Technology and Sharing

In Yochai Benkler’s The Wealth of Networks, he discusses the value of sharing goods and abilities in an economic sense. From a purely economical view, giving goods can result in a net loss of utility. It is generally understood, however, that giving goods is beneficial because most people derive pleasure in sharing their gifts with others. Benkler takes these concepts further and argues that as technology progresses, sharing will become more prevalent. I think that this is a very sound argument. There are many examples from current technology that back up this idea. For example, music is shared rather freely and it is remarkably easy to get music from other computers over the internet. This same file transfer allows many people to download videos and television shows. These examples show how sharing has evolved as more people become more technologically advanced.

From a strictly economical perspective, giving gifts can often be interpreted as a deadweight loss. The giver spends a certain amount of money on a product that they then give to a recipient. The recipient, however, might not get as much value from the gift as the giver spent on it. If this is indeed the case, the gift is a deadweight loss. With technology, this becomes less of a problem. If a person posts a song or a video clip on the internet, the only marginal cost to that person is the time it takes to post the movie and the small chance that they will be criminally prosecuted for copyright infringement. This is a very small marginal cost, and many people derive benefit from knowing that they are helping other people get similar enjoyment from these files that they got. This small marginal benefit actually can outweigh the marginal cost of posting certain files on the internet. People who then download these files decide that the marginal cost of time and risk of viruses is smaller than the marginal benefit of getting a file over the internet will download this file. This connection between giver and receiver is only possible with the internet as a catalyst. The technology that allows people to easily post and download material is, in fact, responsible for this culture of sharing that is beginning to pervade the lives of many Americans.

Several years ago, there were many fewer people capable of sharing files over the internet. Not as many people knew how to post files or how to download files safely. As different websites (i.e. Limewire) create better user interfaces, more people will continue to use websites to exchange songs and videos. As Benkler claims, this improved technology directly results in more people sharing.

Another advantage of the internet is the capability to share information or advice. If people have problems with their computers, it is fairly easy to search online for advice or for information from other people who have had similar problems. This ability to exchange information is one of the great advantages of the internet. In my own experience, I have often searched on Google for information relating to computer error messages that have appeared on my laptop. It is incredibly convenient to take advantage of the information that other people can share.

New technology has certainly made a large impact on sharing information and electronic data. It is easier than ever to find other people who can give you something that you need or that can use something that you have to share. The internet can connect people more easily than ever, and sharing will continue to become more prevalent as technology develops.