The word "Infopreneur" is a combination of the words "information" and "entrepreneur".
The word "Infopreneur" was registered as a trademark by Harold F. Weitzen in 1984. In 1988, Weitzen published "Infopreneurs: Turning Data Into Dollars." He describes an Infopreneur as a person who is "in the business of collecting and disseminating electronic information."
The world has changed massively since then.
???????????We are no longer in the Information Age. Also known as the computer age, digital age, or new media age, which began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by an epochal shift from traditional industry, beginning with the Industrial Revolution (starting around 1800), to an economy based primarily on information technology.
Each technology follows a similar path, namely, that of discovery, engineering and transformation. First you have to understand it, then figure out how to make things work that people are willing to buy.
However, a true transformation takes more than technology. For people to change their habits, a transformation has to come into play.
Our future will be influenced by machine learning, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and so much more. With these rapidly evolving technologies, important questions need to be answered. Serious ethical questions around technologies and genomics and artificial intelligence need to be addressed.
We are entering the era of innovation and transformation.
The increasing complexity of our environment and the actions needed to maintain or improve our balance only make these challenges more difficult.
Responding to these challenges requires three things:
- We must recognize that something has changed.
- We need to understand the implications of that change.
- We need to develop timely and effective responses.
Nicholas Negroponte wisely said: "Information about information is more important than information." (1995, Founder and Chairman Emeritus MIT Media Lab).
What we all witnessed during the pandemic is that people want and need physical experiences. In our digital information age, people want books they can touch and read. They want to tell stories, share them and listen to them.
We live in hybrid times of a digital transformation.
In this new age, it's all about building bridges. The information age and its knowledge economy need physical manifestations to even exist, from energy to other forms of infrastructure. The two worlds need to converge and complement each other.
Let's take a step back and think about when the information age actually began. It began when the first human told a story to another. However, this was mainly a transaction from one person to another, or to a small group of people. Mass adoption began with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439, followed by desktop publishing and computers in the 20th century.
Today, the world is battling "fake news" and "deepfakes," where original information is mixed, replaced, or transformed into something new.
We are more than ever faced with deciding: What is true and what is real? True is what you need. And if you want to satisfy that need, you need a product or service or a coach or trainer to guide you in getting it.
That is why people once created shamans, priests and spiritual leaders who became teachers.
The basic human need is to learn and grow. This has not changed since the beginning of time.
However, you should learn from those who are experienced, competent and able to share knowledge in today's changing environment!
If you would like to learn more about how to turn your knowledge and experience into a tangible business to become a genuine Edupreneur, click on?? the link here.
Photo by Owen Beard on Unsplash