Clay Shirky

Guide Note

Clay Shirky is an American technology writer whose expertise is particularly geared towards the Internet and how it's being affected by social networking. He teaches at New York University and has consulted with a wide array of companies and organizations, including Nokia, the BBC and the U.S. Library of Congress. On April 3, 2008 Shirky appeared on The Colbert Report.

Fast Facts

1. Born: 1964
2. First Book: 1994's The Internet by E-Mail
3. Has contributed to publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Wired and The New York Times
4. Coined the phrase "the internet runs on love"
5. Has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University

Quote

"There's a big difference between having some people online and having most people onine. That's a difference that appeals mainly to businesses, now the audience is larger. But there's another difference between having most people online and having everybody online. The advantage of having everybody online is that in your social group, if everybody is online, then you can take it for granted that you can use online tools to coordinate the life of that group." Clay Shirky