Person/Clay Shirky
Clay Shirky
Bio
- American writer, consultant, and educator known for insights into social and economic effects of Internet technologies
- Born 1964 in Columbia, Missouri
- Bachelor of Arts in fine art from Yale University (1986)
- Vice Provost for Educational Technologies at New York University (NYU)
- Associate Professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, NYU
- Associate Arts Professor at Tisch School of the Arts' Interactive Telecommunications Program, NYU
Notable Work
Situated Software (2004)
- Proposed the concept of "situated software" - software "designed in and for a particular social situation or context"
- Vision of applications for dozens of users rather than thousands or millions
- Communities getting form-fit tools for their particular needs
Books
- Here Comes Everybody (2008) - Examines how digital platforms enable collective action without traditional organizational structures
- Cognitive Surplus (2010) - Discusses how technology enables collaborative creativity and generosity
Writings
- Published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Wired
Consulting
- Has consulted for Nokia, the BBC, and the Library of Congress
- Expertise in decentralized technologies like peer-to-peer networks, web services, and wireless systems
External Links
Related Concepts
- Software/Situated - Concept he first proposed in 2004
- Dev/Home-Cooked Software - Related concept that built on his situated software ideas