Book Review: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

What a fascinating book! That is the only way I can describe it. I also consider it a wake-up call to institutions like higher education. Recognize the power of amateur communications and adopt the methods or suffer surprises as other organizations have.

Clay Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations* should be on everyone’s shelf. Through countless stories, Shirky explains how various technologies have disrupted the status quo. He explains how people have organized and made a significant difference without the overhead of a formal organization. Across eleven chapters, Shirky presents stories and technologies, and more importantly, he explains how the technologies caused a disruption in the status quo. Many of these disruptions, as he pointed out, would not be possible without the right technology. He shares examples such as the Catholic Church scandals where people once swept incidents under the rug;

Shirky convincingly points out that everyday people can now engage in activities that were once reserved for professionals, and sometimes, easier and better than the professionals. He notes that because of social tools, we are more easily able to organize than ever before. To support his findings, he provides numerous examples from protests in Belarus, against the Catholic Church, and in Egypt. He talks about how everyday people are becoming journalists and reporting on issues that are important to them. As a result, they are disrupting the information released by professional news networks. Everyday people often release stories before the professionals can report on them, or in other cases, they bypass government controls. People can now come together and build things that are cost-prohibitive for an organization or company. He cites Wikipedia and Linux as examples of open source development of large-scale projects with no actual organization.

Shirky also spends a considerable amount of time exploring networks. As he notes, “most of the barriers to group action have collapsed, and without those barriers, we are free to explore new ways of gathering together and getting things done” (Shirky, 2013, p. 21). He points out that the arrangement of networks and special individuals called connectors, who have an above-average number of connections, allows us to engage with extremely large organizations. We no longer rely on physical institutions and organizations to dominate our lives. Virtual connections are increasingly having an impact. We should work to develop our networks.

“Most of the barriers to group action have collapsed, and without those barriers, we are free to explore new ways of gathering together and getting things done”

One extremely important concept outlined in Shirky’s book is that of Coase’s Theory. Basically, the transaction costs are so low that anything is virtually possible. Because it is cheap and easy to participate in Flickr, users have built massive photo libraries. Since updating an article is cheap and easy, Wikipedia has grown to include millions of articles. Because it is cheap and easy, millions of people have blogs to share stories and news.

Shirky has made a convincing case that today’s social tools are as disruptive as the Gutenberg printing press was to the world in the 1400s. I believe this is an important book to read. Not only does it give a glimpse into the future, but it also explains many of the unsettling aspects of current life. People who fail to keep up with the current disruptions will experience shock when their way of life vanishes.

Additional Reading

• Book Review: Organizations Don’t Tweet, People Do: A Manager’s Guide to the Social Web
• Book Review: A World Gone Social

Unlock Your Potential Through the Power of Reading! What if one simple habit could transform your personal and professional life? Reading opens doors to new ideas, expands your knowledge, and creates opportunities for success. In Read to Succeed, Stan Skrabut explores how books can become powerful tools for lifelong learning and /personal growth. Discover practical strategies for developing a consistent reading habit, choosing books that support your goals, and turning knowledge into meaningful action. Your next chapter of success begins with your next book! Discover Read to Succeed →

• In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, which means that if you purchase this item through my link I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.
  Plus, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. 🙂 Thank you, in advance for your support!