Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Paper instructions:
Assignment 3
This assignment is based on Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody (2008). This
book is one of the most insightful books you will encounter on the topic of social
networking. Its examination of networking platforms, such as Myspace, Flickr,
YouTube and Wikipedia, and networking processes, such as open source
development, demonstrate that the world has undergone a major transformation in the past twenty years. The transformation goes beyond the employment of new technologies. It affects how people interact with each other socially, and has spurred the development of new communities that were unthinkable just a few years ago.
Look at Shirky’s lecture on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0FgRKsqqU .
The questions for this assignment address a number of key concepts highlighted in the book.
1. Explain how “publish then filter” works. Give at least one example. In what
sense is it different than the traditional approach of “filter than publish?” Using
your example, discuss its social and economic implications. (250 words
minimum)
2. What is “mass amateurism?” How does it work? Provide at least two
examples. Does its advent mean the end of traditional “professionalism?”
Explain your answer. (250 words minimum)
3. What is open source software? Give one example. Does its success mean
the end of commercial software? (250 words minimum)
4. Explain how Wikipedia works. Why is it that the quality of Wikipedia entries is
equal to or superior to entries in commercial encyclopedias? (250 words
minimum)
