Hi, my name is Jeff Carter and I am a senior public relations major at Georgia Southern University and this is my slidecast on Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.
Shirky is a consultant who is focused on the rise of decentralized technologies.Shirky consults major clients such as BBC, Nokia, and the Library of Congress, just to name a few. Shirkyis also an adjunct professor at NYU, where he teaches courses in the Interactive Telecommunications Program. He has also written many articles and columns which have been featured in publications to the likes of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Harvard Business Review and the list goes on and on. Shirky has also written a handful of books. His most notable book would have to be Here Comes Everybody. Shirkyis also graduate of Yale College where he received a degree in art.
Here are a few things I learned from reading this bookAccording to Shirky, there are four areas of organizing a group. There is sharing, conversation, collaboration, and collective action. He suggests that it depends on the effort of the individual to how it will effect the outcome. Sharing requires very little effort. Conversation requires more effort and collaboration requires even more effort than the first two. The last step is collective action. This is when the individual gives maximum effort and will experience the highest achievement. Right now, he says that collective action is the rarest of the four but it will become a major player in the future. The book talks about the ease of use and organizing people on the internet has inspired more to try out their business ideas. People are now more willing to try their ideas even if they fail because of the low start-up rate. Collaborativeproduction is something that I have never really paid attention to or have ever given a lot of thought. Shirkyusesthemost famous example of collaborative production, wikipedia. People who share an appreciation for education and knowledge can now come together and collaborate their ideas and/or facts and enter them into a global encyclopedia.
Shirky talks about how the ease of forming groups online can be both good and bad. An example of these type of online groups would be anorexia. There can be tons of support groups for anorexia. These groups can be filled with people who used to be anorexic and are there to support each other and those who may be trying to quit. This would be considered a good group. A bad online group would be people who are anorexic giving each other tips and advice on how to continue this dangerous lifestyle without people knowing. The book also makes the point that after groups are united online, that their way of communicating and plotting their course of action becomes a lot easier. He uses flash mobs as an example. For those who don’t know what flash mobs are, they are organized groups who randomly converge on an area and do something weird or in protest. The organizing capability the internet presents, allows them to plan and discuss their targeted spots and what to do when they get there. These groups are making an impact on how people assemble for a common cause.
Shirky makes mention of how collective action, among other things, will play a huge role in our future. This leaves me to wonder how big of a role it will play and how far are we away from this happening? It would be very interesting if Shirky were to mentioned some predictions about the future. I am also curious to see how these groups will become better organized and more effective over time.
This book was not only highly informative, it also shed light on things most people are already overlooking. His ability to explain how the power of the internet and the power of social media will grow even larger and become a dominant force in our lives.
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