Is there a new economy?

Will new technologies generate a revolution in economic exchanges, or is the new economy merely a myth propounded by groups with vested economic and political interests ? This is the basis of a debate which resulted in Philippe Lemoine and Jean Gadrey having opposing views. For Jean Gadrey, new technologies bring in undeniable innovations but strengthen the principles of the traditional economy. The myth of getting something for nothing is no longer valid. The revolution, comparable to the great Industrial Revolution, propounded by self-interested media speakers, is not going to happen. As far as Philippe Lemoine is concerned, it is a matter of urgency that Europeans go beyond the ideological speeches, and turn their attention to the potential gains in productivity that the Internet possesses, thanks to the computerisation of exchanges. The example of the retail business fuels the debate which widens to include dreams, hopes and disappointments which these new technologies will bring.