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Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the network-effects dept.

scubacuda writes "Clay Shirky has written an excellent article entitled "Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality." Simply put, diversity plus freedom of choice creates inequality: "A new social system starts, and seems delightfully free of the elitism and cliquishness of the existing systems. Then, as the new system grows, problems of scale set in. Not everyone can participate in every conversation. Not everyone gets to be heard. Some core group seems more connected than the rest of us, and so on." A must read for anyone interested in the statistics, fairness, and power relations of blogging."

5 of 309 comments (clear)

  1. Where's the CLIT poster? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Even his posts would liven up this dull topic.

    1. Re:Where's the CLIT poster? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Would you be referring to TrollBridge, the founder of the CLIT?

  2. Come and see the violence inherent in the system! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    And I suppose that the "editurs" abusing the system to modbomb threads is "fair"?

  3. IN SOVIET RUSSIA by SuperMario666 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    We ran into exactly the same problem. It was supposed to be a paragon of equality, a virtual worker's paradise even, but the first movers in our revolution quickly formed themselves into a wealthy elite and monopolized the resources of our nation to their benefit.

  4. Re:HAH! by Troll+Garou · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You sir, are mistaken. Choosing to post under a troll account is also freedom of speech.