In all the analysis into the financial crisis and the factors that caused it little, if anything, has been written about the role of technology. But the recession struck the entire world at once because, thanks to the internet, financial centres and economies around the world are more highly connected than ever.

Davidow's premise is that despite seeming to offer wonderful benefits to the world, the vast system of connections that is the internet has left cultures and institutions struggling to keep up.

While being well connected is a positive up to a point, beyond that juncture more connections make things dangerous and destabilise systems. As the UK government recently admitted, cyber crime and internet security pose as big-if not bigger—a threat as other types of terrorism.

This is a riveting read, complete with an excellent chapter summarising the history of the internet. It raises important questions about how we might need to rethink regulation and control of the internet. As Davidow says: "The internet will only make our lives better if we learn how to accommodate it".