Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky is a TED speaker who has written 1 quality-verified book, paired here with their talks.

Clay Shirky's work focuses on the rising usefulness of networks -- using decentralized technologies such as peer-to-peer sharing, wireless, software for social creation, and open-source development. New technologies are enabling new kinds of cooperative structures to flourish as a way of getting things done in business, science, the arts and elsewhere, as an alternative to centralized and institutional structures, which he sees as self-limiting. In his writings and speeches he has argued that "a group is its own worst enemy." Shirky is an adjunct professor in New York Universityʼs graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program, where he teaches a course named “Social Weather.” Heʼs the author of several books. This spring at the TED headquarters in New York, he gave an impassioned talk against SOPA/PIPA that saw 1 million views in 48 hours.

TED talks by Clay Shirky

Books by Clay Shirky

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Frequently asked questions

What books has Clay Shirky written?

Clay Shirky has written 1 book in the Books Worth Reading catalogue: "Cognitive Surplus". It is quality-verified and paired with their TED talk.

What does Clay Shirky write about?

Clay Shirky's books on Books Worth Reading cover Society & Culture.

What is Clay Shirky known for?

Clay Shirky has established himself as one of the most incisive thinkers on how digital networks are reshaping human cooperation and organizational structures. His intellectual contribution centers on a deceptively simple but profoundly important observation: technology doesn't determine social outc...

What is Clay Shirky's TED talk?

Clay Shirky's most-watched TED talk is "How social media can make history" (2009). It is paired with their book on Books Worth Reading.