Author's views in a modern society

          The internet has abilities to mobilize individuals and change the way that a culture is connected, even to change outcomes. Crowdsoucring is an example in Shirky’s perspective of the ability to publicize events and use new technology as a way to keep tract of information to gain attention globally and through mainsteam media. He uses the example of a lost/stolen phone and the ability to publicize and keep tract of events as evidence to change an outcome. Lievourw looks at how the internet of social media can link global information through networking for a broad expansion of communication that is like a commons knowledge created and distributed and evolves in modern society and shapes culture.

            Shirky focuses on how modern society interferes with our ability to share, collaborate, and participate making it harder to connect personally with people but that with network creations technology it’s made easier and could be part of the answer to the problems of modernity because communication not only passes ideas along but also shapes our thoughts and the way we’re all connected.

          Modernity is a time where we mass produce individuality as a collective product that fosters self hood. From Jenkins point of view through participation and interacting people contribute to culture and converge culture in social media. However, in a capitalist community that creates financial competition we are restrained by what the producer allows and authority limits what you can do. Converging old and new media allows the ability to mix and merge new media such as with fan participation and creativity. Using commons knowledge involves a sense of sharing resources but this can be a problem with privatization and intellectual property rights. It creates barriers with authority regulations and increases competition for things valued and desired.

            With the emergence of mass media industries harbor labor and investments with huge finances for managing organizations and maintain regulations that govern interactions in order to have a profitful/successful business. The goal becomes financial success and profit in a capitalist modernized society with individual contributions limited under authority. These large privatized organizations under control of authority and governance get in the way of our natural tendencies to share, collaborate, and cooperate for the good of the whole.

            Shirky supports the idea that without the framework of formal management (with financial motivation) that a democratic society would be beneficial to overcome barriers in a monopolized society. In a modernized society it will be easier to share, collaborate, and cooperate for society as a whole and to connect with new technology as it enables us to with shared efforts from “private” to the general public and without regulations of management or a central authority. This will exhibit the ability to communicate, choose involvement and participate in decisions, and lower barriers of work as with entering into a profession and will better form a common sense and create a common culture and form plans to act on with shared group effort without governance that will be effective to society as a whole.