The Awesome Web Company

My take on Monday’s Power of Networks talk at the ICA.

Some other documentation that I’m aware of:

Mark AM Kramer recorded it!
Blackbeltjones’s notes

Also these people blogged about Shirky’s talk at the RSA on Tuesday:
The Guardian blog
Joshua March

Brian Eno: We are much less informed now than we were in the 60s.

Clay Shirky: We’ve replaced planning with co-ordination.
e.g., ‘txt me when you’re nearby’

Brian Eno: Surely the government is spending millions figuring out online communities, assessing the risks and generally monitoring them.
Me: [chuckle]

Clay Shirky: In high-freedom environments, people use social tools for fun. In low-freedom environments they use them for political action.
Me: This is the stuff that gets me really excited. I’m going to write a dedicated post to do it justice. Watch this space

Clay Shirky: ‘Everyone knows that everyone knows that everyone knows’ is the key to producing a political movement…
‘Everyone knows’ = well, I know about it at least
‘Everyone knows that everyone knows’ = wow, other people DEFINITELY know it too
‘Everyone knows that everyone knows that everyone knows’ = now it’s in the public domain we’d better do something about it!

Brian Eno: The Microsoft model will fail. The Linux model will succeed.

Clay Shirky: A new corporate law is required. One that follows the creative commons principal that defines groups that are not commercially motivated.
Me: Also, a new approach to the concept of shareholders. Shareholders as taking a creative rather than financial interest somehow perhaps.

Brian Eno: We live in a much more dangerous and oppressive climate than we think. In a few years we will expect for Government to have access to our Facebook profiles.
Me: [more chuckles]

Clay Shirky: ‘Transparent conspiracy’ is a political tool of the future. In other words, you may as well announce collective action on a blog cos the authorities will find out anyway.
Me: Love the phrase ‘transparent conspiracy’.

Clay Shirky: The Masai all carry two things: a spear and a cell phone.
Me: !!!

Both agreed that the BEST thing about the web is it gives people a voice.
Before the mid-late 90s if you wanted to say something in public you couldn’t. There was no voice for the citizen. Now there is. So there.