Week Five

1. If Shirky is right, and we’re headed to a period where social media tools like YouTube, Flickr, and social networks like Facebook become “invisible,” what’s the impact on things you spend money on as consumers? Books? Movies? Music?

Social media tools have made a large impact on society today so I do not know how these tools can become invisible. Youtube specifically deals with music and television clips and without this website it would be much harder to determine what new song to buy on itunes. Also Youtube provides movie trailers and television clips. Certain social media tools such as Facebook and Myspace have applications where you can share some of your favorite songs, book, television shows and movies with your friends. On these websites you can join groups with other people who share the same interests as well. On Facebook you are able to create a status of what you are doing, which often is an opinion about a song or an event in popular culture. Now buying products online is the new fad, which seems to be gaining interest not losing interest. People buy music online, a large majority through itunes, and now you can download books online to your computer. I think if these media tools disappeared then the buying industry would drastically change.

2. Consider the concept of a “community of practice.” How can such a community offer opportunities for learning?

Clay Shirky the author of "Here Comes Everybody" defines community of practice as a groups that are cooperative and supported by social tools where they are able to find other people who have similar interests (101). An example of these communities of practice is Flickr which is described in the book when he talks about describing the quality of a picture. Flickr is a website where photographs can be shared and people are able to comment on the pictures creating a community. Shirky also claims that all websites attract people who are interested in the same topics and are willing to talk about these interests (102). Being able to comment on someone else's work allows people to learn about another person and see a different perspective on the same issue. People can agree or disagree with opinions, but at least there will be several opinions.