university libraries, and supported Android, a computing platform with a vast global user base.

The author attributes these developments to two forces: inexpensive devices that can display digital content and a network that lets it travel from creator to audience with few obstacles, at least for now. The digital shift affects everyone working with information, and not always for the better. Even so, the book argues that people who take the trouble to understand the changes will find more opportunity than risk. With information more plentiful and easier to reach than ever, those able to manage it for others should be in high demand.