Shirky states, “Mere tools aren’t enough. The tools are simply a way of channeling existing motivation.” I thought this statement was important. If people aren’t motivated to use the tool, they aren’t going to use it. And I think the motivation Shirky speaks of is related to what he also discusses, our primal need for socialization. Facebook would not be the sucess it is today if it (the tool) did not address our need (our motivation) to connect with people. Our world is much busier than it used to be, so tools like Facebook and Myspace are like vitamins we take to supplement what we woudn’t otherwise get throughout our day.
I work all day, come home and do schoolwork, and before I know it it’s time for bed. But before going to bed I log onto my Facebook account to see what everyone is up to. My friends go on vacations and carry on with their daily lives. Although Facebook doesn’t replace our conversations about our lives, it allows me to “brief” myself so that when I do see my BFF we can talk about the pictures from her vacay and all the things she’s done over the week.
So, tools are only useful when you pick them up and use them. There are things like Secondlife, LinkedIn, etc that are under the Web 2.0 category. I don’t use these technologies because I am not motivated to do so, or rather, I don’t need them. But obviously there are many people out there that do.