OSP: Clay Shirky - End of audience

 Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

It has made working significantly easier, The network connects us to other people and It provides a great source of information, it can be used for campaigning and political action. It's a great place for gaming and education, which can be used to make a lot a money.

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

There can be fraud, scams, ripoffs and malicious softward. Also there's the dark web, made up of websites and online services accessed via specialised and tools that make it very hard to identify who is using them, which this service is often used to sell drugs and other illegal activity. 

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

This lies at the centre of this debate, this is the only way to encourage a diverse online cultural that allows all voices for him to heard. 

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

There are many consequences in the Media, also the media isn't that regulated and is also managed by a limited network. 

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I believe the internet should be regulated. This is because currently due to the lack of regulation, children who have not reached the age limit are able to access the internet. 

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

A profession solves a difficult problem using special skills. Newspapers were a profession because journalists controlled what news people received

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

What happens when anyone can publish information for free?

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

Bloggers noticed his controversial comments. They kept the story alive until mainstream news covered it.

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

It is when ordinary people can do things that were once done by professionals.

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

False information can be repeated many times online. This can make it spread widely, even though repetition does not make it true.

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Technology can create chaos before a new system becomes stable. The internet may be part of this process.

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

Anyone can publish online without working for a newspaper. This makes the difference between journalists and ordinary people less clear.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

He says the printing press caused a period of intellectual and political chaos in Europe.

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

People can now take and share high-quality photos using phones. They do not need professional equipment.

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

I think Shirky’s ideas are partly positive. Mass amateurisation lets more people share information and have a voice. However, it can also create confusion and false information. This means we may be in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” while the new system develops.

A/A* extension work: Read Chapter 1 ‘It takes a village to find a phone’ and Chapter 4 ‘Publish, then filter’ to further understand Shirky’s ideas concerning the ‘End of audience’.

Shirky argues that the internet allows people to work together without traditional organisations. People are no longer just an “audience” they can participate, share information and take action themselves. This makes group action much easier and gives ordinary people more power.