The Idea

New Power: the key to understanding the 21st century

The world seems chaotic. Polls failed to predict that Trump would win. Airbnb is worth more than Hilton. #MeToo is taking down powerful, previously untouchable heads of industry. But when you step back from the chaos, you can notice there’s an underlying force at work: “new power.”

By understanding new power you can reshape the world around you. The future is a battle for mobilization. Those who flourish will be those best able to channel participatory energy — for the good, the bad, and the trivial. And this battle will have big implications for people, organizations, and for the world at large.

 

The rules have changed

In this indispensable guide to navigating the 21st century, two visionary thinkers reveal the unexpected ways power is changing— and how new power is reshaping politics, business, and life.

New Power shines fresh light on the cultural phenomena of our day, from #BlackLivesMatter to the Ice Bucket Challenge to Airbnb, uncovering the new power forces that made them huge. Drawing on examples from business, activism and pop culture, Heimans and Timms explain how to build new power and channel it successfully. They also explore the dark side of these forces: the way ISIS has co-opted new power to monstrous ends, and the rise of the alt-right’s “intensity machine.”

How do you make sense of the chaotic world around you?

Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms offer a new roadmap to building movements, spreading ideas, growing organizations, and leading differently.

TED: What new power looks like

Jeremy Heimans shares the ideas behind New Power and their role in our shifting world in this video.

Watch the video above to learn more.

HBR: Understanding "New Power"

Some foundational research and thinking behind New Power gets shared with the Harvard Business Review.

Read the article

How will you use new power in your life? Tell the world.

New power operates like a current - made by many, open, participatory, peer-driven. It is most forceful when it surges. #newpower Tweet Now Post to Facebook
It’s only a movement if it moves without you. #newpower Tweet Now Post to Facebook
Mic Check. It’s in with the new and out with the old. #newpower Tweet Now Post to Facebook
See for yourself. Order the book

To learn about the ways power has shifted in the world and to get the information and tools to make it work for you.

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Meet the authors

Two innovative leaders in activism, social change, and business.

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