Kim Walter (CU-Denver and Jefferson County School District)

Shirky, C. (2008).

New York: Penguin. ISBN# 978-1-59420-153-0

Clay Shirky's recent volume,

, provides a detailed account of how inexpensive technological tools, software applications and the ease of access to the internet are changing the way people organize. Shirky, who is a technology consultant, columnist, and New York University adjunct professor, argues that distance, logistics and economics are no longer barriers to connecting with others of similar interests. The ability for humans to organize cheaply, efficiently and effectively is changing the way we take action as groups, resulting in a challenge to the status quo -- a revolution, if you will -- that cannot be contained.

Shirky's thesis starts from the premise that humans, by nature, have a need to work in groups, and that technological tools and applications are expanding and amplifying the ways people form and organize these groups. Many have noted, for example, how the Obama campaign used simple tools such as email, texting, Myspace, Facebook, and other web applications to empower supporters. On much smaller scale, Shirky gives the example of a woman who loses her cell phone in a New York City cab and then uses Myspace, reader-directed news, and other web-based tools to aide in finding her phone -- the point being that with the right tools and a little determination, she was able to draw on a diverse network of people to solve her dilemma.

In these and many other ways, technology and technological tools have changed the methods and speed with which people communicate. The numerous tools available, from computers to cell phones, that include the capability to send text, video and pictures, and to connect to social media -- from wikis and blogs to Twitter and Facebook -- mean that almost anyone can connect to almost anybody in countless forms. These tools have allowed a variety of talents and groups to connect under a common goal.

This new way of working -- of organizing geographically distributed people into groups with common goals -- extends even to development of software itself. The growth of the open-source operating system Linux -- and the successes of open-source software in general -- are yet another demonstration of how the ability to connect can contribute to the advancement of a common cause. The Linux project shows how talented individuals, working with no expectation of financial reward, can combine under a common goal to create products that compete successfully with products made by large, profit-oriented businesses. How can this be? One reason is that the open-source model limits the cost of failure -- after all, spending large amounts of resources on research and development for products that may or may not sell is risky for a traditional business, but with open-source development failure costs nothing, and it is easy for the community to learn from mistakes and try again. In this way communal projects like Linux have allowed extremely innovative ideas to develop take hold quickly.

The ease of forming groups and using web tools is also changing the relative values of actions groups can take. Shirky cites the example of MoveOn.org’s ability to organize its followers to send emails to their government representatives. At one time, a letter to a representative carried some weight -- it represented a commitment of time and effort on the part of the sender, and thus indicated that the issue was of some importance to that person. These emails however, do not carry this same weight, since sending and forwarding email takes limited committed effort on the part of the group member. To be more effective, web-based groups have begun to turn to more creative ways of demonstrating their members' commitment. Shirky tells of a group that asked its members to send flowers to their representatives, reasoning that a message that represented a clear commitment of time and money would be more highly valued.

Shirky argues that groups such as MoveOn.org will ultimately have a limited impact, because they require so little commitment by the audience. Social groups that people create or seek out, on the other hand, have a better chance of being successful because of the interest and commitment on the part of the participants. Shirky overlooks, however, the large amount of money that these groups have been able to collect and then marshal for advertising and political lobbying, not to mention the popular and media attention it has been able to attract to itself.

is no academic tome; it is clearly aimed at a general audience, and as someone who teaches middle school technology classes, I found it useful as a guide to the ever-expanding universe of social networking and collaboration tools. For my generation of "digital immigrants," it can provide a window into the habits of the younger "digital natives." At the same time, even digital natives are likely to find Shirky's perspectives, predictions, and frameworks thought-provoking. Those who see technology as a poor substitute for "real" social connections will be disappointed -- Shirky finds the positive effects on our society to be far greater than the negative. Rather try to question or limit the the changes these technological tools have brought, Shirky embraces them wholeheartedly. Pessimists will have to look elsewhere for support; in the meantime, the optimists, it is safe to say, will have more company.