Here Comes Everyone!

Social media is transforming our society: this is the underlying message of the author in each of the stories he shares in "Here Comes Everybody". In the past, we had to rely on media organizations (such as FOX news) to gain access to information. These organizations have a hierarchy and have control of the information. We can also say that both employers and employees of these organizations are professionals in their respective fields. Nowadays, in addition to these organizations, we also have the social media: an organization that has almost no governance, that has virtually no filters and that is driven by the common people, amateurs and professionals alike.

As I thought about this, I saw the many great implications that came with this new way of doing things: gathering of information that was impossible in the past is now feasible, information is now being disseminated by people all around the world as events unfold, we do not have to wait to receive the news, we do not have to actively seek out the news (the news come to us), and, more importantly, I (or anyone) can start the dissemination of any piece of information from anywhere at any time.

I believe that these self-governed, self-healing organizations will continue to greatly change the way we do things in the future: the way we learn, the way we share, the way we communicate, the way we organize ourselves as communities, the way we organize as institutions, it is all going to be dominated by this new way of doing things, since nothing can match their versatility, portability and ease of access.

Nevertheless, as we have discussed in class, with new technology there is always a price to pay. In regards to social media, we can already see some of its consequences: cyber-bullying (who would've thought that some comments in the internet could cause people to lose their jobs, lose their families, or drive them to commit suicide), civil unrest (and whether this is detrimental that is completely subjective), piracy, just to name a few. As we continue to adopt this deeper into society, we will find more unforeseen consequences; we should be weary of those problems and evaluate whether the price is too big to pay.