Can do Quote by Clay Shirky
“For most of modern life, our strong talents and desires for group effort have been filtered through relatively rigid institutional structures because of the complexity of managing groups. We haven't had all the groups we've wanted, we've simply had the groups we could afford. The old limits of what unmanaged and unpaid groups can do are no longer in operation.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Here Comes Everybody, 2008
Traditional group structures limit talent; new digital tools now enable flexible, unpaid collaboration.
In simple terms: Old groups were rigid; now we can form many free groups online.
Key Takeaway
Leverage digital platforms for collaborative projects.
Themes
collaboration
technology
social organization
Mood
optimistic
pragmatic
Type
strategic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- online communities
- open source projects
- social movements
- freelance teams
Key Concepts
network effects
crowdsourcing
decentralization
Questions to Reflect On
- What groups could you form online?
- How do you manage coordination without hierarchy?
A Different Perspective
Digital divide may restrict participation for some.
![“[B]ecause the minimum costs of being an organization in the first place are relatively high, certain activities may have some value but not enough to make them worth pursuing in any organized way. New social tools are altering this equation by lowering the costs of coordinating group action.” quote by Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a6d/clay-shirky-3364_first-place_b-ecause-the-minimum-costs-of-being-an-o_874307.jpg)
![“[N]ew technology enables new kinds of group-forming.” quote by Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/988/clay-shirky-3364_society_n-ew-technology-enables-new-kinds-of-gro_57243.jpg)
