Shirky Part 1: It takes a global village to find a phone

Global village meets Internet activism. I don't think I would have even considered going through the lengths that Evan took to track down a cellphone. Granted today's smart phones are probably worth the trouble (if you don't have the nifty insurance offered by your provider for replacement) but the real issue here is the building of community and activism through the Internet. The expert group I participated in was social media and Shirky's first chapter is a mirror of social media and Internet activism at work. Shirky wrote that, "Group action gives human society its particular character, and anything that changes the way groups get things done will affect society as a whole." (Shirky 23) I'm willing to bet that we all agree this statement to be true. What was once considered complacency in the realm of social or political activism has turned into a sort of aggressive activism in light of social media. Shirky points out that although the tools (digital technology/social media) provided the space, it was the message that inspired interest and, even grander, confidence. The notion that the Internet can inspire confidence is monumental for someone (anyone) who has ever felt that their feelings or opinions didn't amount to a hill of beans because, as we've begun to learn, there are others out there willing to listen, to relate, and to encourage us all.