Coal, iron ore and oil were the fuel of the Industrial Revolution. Today's economies and governments are powered by something far less tangible: the explosive abundance of digital data. Steve Lohr, the New York Times' chief technology reporter, charts the ascent of Data-ism, the dominating philosophy of the day in which data is at the forefront of everything and decisions of all kinds are based on data analysis rather than experience and intuition.

Taking us behind the scenes and introducing the DOPs (Data Oriented-People), the key personalities behind this revolution, he reveals how consuming the bits and bytes of the masses is transforming the nature of business and governance in unforeseen ways. But what are losing in the process and what new dangers await?