Wired For Thought: How the Brain is Shaping the Future of the Internet

by Jeff Stibel, Erik Synnestvedt

In this age of hypercompetition, the Internet constitutes a powerful tool for inventing radical new business models that will leave your rivals scrambling. But as brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeffrey Stibel explains in Wired for Thought, you have to understand its true nature. The Internet is more than just a series of interconnected computer networks: it's the first real replication of the human brain outside the human body.

To leverage its power, you first need to understand how the Internet has evolved to take on similarities to the brain. This engaging and provocative book provides the answer. Stibel lays out:

How networks have changed and what that implies for how people connect and form communities What the Internet-and online business opportunities-will look like in the future What the next stage of artificial intelligence will be and what opportunities it will present for businesses

Stibel shows how exceptional companies are using their understanding of the Internet's brainlike powers to create competitive advantage-such as building more effective Web sites, predicting consumer behavior, leveraging social media, and creating a collective consciousness.

Genres: Business, Psychology, Internet, Nonfiction, Science, Technology

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jeff Stibel writes about the intersection of science, technology and complex networks that influence people's lives. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation and Chairman of BrainGate.

Jeff publishes articles and books about networks and how they are established, increase in sophistication, and ultimately grow collective intelligence. While his academic and research background is primarily focused on the brain, Jeff's area of focus includes other biological, technological, and economic networks. His books compare biological systems to the networks that humans have built across technology, economics, and business.

Reviews

[Sam Sneas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spent some time on the Wired for Thought website before buying the book. It is a interesting and provocative topic. Stibel basically proposes the theory that the Internet is a brain. Frankly, I was a bit taken back but when I saw that his background was very respectable (CEO of a public company and PhD in Brain Science from Brown), I decided to buy the book. And boy was I surprised. It was one of the most interesting reads I have had in a long time. Stibel outlines the evolution of the web and makes some bold proposals for how it will change over time. And he does a great job convincing the reader that the Internet really is a brain (similar structure, function AND intelligence).

I have read a number of books by other brain philosophers (Dennett, Pinker....) but this is the first one that spoke to me on a level I could understand, and it was quite practical as well. I will likely read this again in a few weeks to let some of the details further soak in.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but a little out there. Stibel's premise is that the Internet is not like a brain, it is a brain, one that is rapidly approaching the complexity of a human brain. I'm on board with that, especially the idea of the brain as a sophisticated machine for analysis and prediction.

However, I'm not convinced that the way humans use the net is going to lead to an entity that is capable of independent and abstract thought. And even if the net does become self-aware or conscious, would it be in any way that we understand? Do the individual neurons of our brains have any comprehension of the entities they are a part of?

Stibel is on firmer ground when he talks about what's going on in linguistics, brain science, and computer science. You don't really need to look ahead ten years to see an age of miracles and wonders -- it's happening right now.

[Mender · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has one premise: The internet is a brain. Not like a brain, it actually is one, it looks like one and it learns like one and it acts like one and it will eventually reach a point where it starts trimming its neurons and getting smaller like one.

Got that? Oh good. You just saved yourself 190 pages of reading the same thought hammered on at from slightly different directions over and over.

[Nihar Thakkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

even after reading it after 2 yrs of printing it still feels like sci-fi.
d book's idea is good bt it lacks d pleasure and i felt irritated when it ended since it explained only some aspects of d net.it didnt even bother 2 finish on a high.no conclusions whatsoever.
reading this didnt give much knowledge bcoz once u know d main part of d book-internet is brain and is developing rapidly,there isn't much left(if u agree,which i did)reading d whole book is only reqired 4 some orthodox people who r unable 2 accept this fact bcoz 80% of d book is abt convincing.

[Tomo Yokose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a wonderfully written and thought-provoking book that captured my interest from the first page. I highly recommend this book even if you have no interest or knowledge on brain sciences. His new book (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) coming out 7/23/2013 is similarly fascinating and full of fun tidbits and facts about neuroscience, technology, and the web using real cases to highlight how all we need to know about the future of technology can be understood by studying the brain.

[Tanner Maluchnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be seen as a modern day Aldous Huxley Brave New World..Only Non-Fiction.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Internet is a brain.

