--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly…" description: "\"Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of participants, cooperating creates group identity.\" — Clay Shirky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png" --- # Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of… ![“Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of participants, cooperating creates group identity.” quote by Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png) > “Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of participants, cooperating creates group identity.” [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cooperation builds a shared identity among participants, whereas mere sharing only aggregates individuals without fostering a collective sense of belonging. **In simple terms:** Cooperation creates group identity, sharing does not. Key Takeaway Promote cooperative actions to strengthen community bonds. Themes community identity collaboration social dynamics Mood inspirational analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - team projects - online forums - neighborhood initiatives - open-source development Key Concepts collective intelligence social capital group cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What structures encourage cooperation over simple sharing? - How can we measure the strength of group identity? A Different Perspective Cooperation can be hindered by power imbalances or lack of trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Group identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/group-identity/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) ## Related quotes > [“Communication depends on the basic convention that participants are cooperating with one another and that, therefore, what one person says to the other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-culler/communication-depends-on-the-basic-convention-that-participants-are/) [Jonathan Culler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-culler/) > [The growing child must derive a vitalizing sense of reality from the awareness that his individual way of mastering experience (his ego synthesis) is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-erikson/the-growing-child-must-derive-a-vitalizing-sense-of-reality-from-the/) [Erik Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-erikson/) > [London's got less of a group identity because it's a melting pot and it's bigger. Whereas if you're from Glasgow or Newcastle or wherever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/london-s-got-less-of-a-group-identity-because-it-s-a-melting-pot-and/) [Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/) > [“It’s often thought that the only function of pronunciation is to facilitate intelligibility; but it is also there to express personal or group identity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/it-s-often-thought-that-the-only-function-of-pronunciation-is-to/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [I don't see tribalism ever really disappearing entirely. I just think that people are almost hardwired to identify as groups. And that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/i-don-t-see-tribalism-ever-really-disappearing-entirely-i-just-think/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [With artists of my own generation there was at first no group identity - and never a clique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-noland/with-artists-of-my-own-generation-there-was-at-first-no-group/) [Kenneth Noland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-noland/) > [Conformity is the only real fashion crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-doonan/conformity-is-the-only-real-fashion-crime/) [Simon Doonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-doonan/) > [To me, a person's identity is composed of both an 'I' and a 'we.' The 'I' finds itself in love, work, and pleasure, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letty-cottin-pogrebin/to-me-a-person-s-identity-is-composed-of-both-an-i-and-a-we-the-i/) [Letty Cottin Pogrebin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letty-cottin-pogrebin/) > [One's worth and self-regard ought to come from individual competitive performance, not from group identity. Pride based on clan or tribal connections is atavistic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-henry-iii/one-s-worth-and-self-regard-ought-to-come-from-individual-competitive/) [William A. Henry III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-henry-iii/) > [“When we use power and group identity, we hold ourselves separate from other groups of people, and demonstrate our beliefs that some of use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-davar/when-we-use-power-and-group-identity-we-hold-ourselves-separate-from/) Yasmin Davar > [“Antisemitism is a very peculiar pathology that recognizes no national borders. It is a mental condition conducive to paranoia and impervious to truth. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-goldstein/antisemitism-is-a-very-peculiar-pathology-that-recognizes-no-national/) [Phyllis Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-goldstein/) > [By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so called 'diversity' actually perpetuate racism. Their obsession with racial group identity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/by-encouraging-americans-to-adopt-a-group-mentality-the-advocates-of/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [You know, one of the ways we adapted to not being free was to think that our group identity was again, the way we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/you-know-one-of-the-ways-we-adapted-to-not-being-free-was-to-think/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Southerners are also like ethnic groups in that they have a sense of group identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-are-also-like-ethnic-groups-in-that-they-have-a-sense-of/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [“When culture only rewards the assertion of group identity (black, female, queer etc.), the silent majority will want its slice of the identitarian pie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohrab-ahrmari/when-culture-only-rewards-the-assertion-of-group-identity-black/) Sohrab Ahrmari ## More by Clay Shirky > [ “\[N\]ew technology enables new kinds of group-forming.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/n-ew-technology-enables-new-kinds-of-group-forming/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/to-have-a-discussion-about-the-plusses-and-minuses-of-various-forms/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [“Mass amateurization of publishing makes mass amateurization of filtering a forced move.