Clay Shirky: Wikipedia and Seeds for Transforming Capitalism?

I just finished reading three chapters of Clay Shirky's book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. I think Shirky just might gives us a possible site to think about how capitalism can be altered through the Wikipedia model of doing good — just for the sake of it. No monetary remuneration. He makes a compelling argument for exactly why Wikipedia is revolutionary and human beings have the power to be the same. He goes on to explain that we are living through the most "human expressive period in history." The potential to alter life as we know it through collective action, participation and organization that in turn gathers knowledge, distribution and speed to make change. Group action.

Shirky explains that wikis are only worth their salt if people care about them, and that "a wiki is a hybrid of tool and community."Experts, professionals and amateurs alike make additions and corrections to Wikipedia out of the pure love, enjoyment and for betterment of everyone who uses it around the world. I repeat. They don't get paid to do it. Isn't that the old adage we've all heard— to do great work you have to do what you love? Somewhere in Shirky's book is a balance between working collectively, making change, doing it in a nearly effortless manner and loving it.

Protest Culture -- Ad Hoc vs Institutional, and What it Means (Event Video/Audio) Clay Shirky joined an intimate group at the Berkman Center for a deep dive discussion on one chapter of his book, Here Comes Everybody, which deals with protest culture -- ad hoc vs institutional, and what it means.

VOICES OF HOPE VIDEO DOCUMENTS AN HISTORIC ADDICTION RECOVERY JOURNEY

Join Together, a program of the Boston University School of Public Health recently highlighted the Voices of Hope video that documented an historic journey of over 5000 addiction recovery advocates who came together to demonstrate the strength of addiction recovery and their determination to have addiction accepted and treated as a disease.



National, NYC metro and New Jersey participants made their way from Liberty State Park in Jersey City to the Brooklyn Bridge and back on Saturday, September 27, 2008. This year's Friend's Addiction Recovery Cruise and Rally was supported by the Recovery Project and the A&E Network.

VOICES OF HOPE LAUNCHES 2 VIDEOS FOR NONPROFIT GROUPS

Voices of Hope Production has had a busy 4th quarter.

Working with New Jersey Community Capital we directed and produced Invest in Change, recently screened at their 20th Anniversary event held at the Newark Museum in October. New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) is a community development financial institution (CDFI) that invests in communities throughout New Jersey by providing loans to Non profit organizations, small businesses and Charter schools. They provide capital for affordable housing, education, as well as cultural and health services in low income communities that are in need of development funding. This short film serves to educate individuals, foundations, non profit organizations, NGOs, faith-based groups and corporations about how to invest in the state, get back a rate of return on their investment, as well as how to become a socially responsible investor. The video is being used as part of a larger strategy to encourage more people to invest in change in New Jersey. Download NJCC's Annual Report to learn about social investing.




Voices of Hope Productions also worked with NCADD-NJ and Parent to Parent to develop a grassroots video of a rally held in southern New Jersey. Parent to Parent Moms, some of whom have had their children die of addiction because of treatment limits imposed by health insurers, rallied outside Speaker Joe Roberts legislative district office. They delivered a letter urging mental health and parity legislation be posted for a vote and that no amendments be included that would compromise the coverage and protections the bill provides for. This grassroots video illustrates the importance of ordinary citizens getting their message out to elected officials and then using the media tools available today to get wider coverage than they if they relied only on traditional news media. The video and the news coverage was emailed to over 10,000 people, including all the legislators in New Jersey, and is also posted on Youtube.

4th ANNUAL GRASSROOTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

Event Date: February 24, 2007 | This year, the NYC Grassroots Media Conference seeks to ask: What are the common threads inherent in our global struggles for social change and how does the media contribute to our understanding of the root causes of injustice faced by world communities? From educating ourselves and our government leaders to spreading our messages and recruiting broader and more diverse constituencies into our campaigns, media is central to the struggle for social justice. Therefore, the fight for better access to and representation in the media is essential for advancing peace and justice both at home and abroad.

Join the 4th annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference to explore these connections and strategies, and come together to demand a media system that will link our diverse communities, connect local and international struggles, and fight for social justice across boundaries and beyond borders. Register Today.