The Wall Street Journal had an op-ed piece the other day, “What Today’s Economic Gloomsayers Are Missing,” by Joel Mokyr, that should be of utmost cheer to PR people at a time when the economy is still dragging. Mokyr, a professor of economics and history at Northwestern University, thinks we haven’t seen anything yet in terms of what technology is contributing to creativity and economic opportunity. 

Creativity, too, is what PR’s about. Keep your eyes on the scientific press and scholarly journals to get a sense of what may be about ready for commercial exploitation, and then help present it to the marketplace. “The breakthroughs are not ‘on the horizon,’ Mokyr says after citing a few, “They are here. The economy may be facing some headwinds, but the technological tailwind is more like a tornado. Fasten your seat belts.”

What do you know, for instance, about graphene or genetic modification? Well find out, and help them and their adapters take off. “Technology is not our enemy,” Mokyr concludes, “It is our best hope. If you think rapid technological change is undesirable, try secular stagnation.”

No, start relating well to today’s opportunities — that’s how PR, too, will prosper.