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/mass-amateurization-of-publishing-makes-mass-amateurization-of/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/information-sharing-produces-shared-awareness-among-the-participants/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/more-interesting-than-thinking-about-what-s-possible-in-10-years-is/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/digital-networks-are-increasing-the-fluidity-of-all-media-the-old/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [Even with the sacred printing press, we got erotic novels 150 years before we got scientific journals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/even-with-the-sacred-printing-press-we-got-erotic-novels-150-years/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [Tools get socially interesting after they're no longer technologically interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/tools-get-socially-interesting-after-they-re-no-longer/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/carpooling-is-important-for-urban-density-air-pollution-and-other/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [If what you're doing is valuable for people, they will find a way to pay you to keep doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/if-what-you-re-doing-is-valuable-for-people-they-will-find-a-way-to/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/multi-taskers-often-think-they-are-like-gym-rats-bulking-up-their/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/civic-participants-don-t-aim-to-make-life-better-merely-for-members/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [I would not hesitate to say I was addicted to the Internet in the first two years. It can be addictive, and things not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/i-would-not-hesitate-to-say-i-was-addicted-to-the-internet-in-the/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [Bureaucracies temporarily suspend the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In a bureaucracy, it's easier to make a process more complex than to make it simpler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/bureaucracies-temporarily-suspend-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-in/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [The more ideas there are in circulation, the more ideas there are for any individual to disagree with. More media always means more arguing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/the-more-ideas-there-are-in-circulation-the-more-ideas-there-are-for/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) [Explore all 132 Clay Shirky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) ## More Cooperating quotes > [China has established friendship with many African countries, and is opening itself up to Africa and providing assistance. It is cooperating with African countries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wen-jiabao/china-has-established-friendship-with-many-african-countries-and-is/) [Wen Jiabao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wen-jiabao/) > [I heard some good news today, the FBI and the CIA are going to start cooperating. They are going to start working together. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-heard-some-good-news-today-the-fbi-and-the-cia-are-going-to-start/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The Seoul city government has been cooperating with the central government to stabilize the housing market, and we plan to brainstorm all possible ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/the-seoul-city-government-has-been-cooperating-with-the-central/) [Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/) > [For us, not cooperating in the monopoly regimes of intellectual property rights and patents and biodiversity - saying "no" to patents on life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/for-us-not-cooperating-in-the-monopoly-regimes-of-intellectual/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [In certain circumstances where he experiments in new types of conduct by cooperating with his equals, the child is already an adult. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/in-certain-circumstances-where-he-experiments-in-new-types-of-conduct/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [We want in the UK to have a good trading relationship with the EU. I think that's in our interests, I think that's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/we-want-in-the-uk-to-have-a-good-trading-relationship-with-the-eu-i/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [Moammar Gadhafi is the man that killed those Americans over Lockerbie, Scotland. Moammar Gadhafi is also the man that bombed that cafe in Berlin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/moammar-gadhafi-is-the-man-that-killed-those-americans-over-lockerbie/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Creating a better world requires teamwork, partnerships, and collaboration, as we need an entire army of companies to work together to build a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/creating-a-better-world-requires-teamwork-partnerships-and/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [That intellectuals, including academics, would become a "new class" of technocrats, claiming the name of science while cooperating with the powerful, was predicted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/that-intellectuals-including-academics-would-become-a-new-class-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The ability of Republican leaders to rile up their base - helped along by folks like Rush Limbaugh, some commentators on Fox News -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-ability-of-republican-leaders-to-rile-up-their-base-helped-along/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It art can only succeed through the cooperating imagination and intelligence of its consumers, who fill out, for themselves, the artist's world and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/it-art-can-only-succeed-through-the-cooperating-imagination-and/) [William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/) > [Cooperating in something as visible as space exploration and space flight can only improve relations between the two countries because what happens is, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/cooperating-in-something-as-visible-as-space-exploration-and-space/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [“I love the days when my body cooperates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-yarros/i-love-the-days-when-my-body-cooperates/) [Rebecca Yarros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-yarros/) > [Anarchy would suggest you're not cooperating. Permaculture is urging complete cooperation between each other and every other thing, animate and inanimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/anarchy-would-suggest-you-re-not-cooperating-permaculture-is-urging/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [If necessity is the mother of invention, it's the father of cooperation. And we're cooperating like never before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/if-necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention-it-s-the-father-of/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) Browse all 66 Cooperating quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of participants, cooperating creates group identity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clay Shirky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly-an-aggregate-of-participants/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cooperating" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly-an-aggregate-of-participants/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/clay-shirky-3364_cooperating_unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly_1340609.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unlike sharing, where the group is mainly an aggregate of participants, cooperating creates group identity.” — Clay Shirky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Clay Shirky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unlike sharing, where the group is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly-an-aggregate-of-participants/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/unlike-sharing-where-the-group-is-mainly-an-aggregate-of-participants/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```