Mass Amateurization: The Ultimate Conversation Starter

         “Mass amateurization” is a term that has derived from the social trends of this day and age. With this statement said, what is “mass amateurization”? In definition, mass amateurization refers to the capabilities that new forms of media have given non-professionals. It also refers to the ways in which those non-professionals have applied those capabilities to solve problems that compete with the solutions offered by larger, professional institutions. Even though the definition is clearly stated here, the idea of “mass amateurization” still seems like a broad and puzzling subject to get into. In his work Here Comes Everybody, writer Clay Shirky tries to describe the concept of “mass amateurization” in his own way. In his chapters, “Everyone is a Media Outlet” and “Publish, Then Filter”. Through personal examples and references to modern weblogs, Shirky is able to paint a clear picture of “mass amateurization” as a historical event in human history that has changed communication of the individuals and of the masses forever.

            Shirky first describes how publishing and social tools were used before the Web. He describes tools such as the printing press, radio, and television as one-way communications. The Web differs from this because it is seen as a two-way communication. Not only can people react and comment to what someone has published online, but they can publish their own projects and ideas online, as well. Shirky states, “The individual weblogs are not merely alternate sites of publishing; they are alternatives to publishing itself” (Shirky 66). Through this, Shirky reveals the idea that weblogs have changed the forms of publishing as a whole. It is not seen as a mere alternative, but rather a form of publishing that is slowly starting to render the past forms of publishing outdated. Shirky furthers this argument when he writes, “Now that our communication technology is changing, the distinction among those patterns of communication are evaporating; what was once a sharp break between two styles of communicating is becoming a smooth transition” (Shirky). With this statement, not only does Shirky recognize the prominent shift from one-way communications to two-way, but he also explains that the distinction between one-way and two-way lines of communication are nonexistent in this day and age. 

Photo credit: premasagar

            In the chapter “Publish, Then Filter”, Shirky also describes what has become of publishing because of mass amateurization and how publishing is now perceived as a confusing concept now. Before the Web, publishing has always seemed as though it was a simple process. One person writes an article and it is either chosen to be published or it is not. If it does get published, the audience can only consume the writings and leave it to the professionals to continue to filter, then publish. Shirky explains that this idea of “leaving it to the professionals” is becoming obsolete. He goes on the say that anyone can write anything, even if what people write is not considered content. Shirky writes, “In this world the private register suffers—those of us who grew up with the strong separation between communication and broadcast media have a hard time seeing something posted to a weblog as being in a private register, even when the content is obviously an in-joke or ordinary gossip, because we assume that if something is out where we can find it, it must have been written for us” (89). With this, Shirky is trying to describe how mass amateurization has produced uncomfortable situations for people who have always grown up with media and content being a one-way communication. 

Celebrity tweets on MTV VMA nominations
Photo Credit: perezhilton.com

Today, people believe that whatever is written exclusively for them and mass amateurization has given the audience a way to comment on this. An example of this in a recent event is one that deals with artists Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. As a result of Minaj’s video not being nominated in MTV’s Music Video Awards, Minaj decided to comment on this through her Twitter account. Even though it had nothing to do with other artists, Taylor Swift decided to comment on Minaj’s tweet, creating a dispute that millions can see and comment on. This example can clearly present how true Shirky’s concept of mass amateurization is because it shows how anyone and everyone can get into a conversation in the Web. Even though the example depicts what is perceived to be irrelevant events, it actually shows this phenomenon that is mass amateurization. 

            Shirky also explains how mass amateurization has changed publishing and the significance of what is published. He explains that the Web has created another unfamiliar phenomenon in publishing; one that focuses on conversation rather than content. In his statement, “Now that the cost of posting things in a global medium has collapsed, much of what gets posted on any given day is in public not for the public” (90) brings out the idea that not everything that is published in today’s world has any significance for the greater mass. For example, the application Snapchat lets people take pictures and videos of anything and that content can disappear in mere seconds. With this application, people can post just about anything, knowing that their posts will cease to exist in just seconds. Most of the posts on this application are not meant to be for a mass audience, it is used for people to show pictures and post to their friends and nothing more. Similar to Shirky’s description of mass amateurization, this example shows that anyone can post anything on the Internet and it does not have to be for a broader audience. This explains how mass amateurization has not separated the audiences who can participate in these social events and who cannot, but rather it shows how mass amateurization has created a blend of audience who can and cannot communicate in these situations. One can choose to comment or not and that is the huge phenomenon that Shirky tries bring about when he explains mass amateurization.

Photo credit: @generalelectric

            Furthermore, Shirky brings about the idea of user-generated content as the “ultimate conversation-starter” or even the “everlasting conversation starter”. He further describes mass amateurization as this by showing how it is used to help millions improve through continuous comments and posts. Shirky explains mass amateurization as the new era of improvement through feedback. People can now better themselves through the help of their conversations with thousands upon thousands of other people throughout the Web. Shirky states, “This form of communication is what the sociologist Etienne Wenger calls a community of practice, a group who converse about shared task in order to get better at it” (100). This can be considered another positive outcome of mass amateurization that Shirky explains. People are beginning to use mass amateurization as a means of improving themselves. This idea can also be seen in writer Henry Jenkins’s work “Why Heather Can Write” in his book, Convergence Culture. He states, “In talking about media pedagogies, then, we should no longer imagine this as a process where adults teach and children learn. Rather, we should see it as increasingly a space where children teach one another and where, if they open their eyes, adults could learn a deal” (Jenkins 216). With all this said, Shirky and Jenkins both understand that mass amateurization has created a world where education can come from anyone and anywhere. When mass amateurization starts the conversation, nothing can stop its audiences from continuing it.

            In conclusion, Shirky better explains his term of “mass amateurization” as the ultimate conversation. It can even be described as the conversation of the masses. Even though it has not exterminated past forms of publishing and communication, mass amateurization has completely changed how conversations of the masses are carried out and how people can now respond to them. The future of the media professional lies on whether that professional wants to acknowledge this change and join the conversation as well. As Shirky states, “The linking of symmetrical participation and amateur production makes this period of change remarkable” (Shirky 107). The new authors, storytellers, producers, and journalists are now apart of this phenomenon where they work together with their audiences and even have conversations with them. In the end, Shirky tries to enlighten his audience on one major concept; the concept that mass amateurization has created a conversation that links us all together.

Works Cited:

Shirky, Clay. "Publish, Then Filter." Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations.                           New York: Penguin, 2008. 81-108. Print.

Shirky, Clay. "Everyone is a Media Outlet." Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without                                       Organizations. New York: Penguin, 2008. 57-80 Print.

Jenkins, Henry. "Why Heather Can Write." Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York:                        New York UP, 2006. 216. Print.