Clay Shirky Speaks on Institutions vs. Collaboration and How Social Media Can Make History and I Respond

Before entering into this graduate program I considered myself a pretty tech savvy, socially progressive person. I had heard of social networking, but really was not into that medium at all. Although, alot of business people and businesses themselves have found ways to make platforms such Twitter and Facebook work for them, I never bothered to investigate those tools. Every week, everyday I am in this program I learn more and more about how much I hadn't thought about, didn't know about or had simply ignored. What a journey, I love it! Let's talk about TED and the videos of Clay Shirky...

Institutions vs. Collaboration
This video really made me think about several ideas that have been brewing in my head for some time. One, how can anyone really place a value on the importantance of the contributions of others? This question has driven me to reevaluate the way I assess and "grade" group work. Most educators I have talked to still view collaborative work from the standpoint of an institution and thus give students grades based on "how much" they contribute to their group project, instead of what they contribute. Is this fair? Could that one student who the teacher may consider to be the slacker in the group be the one with the most problem solving ability? Should this one student who received many complaints from other group members about not doing his or her part over the course of weeks, but figured out why (x-4c)+7-3=k/r and kept the entire project from being a failure the day before it was due earn a failing grade? I don't think so.

In this video, Clay Shirky use the example of a Microsoft executive and his critism of Linux developers and contributors. This executive devalued the validity and worth of a system that allows people to contribute one piece or many pieces to the ongoing development or growth of a product. He is thinking from the perspective of someone who values "institutions" over "collaboration". Could leaders who put more emphasis on the institution rather than the benefits of the collaborative skills of individuals be resisting what seems to be a new norm? Maybe they are, but as an educator preparing students for the 21st Century, I can not afford to.

Can Social Media Make History
Yes it can and already has. Shirky spoke about how Twitter and other forms of social media can change the way news is reported and by whom using the examples of a major earthquake in China and President Obama's election. He explained how the reporting of major news or infraction of the rights and wrongs of people can be broadcasted to the world by anyone anywhere at anytime. This new way of communicating globally comes because of the development of many types of personal technology. He also shared that in one such case, ideas for using technology this way didn't start from the places most of us would have expected, but started in a place where the need and desire to empower people fulfilled an appetite for transparency. This spark grew into a flame in Nigeria where political corruption was feared during a 2007 election and now has spread into a blaze all over.

This knowledge emcompasses how I envisioned the world changing as people grew in their desire to control their own circumstances and protect their rights. The examples he used also point to the strength of collaboration when needed to overcome what is considered to be a threat from "institutions". As a yound person learning my place in the world, I use to dream about movements such as these to help people across the globe. I wanted to be a part of a global community that respected all people and spoke up when that respect was violated. This desire is what prompted me to major in Mass Media Communications in undergraduate school. It is comforting to know that although I have left that field and industry behind, the movement continues and that everyone can be a part of it, even my students.