Here Comes Everybody (Ch. 1-3)

Reading Shirky was an eye opener. I had never really given thought, at least in depth, to the profound effect that ephemeral grouping and structures had on the world. The scenarios Shirkey gives definitely drive home the importance that these ephemeral groups play in the role of information delivery and their ability to take action in a given situation. It was interesting to note that this wasn't even possible ten years ago. The ability to quickly generate the amount of attention to any given situation is really mind boggling. To be able to change the "verdict" of a police department over a "lost" cell phone is amazing as well. What Shirky so distinctly points out is the ability to take action or recourse both swiftly and effectively utilizing a mass communication and action system full of individuals. The individuals that get involved may offer different skill sets and be able to offer assistance and services that may not have been available before a viral spread of a particular piece of information. As we see later in the reading, these self-constructed groups can do much more than help get back a cell phone.

In Shirky's Flikr example we are able to see that a file sharing platform was able to be an organizer of sorts, bringing together a united "tag-line" of photographs with relative ease. By tagging the photographs and linking them together they were able to create a "collage" of peoples works regarding an event and enable users of the platform a way in which communication and sharing were possible with minimal expenditures.

Also important is the current ability to relay information so quickly. The tactile trait of information sharing instantaneously is obvious in most of Shirky's scenario's but was definitely prominent in his example of Trent Lott's comment on Strom Thurmond's birthday.

While Lott's comment too many seemed innocuous, the ability to stream the content of his comment was contextualized by the media and regarded by many to be of great consequence. The stream of information enabled people to become intimately familiar with something that they may have never known about otherwise. So is this a good thing or a bad thing? How do we perceive the notion that immediacy plays in our own lives?

It's unnerving to think that an innocent comment regarding a situation could have an impact that could conceivably end your career. This may show the negative impact that this information flow can have on people in general, but what about the important aspects of information flow? Shirky shows a positive spin on information flow by utilizing the example of Ivanna and her lost cell phone. It's important to realize however, that Shirky comments on the negative side effects of information flow aside from the positive outcome regarding Ivanna's (and Evan's) triumph.

How do we win? There doesn't seem to be any real finite answer to this question. It seems as though we must weigh our actions with that of unintended consequences and hope for the best outcome. But as the saying goes, "What goes around, comes around" or "What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander."