As you know, we're now well and truly in theInformation Age. It began about 10 years ago. In fact,many economists say it began in 1989, with the Fall ofthe Berlin Wall (and the start of the World Wide Web).
To understand who will become wealthy in theInformation Age, first we need to understand how theInformation Age differs from the Industrial Age (bornabout 1860, died about 1989).
In fact, let's get a complete overview and go back tothe Agrarian Age.
In the Agrarian Age, society was basically dividedinto two classes: the landowners and the people whoworked on the land (the serfs). If you were a serf,there wasn't much you could do about it:land-ownership passed down through families and youwere stuck with the status you were born into.
When the Industrial Age arrived, everything changed:it was no longer agriculture that generated most ofthe wealth, but manufacturing. Suddenly, land was nolonger the key to wealth. A factory occupied far lessland than a sheep farm or a wheat farm.
With the Industrial Age came a new kind of wealthyperson: the self-made businessman. Wealth no longerdepended on land-ownership and the family you wereborn into. Business acumen and factories were creatinga new class of wealthy person. But it still requiredenormous capital to build a factory and start abusiness.
Then came the World Wide Web (in about 1989) andglobalization. Suddenly, everything changed again.
Factories (or real estate) were no longer necessary torun a business. Anyone with a website could start abusiness. The barriers to wealth that existed in theAgrarian Age and the Industrial Age were completelygone. People who could never have dreamed of owningtheir own business were making millions from theirkitchen table.
Of course, the Information Revolution didn't beginin 1989.
It began in 1444 when Gutenberg invented the printingpress in Mainz, Germany.
But the printing press (newspapers, magazines,paperbacks) belonged to the Industrial Age, not theInformation Age.
The printing press is a 'one-to-many' technology. TheInternet is a 'many-to-many' technology. And that waswhat changed in 1989.
The Industrial Age was about centralization andcontrol. The Information Age is aboutde-centralization and no control. No government and nomedia magnate controls the Internet. This is thecrucial thing to understand about the Information Age.
As we moved from the Agrarian Age through theIndustrial Age to the Information Age, there's been asteady collapse of the barriers that kept one section ofsociety wealthy and the other section poor.
In the Information Age, literally anyone can becomewealthy.
So now that we have a clearer picture of how theInformation Age differs from the Industrial Age, let'sask that question again: 'Who will become wealthy inthe Information Age?':
(1) People Who are Self-Taught
To explain this better, let's go back to the AgrarianAge and the Industrial Age, and the Transmission ofSkills.
In the Agrarian Age, skills were passed on from fatherto son. If you wanted to learn how to be a blacksmithyou had to be a blacksmith's son. If you wanted tolearn to be a stone-mason, you had to be the son of a stone-mason.
With the coming of the Industrial Age, all thischanged. You could go to University and learn whateverskills you wanted. Knowledge was freely available.
But in the Information Age, the Transmission of Skillsis changing once again.
The skills necessary to succeed in the Information Ageare not being learnt from our parents (as in theAgrarian Age), nor are they being learnt in schoolsand colleges (as in the Industrial Age). Children areteaching their parents computer skills. And many ofthe entrepreneurs who start hi-tech Internet companieshave never been to college.
The millionaires (and billionaires) of tomorrowprobably won't have a college education. They will behigh-school drop-outs, self-taught people.
(2) People with New Ideas.
Again, it's the people who are able to think outsideof the existing structures who will become wealthy inthe Information Age. Often, it's just a Simple Ideathat launches people to success in the InformationAge.
Take Sabhir Bhatia, for example - the man who inventedHotmail. Bhatia was a computer engineer working inSilicon Valley. He had no previous businessexperience, whatsoever.
But one day, while he was driving back from work, afriend called him on his cell phone and said that hehad an idea: What about starting a free, web-basedemail service? Bhatia knew this was the idea he'd beenwaiting for. He told his friend to hang up immediatelyand ring him at home on a secure line.
Three years later he sold Hotmail to Microsoft for$400 million.
(3) Writers
The third group who will become wealthy in theInformation Age are Writers.
In the Industrial Age, Writers depended on largepublishing Houses to get published (remember that theprinting press is an Industrial Age technology - it iscentralized and controlled). And the Publishing Housestook the lion's share of the profits.
In the Information Age, Writers are doing their ownpublishing - and keeping most of the profitsthemselves. Indeed, Writers are flourishing on theWeb - mainly through eBooks and Ezine Articles.But even if you don't write eBooks or Ezine Articles,if you own a website, you are a Writer.
Why?
Because the Internet is basically a written medium. Itfavors writers, people who are able to communicateeffectively through the written word. Remember, it'snot the graphics on your website that sell, it's thewords you use.
In the Information Age, we're all Writers!
------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
When I was a student in London, I had a... Read More
I'm constantly reading articles on the internet and in financial... Read More
Recently I was reading a book called The Millionaire Mind.... Read More
"Join our program and retire in 3 months..." yeah, right.We... Read More
There could not be a better time to mull over... Read More
One of the things most of us have old ideas... Read More
Many of us do not consider the underlying belief system... Read More
As you sit in traffic, inching along between irate drivers,... Read More
There are plenty of people who are in love with... Read More
"It's the business of your life?and you're the CEO!" Gala... Read More
Money is probably the most challenging thing for many people... Read More
In most societies, we are raised to believe in the... Read More
Key 1 Pay your self firstkey 2 Saving is not... Read More
Financial planning is an ongoing process individuals and businesses should... Read More
OK, this article will start with the cheapest piece of... Read More
"If you know how to spend less than you get,... Read More
There are many of us who are working on our... Read More
Six out of six people who were asked to list... Read More
What does becoming rich mean to you? Is it early... Read More
As someone who loves to shop, enjoys holidays and owns... Read More
Financial freedom is the power to do what you will... Read More
This article focuses on generating cash as a full time... Read More
Author: James Walsh ISBN: 1563431696: Publisher: Silver Lake PublishingIn... Read More
I have given many prosperity lectures over the years and,... Read More
Most people want to get to the end of their... Read More
home cleaning services Des Plaines ..Financial planning often gets a bad rap. Part of the... Read More
Remember the bloodied face of Randall "Tex" Cobb?He was a... Read More
Planning for the undesired, accidents and possible unknowns in life.... Read More
Perhaps the primary message of Rich Dad, Poor Dad is... Read More
Author: James Walsh ISBN: 1563431696: Publisher: Silver Lake PublishingIn... Read More
This is a true story about a homeless man from... Read More
Offshore strategies may or may not be right for you.... Read More
The vast majority of working people are in debt. The... Read More
What is "The Commodity of Kings""Power is simply "the ability... Read More
In my last article on Creating Residual Income I mentioned... Read More
Vacation season is upon us and it can be tempting... Read More
When Ben Franklin said "a penny saved is a penny... Read More
Financial freedom is the power to do what you will... Read More
Why not run a lucrative paper business? Paper businesses do... Read More
There are many wealth creation strategies and investment techniques available... Read More
You may think you have to be an entrepreneur to... Read More
What is the difference between wealthy people and poor (even... Read More
This 4,000 acre sale (now a marina and resort town... Read More
How many people search Google, Yahoo and MSN each day... Read More
"The quickest way to wealthThat I've found to be true;Is... Read More
No matter what income level you are currently at, generating... Read More
For most of us, the idea of retiring simply on... Read More
In light of the dominant mindset overshadowing the market these... Read More
In most societies, we are raised to believe in the... Read More
What if I were to tell you that almost everything... Read More
Wealth Building |