x, 300 pages : 21 cm A landmark tour of the new science of "idea flow" outlines revolutionary insights into the mysteries of collective intelligence and social influence, explaining the virtually unlimited data sets of today's digital technologies and the considerable accuracy of information from social networks Published with a new preface in Penguin Books 2015--Title page verso Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-294) and index Part one. Social physics. From ideas to actions -- (Using big data to understand how human societies evolve -- What is social physics? -- A practical science -- Big data -- A rich social science -- Plan for the book -- Data-rich societies: Promethean fire -- Language) -- Exploration -- (How can we find good ideas and make good decisions? -- Social learning -- Idea flow -- Idea flow and decision making -- Tuning networks -- Exploration) -- Idea flow -- (The building blocks of collective intelligence -- Habits, preferences, and curiosity -- Habits versus beliefs -- Collectively rational, not individually rational -- Common sense) -- Engagement -- (How can we all work together? -- Social pressure -- Digital engagement -- Subjunction and conflict -- Rules of engagement -- Next steps -- The mathematics of social influence) Part two. Idea machines. Collective intelligence -- (How patterns of interaction translate into collective intelligence -- Measuring what you manage -- Productivity -- Creativity -- Improving idea flow) -- Shaping organizations -- (Social intelligence through visualization of interaction patterns -- Engagement -- Exploration -- Diversity -- Social intelligence) -- Organizational change -- (Social network incentives can be used to create instant organizations and guide them through disruptive change -- Instant organizations -- Organizations in stress -- Trust -- Next steps -- Social signals) Part three. Data-rich cities. Sensing cities -- (How mobile sensing can enable cities to become more healthy, safe, and efficient -- Visualizing the city -- Transportation -- Health and disease -- Social network interventions -- Living in a data-rich society) -- City science -- (How social physics and big data are revolutionizing our understanding of cities and development -- The social physics of cities -- Social ties in cities -- Exploring the city -- Idea flow in cities -- Designing better cities -- Data-rich cities -- Next steps -- Digital networks versus face-to-face) Part four. Data-rich societies. Privacy -- (What will a data-rich future look like? -- A new deal on data -- Enforcement -- The wild, wild web -- Data-rich systems: challenges -- Social physics: promoting free will and human dignity) -- Living with data -- (How social physics might help us design a human-centric, data-rich society -- Natural law: exchanges, not markets -- Living in a networked society -- Data for development: D4D -- Promethean fire) Appendices. Reality mining -- OpenPDS (personal data stores) -- Fast, slow, and free will -- Math