In the next ten to fifteen years, the world will undergo one of history's greatest technological transformations as the information "mega-industry" undergoes a rapid and fundamental transformation. A metamorphosis will occur, precipitated not by any dramatic shifts in consumer needs or desires but by the sheer force of vast technological change. This technological movement is triggering a corresponding change in the economic forces underlying the new information industry. Combined, the two forces will lead to unprecedented sociological change and upheaval.

The primary driving force is that the technology forming the core of an expansive array of information-related businesses is becoming both electronic and digital. The building blocks of this digital world—hardware, software, fiber optics, and microprocessors—will realign the computer, telecommunications, and other information industries. In the process, a new competitive landscape will be spawned. Over time, that landscape will give rise to many new commercial entities, enabled through an amalgam of digital versatility and electronic affordability. The same landscape will also be littered with the remains of once-dominant companies and institutions unable or unwilling to grasp the magnitude and nature of change. However, all is not Darwinian in the new world. Evolving patterns of escalating—even exploding—information consumption will make this transition a growth opportunity rather than a mere redivision of wealth. Information-intensive approaches will replace physical assets and physical actions in areas as diverse as health care, education, and entertainment.