About Jackie
Jackie Fenn writes speculative fiction, sci-fi and technology thrillers, informed by her experience as a professional futurist and emerging technology analyst. Her stories have won awards from ScreenCraft and Launchpad and Sarasota Fiction Writers. Her debut novel Gone Viral (written under the pen name J.A. Knight) predicted the dark side of social media influence before it actually happened.
Drawing on her 30 years as an industry thought leader, Jackie also advises companies on innovation, future trends, storytelling, creative cultures, and how business leaders can generate their own thought leadership. Jackie was previously a Research Fellow at Gartner, where she created numerous new models, frameworks and processes, including the Gartner Hype Cycle, and advised thousands of clients worldwide on how to drive innovation. Her book “Mastering the Hype Cycle” was published by Harvard Business Press and was featured as a CIO Magazine Top Ten Book.
Jackie studies martial arts (currently Kali and Wing Chun, with a black belt in Tang Soo Do) and enjoys kayaking, hiking, making spreadsheets, and researching the mysteries of the human mind.
Gone Viral by J.A. Knight (pen name of Jackie Fenn)
If you’re a super-smart programmer with a grudge, coding a weapon of mass-misinformation is easy. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, stopping it is another matter.
"A fast-paced and intelligently conceived techno-thriller." - Kirkus Reviews
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"Fans of intelligent thrillers about potential technological threats will relish Knight's promising debut" - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Computer science graduate Lenny Driver dreams of working at Blahst, a top social media company. But when the company steals his code during a job interview, he lashes back by creating an algorithm to spread fake rumors about the company. The algorithm works better than he ever intended, and Lenny is stunned to discover that he has created a weapon of mass manipulation. As he explores his newfound power, the unintended consequences spiral out of control, and Lenny finds himself hunted not only by Blahst but by a rogue intelligence agent who will stop at nothing to obtain the algorithm's secret.
A CIO Magazine Top Ten book
It happens over and over again. Some innovation (a new product, a management trend) comes along that captures the public's imagination. Everybody joins the parade with great fanfare and high expectations. This "next big thing" promises to transform the companies that adopt it -- and inflict great peril on those that don't.
Then, when the innovation fails to deliver as promised immediately, everyone starts bailing out. Investments are wasted; stock prices plunge; disillusionment sets in.
It doesn't have to be this way. In Mastering the Hype Cycle, Jackie Fenn and Mark Raskino explain what drives this pattern and how your company can avoid its potential dangers. By understanding the hype cycle, you can ride it more skillfully -- timing your investment decisions so that the innovations you adopt stand the best chance of succeeding in the long-term.
The hype cycle isn't going away. But this book arms you with the strategies you need to ride the crest of a new idea to success -- and steer clear of the trough of disillusionment.
