Shirky Chapters 8-10

Chapter eight from Shirky starts out pretty interesting but then half ways through the chapter I just seem to get lost in what he is trying to explain. As chapter eight starts by introducing you to a Prisoners’ Dilemma as they call it, this is thought to be a scientific experiment which helps analyze how and why people make some certain decisions. Robert Axelrod, a sociologist at the University of Michigan who was studying the iterated version extensively which is simply the dismal Nash equilibrium meaning that when we are in a situation you and I cannot communicate with each other which only gives us one best option and that is the Nash equilibrium. Robert staged tournaments for different types of software that well have the ability to emulate the prisoners. These strategies were called Tit-for-Tat, were the outcomes were measured by adding and deduction points depending on all the various outcomes throughout all the different tournaments that were ran. Calming that these programs are highly simplified or a pretty close version to how people come to a decision in real life. But of course Clay Shirky, is not actually clamming that social tools can help us solve dilemmas. Instead he offers a number of way where social tools can strengthen our abilities to address them and be more aware of how they work. Shirky continues with some same variation of explanations for different types of social dilemmas through the next two chapters nine and ten. In chapter nine Shirky explores the six Degrees of Separation. This helped clues on homophily (which is the grouping of like with like), developing heavy and sparse connections throughout the same time and how bonding capital tends to be more exclusive and bridging capital more inclusive.  This chapter it was very interesting being able to understand the core elements of the small networks and larger networks ability to be held together making this chapter much more enjoyable for me since it was an easier read compared to some of the other chapters.  Rather than reading chapters where he tries to define and explain new phenomenon’s which just gets me really confused.