Emerging Markets Business Summer 2017 | Page 24

24 DISRUPTION NETWORKS Disruption, networks, platforms— the buzz words of recent years point to a world of sprawling and intricate webs, where connectivity means power, profit and influence. Those able to navigate the real-life labyrinth in which we live stand a chance of success, but it is those able to disrupt it, who will truly thrive. From technologies that shake up industries to ground-breaking products that create new ones; and from individuals wielding influence through social media, EMB 25 to trailblazing platforms with followers in their billions, the masters of our networked world are wildly diverse, yet united in their understanding of just how to manipulate the forces at work. Here we follow a journey of disruption networks. Our first port of call are the surprisingly few platforms that have amassed a billion or more users. From there, we uncover leading thinking on life in the networked world, before exploring successful platform strategies in action. DISRUPTION NETWORKS EMERGING MARKETS BUSINESS SUMMER 2017 ISSUE NO. 3 EMBreview.org