While reading this, I was thinking that while I broadly agree with much of what this book identifies as characteristic of our times, and specifically the shift that's occurred in our engagement with media in today's broadened sense (the analysis early on about the change from what Shirky calls 'Gutenberg economics', driven by the high investment costs of needing to own the means of production in order to produce media, to the click and publish avenues available today, is particularly convincing), I'm more sceptical about the vaguely utopian tinge of the possibilities that it identifies for the use of the new resource of 'cognitive surplus' arising from the existence of copious free time along with the 'means' (technological), 'motive' (drawing on behavioural economics insights about social motivations), 'opportunity' (again internet-based - combinability of information, possibilities for collective action) and cultural context (norms of participants) to create public and civic value (as distinct from merely personal or communal value).
But, having finished the book, I'm open to its thesis, not least because so much of it is so intuitive - and also because I suspect I tend to personally underestimate the transformative/disruptive potential of new technology. And it's presented as analysis of possibilities and as prescription - the task still remains to unlock this potential, which Shirky acknowledges in what he also acknowledges to be the most speculative part of the book (its closing section) while giving a list of ways to improve the odds, including recalling that behaviour follows opportunity (ie we should avoid 'theory-induced blindness' in making assumptions based on past individual/social behaviour in possibly significantly different contexts), basing structures on the assumption that people will differ in how they participate/act (a version of the 80-20 rule maybe), starting small and focusing on effectiveness from the beginning, and the importance of cultural and adaptive elements.
But, having finished the book, I'm open to its thesis, not least because so much of it is so intuitive - and also because I suspect I tend to personally underestimate the transformative/disruptive potential of new technology. And it's presented as analysis of possibilities and as prescription - the task still remains to unlock this potential, which Shirky acknowledges in what he also acknowledges to be the most speculative part of the book (its closing section) while giving a list of ways to improve the odds, including recalling that behaviour follows opportunity (ie we should avoid 'theory-induced blindness' in making assumptions based on past individual/social behaviour in possibly significantly different contexts), basing structures on the assumption that people will differ in how they participate/act (a version of the 80-20 rule maybe), starting small and focusing on effectiveness from the beginning, and the importance of cultural and adaptive elements.