[深夜 馬戲團 · Rating 3 out of 5]

观点不算新，KK在07年做过类似的表述，Intelligent Agent和Complex System将是下一个热点。网络的计算能力将超过个体，Agent所代表的个体意识也将不再仅仅停留在数字化镜像的程度，人类和工具将融为一体，evolution进入新的阶段，整体性意识开始涌现，新的生命形态登场。

[Semi-Academic Eric]

I'm way interested in this!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved it - knew it'd just be a hypothesis stated ad nauseam but I appreciated all the different ways he came at the issue and could extend the metaphor. Made me think about the other things in life that compare similarly of follow similar laws.

[Alex Dantas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livro bom, porém bastante desatualizado, um bom livro para refletir a respeito de como a internet era vista a alguns ano atrás (o livro foi escrito em 2009) e como ela é nos dias atuais.

[Yama Chen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much SciFrier than science.

[Blrp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lacks a common thread. Some of what he talks about are things that seem kinda related to what you think is supposed to be the theme of the book, but he doesn't really do a good job of tying it all together, and some topics are just plain uninteresting.

Usually in a book like this, you have some "fluff" like anecdotes and background information that is entertaining or interesting in the moment, but only really given meaning retroactively by the actual substance of the book, and if that doesn't come or isn't good enough it just feels frustrating and pointless that you waded through all the fluff with no payoff. That happens a lot in this book, and also I think there was just too much fluff.

There is certainly interesting insight to be found here, but it's not good enough, clear enough or frequent enough.

The narrator (Erik Synnestvetd) was mostly fine but sometimes just as he'd end a "line" (like a sentence, or a pause preceded by a comma), his pronunciation would become really annoying at the last syllable. I guess it sounded vaguely "whiny"? Not sure what would be a good word for it, but it was grating and felt unprofessional, like he could say it properly but just didn't bother.

Rating: 20%

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's belief is the internet is a brain. Not like a brain, it is a brain. Stibel starts with that, then gives lots of examples of how the internet is like a brain, and what the future of the internet will be if acts similar to a human brain as it ages. I found the semantic argument very confusing and it seemed to me inconsistent. A repeated story is about a company that embeds computer chips into people's brains so they can control things like room lights (in this case, isn't the brain like an internet?). I liked a couple of the ideas he brought forth, including thoughts on the need for a brain-like system to age in phases with the last phase one of consolidation - quite interesting and likely un-testable before the fact. I found the book a quick and simple read, although quite repetitive.

[Oliver Ding · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has strong background on connecting brain science and internet evolution. Though the idea of the web as a global brain is not a revolutionary thinking, the author gives us new insights into the nature of the web with intriguing examples. It's also helpful to web growth hackers for understanding important principles of network behind failure and success of web platforms such as Google, MySpace, Facebook and others.

[Yuping · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea that the Internet is a brain is very interesting and insightful. But I feel that it could have been conveyed in fewer words. When I got to the middle of the book, I feel like the author was already repeating himself without adding really new thoughts. I eventually finished it, but only with perseverance rather than by fascination.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I had to read this for class, and I am not quite sure what it had to do with my education class, but it was still very interesting. I thought it was a book about technology that is accessible to not very technological people (like me). The ideas were thought-provoking, too. I learned a lot, although, like I said, I am not sure how to apply what I learned. I enjoyed the read!

[Jason Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good ideas, worth exploring, but feels like someone convinced this guy to write the book, no sense of passion for reall digging into the ideas with the reader

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit shallow and the brain/internet analogy is stretched a bit too far, but some interesting thoughts

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking blend of science, technology, business, and philosophy that provides a framework for understanding and predicting the evolution of the Internet.

[Ilya Mrz · Rating 4 out of 5]

very very VERY FREAKING INTERESTING!!!

[Jeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is not as revealing as you may think

Maybe because it was written a few years ago, the book does not surprise. If you read technology news there is nothing new here. The author also failed in his own stated goal: to prepare businessmen and entrepreneurs to face the new world. Maybe if that businessman has been living in a cave.
The value, hence my three stars, lies in the references to brain philosophers.