Social media observers and economic historians will be most intrigued by Davidow’s thesis regarding the perils of our overconnected world. Shying away from the typical focus on Facebook or Twitter, he offers a serious, thought-provoking study that looks at everything from Three Mile Island to the Iceland banking crisis, and explains how they are related. Davidow points out that financial “booms, busts, swindles and contagions” are nothing new, but with the role of the Internet in our personal and professional lives, the connected way we do business means that financial markets are far too dependent on each other to separate in moments of crisis. From automated underwriting of mortgage loans to instant loan approval, the financial sector has not only become more efficient, it has also speeded up to a degree that allows no time for care or caution. We are literally moving faster than our ability to control what we do. While it might seem overly simple to blame technology for our current woes, Davidow builds a solid case for the price we pay for super-efficiency. --Colleen Mondor