Here Comes Everybody
A deep dive into internet-fueled group dynamics and organizational change.
Summary of 6 Key Points
Key Points
- The Internet Lowers Coordination Costs
- New Social Tools Facilitate Group Action
- Traditional Organizational Structures Are Challenged
- The Role of Sharing, Cooperation, and Collective Action
- Examples of Internet-Fueled Mass Collaborative Efforts
- The Future of Groups in a Networked World
key point 1 of 6
The Internet Lowers Coordination Costs
The internet has dramatically lowered coordination costs, which refers to the expenses and effort required to manage the collaboration and communication within groups and between individuals. The author illustrates this by explaining how traditional organizations have historically had high coordination costs due to the need for managing hierarchies, maintaining bureaucracies, and executing complex logistical operations. These costs acted as a barrier to collective action because they required significant resources and structures to overcome…Read&Listen More
key point 2 of 6
New Social Tools Facilitate Group Action
In ‘Here Comes Everybody’, Clay Shirky explores how the advent of new social tools has fundamentally altered the way groups form and operate. The author describes how the internet and mobile technologies have lowered the barriers to group formation and action, enabling more people to collaborate and coordinate without traditional organizational structures. With platforms like social media, wikis, and blogs, individuals can self-organize to create content, share information, and rally around causes with unprecedented ease…Read&Listen More
key point 3 of 6
Traditional Organizational Structures Are Challenged
In the discussion of how traditional organizational structures are challenged, it’s emphasized that the rise of the internet and digital communication technologies has dramatically reduced the costs of coordinating group efforts. Where once the logistical hurdles of organizing people were so high that formal organizations were the most efficient way to get things done, the playing field is now leveling. The barriers to entry for group formation and action have significantly lowered, allowing ad-hoc groups to form fluidly and rapidly around shared interests or purposes without the need for institutional overhead…Read&Listen More
key point 4 of 6
The Role of Sharing, Cooperation, and Collective Action
In ‘Here Comes Everybody’, the author explores the role of sharing in the digital age, showing how the ease of sharing information online has led to new forms of collaboration and collective action. He illustrates that sharing is a fundamental behavior that is amplified by online tools, allowing people to distribute content widely with minimal effort. This act of sharing can range from personal anecdotes to public information, and it serves as a catalyst for communal engagement and the formation of groups with shared interests or goals…Read&Listen More
key point 5 of 6
Examples of Internet-Fueled Mass Collaborative Efforts
The text provides an insightful examination of internet-fueled mass collaborative efforts, illustrating how the rise of digital networks has significantly lowered the barriers to collective action. It elaborates on historical constraints that limited organizational capabilities, such as the need for managerial oversight and the costs of coordinating group activities. With the advent of the internet, these constraints have been radically reduced, enabling large-scale collaborations without traditional organizational structures…Read&Listen More
key point 6 of 6
The Future of Groups in a Networked World
The future of groups in a networked world, as articulated, revolves around the transformative power that digital networks and communication tools have on the way individuals congregate, coordinate, and collaborate. The premise posits that the Internet has fundamentally altered the landscape for group formation and action, making it vastly easier and cheaper for people to gather for a cause, share information, and mobilize…Read&Listen More