One of the most respected behavioral economists in the world and coauthor of the best economics blog in the universe* offers an essential guide to success in a radically new hyper-networked age.

How will we live well in a super-networked, information-soaked, yet predictably irrational world? The only way to know is to understand how the way we think is changing.

As economist Tyler Cowen boldly shows in Create Your Own Economy, the way we think now is changing more rapidly than it has in a very long time. Not since the Industrial Revolution has a man-made creation-in this case, the World Wide Web-so greatly influenced the way our minds work and our human potential. Cowen argues brilliantly that we are breaking down cultural information into ever-smaller tidbits, ordering and reordering them in our minds (and our computers) to meet our own specific needs.

Create Your Own Economy explains why the coming world of Web 3.0 is good for us; why social networking sites such as Facebook are so necessary; what's so great about Tweeting and texting; how education will get better; and why politics, literature, and philosophy will become richer. This is a revolutionary guide to life in the new world.

"In this provocative study of behavioral economics, Cowen (Discover Your Inner Economist) reveals that autistic tendencies toward classification, categorization and specialization can be used as a vehicle for understanding how people use information. Cowen spends a great deal of time dispelling autism's societal stigma, arguing that 'mainstream society is reaping benefits from mimicking autistic cognitive strengths.' As stimulating as is the premise, the book often feels like its own long exercise in categorization, with each chapter an analysis of the human mania for classification (e.g., the obsession with ranking achievements and endeavors). According to Cowen, human brains are constantly absorbing bits of information that get smaller and are delivered faster as technology advances. The more information people receive, the more they crave — this shorter attention span is far from a flaw to the author, but a liberating mechanism that allows humans time to contemplate more ambitious, long-range pursuits. The relentless analysis is occasionally overwhelming, but Cowen's illustration of our neurological filing system may help readers understand the mass consumption of information and just about everything else. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Cowen (George Mason U., Fairfax, VA), a behavioral economist, encourages people to transcend economic trends by tapping into their "own economy of real internal value." The author of Discover Your Inner Economist suggests that this can be done by using the new media technology to achieve mental order (contrary to Buddhist beliefs), and by honoring neuro-biodiversity, i.e., drawing lessons from the cognitive strengths of high- functioning autistic persons (actual and fictional). More psychology than economics, the book includes further reading and references. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

In this revolutionary economics guide to life in the new technology-driven world, Cowen explains why the coming world of Web 3.0 is good, why social networking sites are necessary, and what's so great about texting.