Here comes everybody

The evolution of publishing tools has significantly democratized the publishing industry, leading to a trend of amateurization. Previously, publishing required substantial resources and preparation, primarily due to the need for a printing press.

Today, the landscape has drastically changed, enabling anyone to become a publisher with the help of self-publishing tools. Individuals can now easily express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions through blogs, share photographs online, or create and distribute audio or video messages via podcasts to anyone with an internet connection.

This global access to free publishing tools has resulted in the amateurization of the publishing industry, broadening the role of journalism to include anyone wishing to share information. Tasks once handled by professionals, such as reproduction, distribution, and categorization of printed material, are now managed by computers, making even the most obscure content easily accessible. The ease of publishing has lowered the threshold for deciding what should be published, changing how people perceive professionally published materials.

The fusion of publishing and personal communication has become a reality with the advent of the internet, leading to a significant shift in how content is created, distributed, and consumed. In the past, there was a clear distinction between publishing, which involved a rigorous pre-publication filtering process, and personal communication. However, the rise of user-generated content on social networking platforms like MySpace, Facebook, and LiveJournal has blurred these lines. These platforms have built their business models around the collection and distribution of such content, which can range from personal updates to widely consumed articles and videos.

Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia that anyone can edit, exemplifies large-scale collaboration in the digital age. Launched in 2001, it has grown rapidly, reaching two million articles by 2007 and becoming one of the most visited websites. Wikipedia's growth is driven by non-monetary incentives, allowing contributions from anyone, which are then refined by the community. This model was particularly effective during the London bombings in 2005, when a Wikipedia page was created and updated extensively within hours, providing a detailed account of the event.

Coordinating effective collective action is a complex endeavor, but advancements in technology are making significant contributions in this field, with profound implications for societal institutions. The proliferation of information has been greatly enhanced, simplifying the organization and execution of collective actions. Digital platforms like websites, blogs, and emails have transformed collaboration, making tasks that were once unfeasible now within reach.

Email, in particular, stands out as an ideal tool for group communication, offering numerous advantages. It is almost free, can be sent with equal ease locally or internationally, and is delivered almost instantly across the globe. Email is non-intrusive, can be sent to many recipients at once, and does not require special permissions. It excels in group discussions, accommodating both one-to-many and many-to-many communication, which allows for the free flow of information, conversation, and opinion formation within groups. This capability enables the formation of organizations of various sizes to take action on discussed issues.

The acceleration of group actions facilitated by modern social tools is reshaping the dynamics of collective action, making it faster and more efficient than ever before. This shift is vividly illustrated by the incident in December 2006, when American Airlines passengers, stranded due to severe storms, rallied around a Passengers’ Bill of Rights. This movement, initiated by a real estate agent on one of the rerouted flights, quickly gained momentum, gathering thousands of signatures and eventually catching the attention of Congress. Such examples highlight the power of today’s social tools in mobilizing people around common causes, a stark contrast to the past when organizing was a slow, cumbersome process.

The dual nature of social technologies, serving both beneficial and harmful purposes, underscores a significant challenge in addressing societal issues. These tools, inherently neutral, can foster community and support or become platforms for detrimental activities.

An example of this is a teen magazine's online forum, initially created for discussions on fashion, academics, and health, which inadvertently turned into a space for promoting anorexia, leading to its shutdown. Similarly, Meetup, envisioned by Scott Heiferman to rejuvenate traditional American interest groups, found its popularity among niche communities like witches, tech enthusiasts, and bloggers, illustrating the unintended consequences of social technologies in facilitating specialized groups without societal approval.

Modern social tools, contrary to the initial assumption that they enable global connectivity on a massive scale, actually enhance the efficiency of small groups. This is because attempting to connect with billions would render the connections impractically dense. These tools significantly boost "social capital," a vital component in a functioning society, which manifests when neighbors or local shopkeepers extend trust and help. Social capital, which can be seen as a reservoir of societal behaviors and norms, exists in two forms: bridging and bonding capital. Bridging capital refers to the willingness to extend help to a broader network, thereby fostering new ideas and opportunities, especially valuable in contexts like supply chain management. Bonding capital, on the other hand, strengthens the ties within a close-knit group, enhancing the support system among its members.

The digital era has significantly lowered communication and participation barriers, leading to a surge in content creation. This democratization of publishing allows for a wide array of ideas to be shared and tested, with the market deciding their value. Unlike traditional organizations that vet ideas rigorously to reduce failures, this new approach embraces experimentation, allowing for a multitude of ideas to be tried at a low cost.

A prime example of this publish-then-filter model is the Open Source Software movement, which encourages collaborative development and has led to successes like the Linux operating system. Despite the high failure rate among open-source projects, this model is considered a potential threat to the commercial software industry due to its ability to foster innovation through cheap failures. This approach has several advantages: it encourages experimentation, reduces bias towards conventional methods, increases the chances of unexpected discoveries, and leverages diverse talents.

In social networking, success hinges on a unique combination of a compelling promise, efficient tools, and a mutually beneficial user agreement. The promise motivates people to join and engage, offering value beyond their current activities. It must resonate broadly, as a larger user base amplifies the challenge of crafting an enticing promise. Strategies to attract users include simplifying group joining, providing personal value, fostering smaller community clusters, and recognizing contributions.

Tools are essential for fulfilling the promise and must be robust enough to coordinate large groups. They vary depending on context and are designed for specific tasks to help users achieve goals. The choice of tool depends on the size and interaction duration of the group. Despite the emergence of new social tools, traditional ones like email and blogs remain prevalent.