Social systems Quotes by Clay Shirky

“[N]ew technology enables new kinds of group-forming.”

— Clay Shirky

To have a discussion about the plusses and minuses of various forms of group action, though, is going to require discussing the current tools…

— Clay Shirky

“Mass amateurization of publishing makes mass amateurization of filtering a forced move.”

— Clay Shirky

“Information sharing produces shared awareness among the participants, and collaborative production relies on shared creation, but collective action creates shared responsibility, by tying the…

— Clay Shirky

More interesting than thinking about what's possible in 10 years is thinking what's possible now but that no one has built.

— Clay Shirky

“Digital networks are increasing the fluidity of all media. The old choice between one-way public media (like books and movies) and two-way private media…

— Clay Shirky

Even with the sacred printing press, we got erotic novels 150 years before we got scientific journals.

— Clay Shirky

Tools get socially interesting after they're no longer technologically interesting.

— Clay Shirky

Carpooling is important for urban density, air pollution and other reasons, but carpooling is not the kind of thing that actually changes the energy…

— Clay Shirky

If what you're doing is valuable for people, they will find a way to pay you to keep doing it.

— Clay Shirky

Multi-taskers often think they are like gym rats, bulking up their ability to juggle tasks, when in fact they are like alcoholics, degrading their…

— Clay Shirky

Civic participants don't aim to make life better merely for members of the group. They want to improve even the lives of people who…

— Clay Shirky