Back in 1995, The Economist took a small gamble: it published a 15-page survey on a relatively obscure phenomenon called the Internet. The survey agreed with critics that the Internet was chaotic, slow, frustrating and intimidating, but reckoned that it was here to stay, because it allowed people better to exercise one of their most basic desires: to communicate. A handful of years on, and a dotcom boom and bust later, that conclusion has been triumphantly vindicated. In many developed countries, and particularly in America, the Internet has become a near utility. The learning curve has been extremely steep. As yet, few people have managed to make money from Internet ventures, and many have lost their shirts. But there can be no doubt that the net increasingly permeates every aspect of our lives. Look at the world ten years ago, and again now, and spot the myriad differences the Internet has already made. Then cast your mind ten years forward, and imagine all the changes it might yet bring about. This collection of surveys and articles from The Economist shows just how much the Internet has changed the world and how much more it is likely to change it in the future. It includes chapters on: The new economy overnment and the Internet -commerce -management nline finance obile telecoms ntertainment oftware The authors are all Economist journalists and the collection is edited by Barbara Beck, surveys editor of The Economist and former editor of International Management