New Power

Why outsiders are winning, institutions are failing, and how the rest of us can keep up in the age of mass participation

By: Jeremy Heimans, Henry Timms

Narrated by: Andrew Fallaize

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Why do some leap ahead while others fall behind in today's chaotic, hyperconnected world? In New Power, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms confront the biggest stories of our age - the rise of megaplatforms like Facebook and Uber; the out-of-nowhere rise of Trump and Corbyn - and reveal what's really behind them: the rise of New Power.

For most of human history, the rules of power were clear. To get ahead or get things done, you mastered 'old power', which is closed, inaccessible, and leader-driven and jealously guarded. Today, however, we have seen the rise of 'New Power' made by the many rather than the few, open, participatory, peer-driven and fed by our world of ubiquitous connectivity.

It is this New Power that has fuelled the rise of platforms like Facebook and a new species of YouTube celebrities and peer-based services like Uber and Airbnb. It propelled the unlikely success of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign and is at the heart of the increased number political protests and upstart businesses overturning traditional industries.

In telling the story of New Power, Heimans and Timms provide the techniques for using New Power to successfully spread an idea, lead a movement, or build a career in the 21st century. Drawing on examples from business, politics, popular culture, and social justice as well as old power forces like LEGO and NASA that have figured out how to blend old and new power to supercharge their work, they explain the new world we live in. They also explore the dark side of the changes we are living through: the way ISIS has co-opted new power to monstrous ends and the rise of the alt-right's 'intensity machine'.

In a world that is being shaped by New Power, this book will show you how to shape your future.

©2018 Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms (P)2018 Macmillan Digital Audio

Critic reviews

"Jeremy and Henry’s book on new power could not be coming at a better time. With hyper-connectivity enabling new forms of leadership and mobilisation, this book challenges all of us to think about the values we hold and how we can all be part of building a more open, equitable and participatory world." (Richard Branson)