The Flash Report

As digital companies mature, their business models have to change -- just like at any maturing firm. But there's a wrinkle for today's digital giants. The rapid emergence and evolution of new technologies mean that new money-making opportunities emerge -- and evaporate -- with unprecedented speed. In this edition of the Flash Report, editors Katherine Bell, Maureen Hoch, and Sarah Green Carmichael discuss some of the most illuminating articles on this subject from the recent series on HBR.org.

As our economy has grown more global and more digital, businesses have had to shift their competitive strategies, marketing techniques, and business models. One of the most powerful changes? The rise of network effects. In this edition of the flash report, we talk about some of these big changes with Kerry Jones, a researcher for Fractl who has studied digital networks. She explains how network structure can shape marketing strategy, why network size may not matter as much as you think, and how marketers can use networks to create "the majority illusion".

Technology has reshaped our world – the way we shop, talk with friends, make restaurant reservations and certainly in the way we work every day. The digital economy opens new opportunities, but it's also raises new questions about how people and organizations will adapt and grow in this new era.