Joey Dweck

The effects that Wikis have over the way we obtain and disperse information rides much on what I posted about in my previous blog. As I mentioned, the world is changing rapidly and the ways we function as a society is being shaped by the technoligies that are developed over time.

Wikis are one way that the internet has become its own continent in a sense where people from all over can collaborate and collectively contribute to advancements in society. If you think about it, there is no need to waste time on (some) pointless face-to-face meetings with wiki platforms such as Google Docs, lucid chart, etc.

Other forms such as Wikipedia give people the ability to learn about specific topics for basic knowledge or insight into any category they can think up. I think it is especially fascinating that only 2% of Wikipedias users are the once contributing to the content. That means that so many people have been and continue to be finding this information helpful and almost essential for basic knowledge of anything they’d like by striking a few buttons. Otherwise, we would have to go to the library for to find an Encyclopedia that “might” have the information we ar e looking for and is most probably outdated. But Wikipedia and any Wiki can be updated constantly and discrepencies can be cleared up in no time.

Shirky shows in these chapteres that in our time sensitive society, wikis as well as many other internet platforms are shaping the way we function.

In Middle School, I recall learning of the monumental events throughout the history of the world, which have shaped society to what it is today. I was amazed how the Industrial Revolution transformed an agricultural-based society to a society of manufacturers and skilled laborers. I remember wondering if the people of that time knew they were taking part in something that will forever change the world they once knew.

Taking a personal look back, it’s surprising to see that the world has changed tremendously since I’ve come into this world. “Here Comes Everybody” allowed me to see that we are in the midst of an “information revolution” that is only just beginning to heavily impact the way we function as a society.

Shirky provides many concrete examples laying out both the benefits and dangers of having the world’s information at our fingertips. Although there is much to worry about, I feel that we have much more to benefit. From personal benefits like the Stolen Sidekick story to fun organized events like flash-mobs to larger revolutions that are happening in the Arab world. None of this could’ve happened without the new media platforms created on the Internet.

I understand that people are threatened by change and they are afraid of this new world we are entering into as Shirky has depicted through his uncle. But my argument is “just because somebody might want to steal money doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use money”. I do feel that its necessary to lay out protective measures and I do believe there will be many to come.

Throughout these chapters, Clay Shirky has made one thing clearly evident; the Internet and its platforms have forever changed how we obtain information. But more so, it is what we can do with this vast amount of information (at the speeds we are able to consume it) that is going to mold the way we operate as a society for generations to come. One day a 7^th grader is going to be reading about this information revolution in his history book and ask himself what I once asked myself. My answer to that 7^th grader is YES.