Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

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?

The internet allows people freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of press in just one connection. The internet also has political, educational and economic advantages.

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

It's hard to filter and control which allows for the spread of hate and illegal content such as child abuse which can be accessed via the 'dark web'. Another danger to consider is the online abuse and bullying which many people face through social media and chat rooms. 

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

Open technology can be interpreted in different ways, it could mean: computers being able to run any program without the need for it to be checked, end to end encryption or the ability to access or change software without payment or permission. I believe openness is good but only to a certain extent as there are challenges with illegal and immoral use of technology when not being monitored. 

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

Bill Thompson says that the future of the internet could have challenges relating to safety and rule/law enforcement as in order to get the full experience and benefit from it, it has to be as open as possible.

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 controlled more as people are using it to do illegal things anonymously which could lead to real life harm and it makes it harder for the police to track criminals who are protected by encrypted chats. 

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 is when specialisation is used to solve a difficult problem regarding managing a scarce resource. This links to the newspaper industry as when resources are scarce journalists must decide what news is worthy of being printed and published.

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

What happens when publishing is no longer unique, this is because the internet has made it so that everyone is capable of publishing whatever they want which means there is no longer any scarcity. 

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

Traditional media chose to ignore the story but online bloggers decided to post criticising it which made it gain popularity and forced the news to discuss it. 

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

Mass amateurisation refers to the rise of the internet giving people access to the tools they need to publish whereas in the past only professionals had access to these tools. 

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’?

This idea links to the current media landscape as fake news being spread online and going viral is more likely to gain attention and be believed by people than news from traditional outlets. 

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?

Shirky discusses how technology has changed the way people consume and share information and how people are now able to access multiple sources from around the world. This means we’re currently experience revolution. 

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

Everyone who has access to technology and the internet is now able to publish whatever they want onto the internet, this is important because the media we consume is no longer being controlled by a small group.

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? 

The internet revolution has lead to the spread of fake news and misinformation, clear examples of this can be seen when looking at global events such as COVID where people were spreading misinformation and conspiracies.  

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

In the past only a photographer could take a photo as it required expensive equipment which wasn’t easily found but the introduction of smartphones meant everyone had a device in their pocket with the ability to take a photo whenever they wanted with no experience whatsoever. 

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? 

In my opinion mass amateurisation has had both positive and negative impacts. It means that people have more freedom due to having access to free information on the internet and it has improved the lives of many but it also comes with the risk of spreading of misinformation as people post first and filter later. People are being fed large amounts of information which makes it harder for them to look into and verify which can lead to people not believing things they see online or even believing things that they shouldn’t. This can also have impacts on politics which is similar to the chaos seen after the printing press revolution.