As part of our Information Technology in Society class, we, the members of The Confused Group (TCG), undertook the task of presenting in this website, different aspects of what has for some years been called the new economy. The Internet and new information technologies are at the core of this new economy. It is this economy that saw the rise of a variety of novelties, such as the dot.com boom, online shopping, telecommuting, and many others. We will be looking at some of these, as a way to give a more down to earth idea, of what is really the new economy.

Kristen Cox addressed the issue of the so called Dot.COM boom. During the mid and late 90's the internet became a popular tool in society. Naturally, people want to invest in a successful business, and at this time dot coms were the stocks to buy. However, hurried investments, poor business plans, and overeager investors lead to the downfall of the dot com era.

The Dot com bust lead to a reevaluation of the whole realm of information technology in the economy. Ali Mamina examined the Internet as an element of the new economy, and ask whether it is really the engine of economic growth. Here we will see different points of view, from the Marxist to the corporate, and the analyst of the economy. The Internet is a very powerful tool, but is it really all one needs for economic growth? Some believe it is, some it is not and all bring forth strong arguments. The Internet might not single-handedly be the magic wand after all.

Nevertheless, during the 1990's AOL, Dell, and Amazon became mega-corporations using the internet, Sarah Harrison looked deeper into these phenomena. Their mega-status now makes it difficult for any startup companies with an internet focus to become successful. She found however that, although the future for startup companies does not look bright, there are ways new internet businesses can become successful among larger corporations.

A question that arose from all this was "where do we go from here with the Internet?" J-Full(Jon Jon Fuller) took a look at the different types of technology equipment in our society, in places such as your classrooms, cars, and even your own home. Here he discusses the benefits of the Internet. The growth in Canada has increased heavily and J-Full brought forth some analytical tables that show this, and the potentiality for increase in this Tech driven economy, in our future.