Name: Institutions vs. collaboration
Uploaded: 2008-07-10T06:30:00Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.

In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.

Institutions vs. collaboration

Traditional institutions rely on rigid structure and planning, but online networks like Flickr and Wikipedia harness the power of many small, voluntary contributions. A single user can add just one photo or line of code and still have outsized impact—on Flickr, 80 percent of contributors share less than the average yet shape the whole. As barriers to communication drop, fluid cooperation replaces hierarchy, making room for creativity and rapid change. This shift brings both new opportunities and unexpected risks as old boundaries dissolve.

Loose Networks Outperform Institutions In A Connected World

Why an Internet "slow lane" is a terrible idea

business

cognitive science

collaboration

culture

social change

society

technology

TED Stage Talk

Clay Shirky: Institutions vs. collaboration