Instant Gratification in Our Digital Media Driven World
As technology continues its relentless march forward throughout current history, we consumers of all the various forms of digital media are forced to adapt constantly to the constant changes that occur. Clay Shirky, the author of Here Comes Everybody explains how our society develops new behaviors to cope with these constant changes. Shirky explains how social groups form by incorporating technology into their everyday lives. These groups are often driven by a need or a cause and depending on different factors; these same groups may flourish or wither over time.
Shirky’s book is written in a very approachable manner as he uses various examples of social organizations that the reader finds entertaining and also informative. He explains the development of the Internet since its inception and how it has become a ubiquitous element in our lives on a daily basis. He likens the way in which the internet has leveled the social playing field of today’s digital media consumers in a similar way that the development of the printing press leveled the social playing field for people living in the 1400’s. Now we have the ability to self-publish vast amounts of information on the internet without any constraints placed upon us. This has reduced and almost eliminated many old-style forms of communication including traditional print media such as newspapers and magazines. The 24 hour news cycle has shrunk into something more akin to a 24 minute news cycle as people use social tools like Twitter and Facebook to instantly report and comment on any activity that is occurring.
Coasean Floors and Ceilings
The author explains how social tools allow loosely constructed groups to form around common goals and grow without traditional costs. He uses two terms that he created to discuss the economic theories of these groups: “Coasean Ceiling” and “Coasean Floor”, both as a nod to the Nobel Prize economist Ronald Coase. The Coasean Ceiling refers to the point where the cost of managing a typical institutional system prevents it from working well and the Coasean Floor refers to the point where the costs for that system are too high regardless of the value of the system. He mentions the photo sharing tool Flickr as an example of the Coasean Floor, groups can form based on the types of images they wish to share without any real cost incurred by them.
The Promise, The Tool and The Bargain
Another key concept Shirky discusses is the idea that all successful social tools employ the fusion of the promise, the tool and the bargain. The promise involves the reason one would want to join a group – “What’s in it for me? What can I gain from this association?” The tool refers to any type of social tool the user employs whether it is Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or any number of other means to share information with other members of the group. And the bargain is the payoff; what the expectations are for the user and what will they reap from their participation.
Other reviewers have found that Here Comes Everybody is a recommended read for anyone interested in the dual development of social media tools and today’s consumers. In the 2008 New York Times review “We Want It, and Waiting is No Option” of Clay Shirky’s book, (www.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/business/media/31carr.html), David Carr states that “maybe changing the equation isn’t so much a matter of throwing out old media as adjusting to hybrid models that enable an infinite inventory on a digital shelf – embracing, rather than trying to control, choice”. We are finding that the costs of involvement in today’s social media are lower every day and we can decide the level of engagement that we wish to include ourselves on an individual basis. Power to the People!
