Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2010 > March > 14 > Entry
SXSW panel: ‘Monkeys With Internet Access: Sharing, Human Nature and Digital Data
Time: 11 a.m.
Panelist: Clay Shirky
The gist: Sharing can be a powerful force for social change.
Quotes: “Abundance breaks more things than scarcity does. Abundance is a bigger challenge to society than scarcity.”
Takeaway: The tech tools we have increase our ability to share, and increase our motivation to share. Using the impact of Napster as an example, Shirky illustrated how technology can change something we had thought of us sharing goods to sharing information. Humans are wired to have good feelings about sharing information.
Sharing within a community (like an online medical support group) is valuable, but what Shirky called “civic sharing” or “jackhammer sharing” (because of its power to dismantle old institutions) can change the whole culture. He used the site Patients Like Me, where patients share information on their symptoms with a goal of transforming the medical system.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2010
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.