How social media can make history - Clay Shirky

Summary of Clay Shirky's "How Social Media Can Make History"

Short Summary:

This talk explores the transformative power of social media, arguing that it represents the largest increase in expressive capability in human history. Shirky highlights how social media has shifted the media landscape from a one-to-many model (professional producers to passive consumers) to a many-to-many model (amateur producers and active consumers). This shift has enabled citizen journalism, global coordination, and direct engagement with political figures, as seen in examples like the Sichuan earthquake reporting and the Obama campaign. He emphasizes that organizations and individuals need to adapt to this new media environment, embracing the participatory nature of social media and focusing on building communities rather than simply broadcasting messages.

Detailed Summary:

Section 1: The Rise of Social Media and its Impact on Expressive Capability

Shirky begins by outlining the four major media revolutions in the past 500 years: the printing press, two-way communication (telegraph, telephone), recorded media (photos, sound, film), and broadcast media (radio, television).
He argues that the current social media revolution is the most significant, as it allows for both group formation and conversation simultaneously, unlike previous media forms.
He emphasizes that this revolution is driven by the convergence of social and technological factors, with the internet acting as a platform for all media, enabling a "many-to-many" communication model.

Section 2: Citizen Journalism and Global Coordination in Action

Shirky uses the Sichuan earthquake as an example of how social media facilitated citizen journalism and global coordination.
He describes how Twitter and QQ were used to report the earthquake in real-time, bypassing traditional media channels and enabling rapid information sharing and global response.
He highlights the role of social media in exposing corruption related to the earthquake, leading to protests and government crackdown.

Section 3: The Shift from Broadcast to Conversation

Shirky contrasts the traditional media model of broadcasting messages to a passive audience with the new social media model of conversation and engagement.
He emphasizes that the audience is no longer passive but actively participates in creating and sharing content, blurring the lines between consumer and producer.
He uses the Obama campaign as an example of how social media can be used to build communities and engage with supporters, even when there are disagreements.

Section 4: Adapting to the New Media Landscape

Shirky concludes by urging organizations and individuals to adapt to the new media environment, embracing the participatory nature of social media and focusing on building communities rather than simply broadcasting messages.
He emphasizes that the "freak" of the new media landscape is the abundance of amateur content and the interconnectedness of the audience.
He suggests that the key to success in this new environment is to understand how to convene and support groups, rather than trying to control them.

Notable Quotes:

"These tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring."
"The moment we're living through... is the largest increase in expressive capability in human history."
"The internet is the first medium in history that has native support for groups and conversation at the same time."
"Every time a new consumer joins this media landscape, a new producer joins as well."
"Media is increasingly less just a source of information, as increasingly more a site of coordination."
"The audience can talk back, and that's a little freaky, but you can get used to it after a while."
"The choice we face... isn't whether that's the media environment we want to operate in, that's the media environment we've got."