Wikipedia rules

Jonathan Zittrain argues that generativity -- an feature of computers and internet that allows users to create and easily share new softwares and cotent -- led to development and evolution of the internet.Youchai Benkler argues that one of the reason that people are willing to share their innovation or the information for free is that "any new information good or innovation builds on existing information," and it can generate income from other sources than sharing, like services or advertising. Therefore, anyone can start to create any content on the internet. Consumers didn't create the Wikipedia software and its original website, but through information sharing they created a content that gave the Wikipedia popularity and recognition. 

Zittrain writes about the Wikipedia, a website, where consumers generate information for non-commercial purpose. Companies soon realize that Wikipedia is the first thing people look at for a quick description of their company or product. Wikipedia gives me the best explanation about the things I have never heard before, or things I don't understand. After all, as Zittrain noted, Wikipedia entry comes up first in a google search. Companies start to look for opportunities to promote themselves on the Wikipedia, and MyWikiBiz answered these demand and began to create Wikipedia entries that were paid for. Created for non-profit by information sharing, Wikipedia gave a way for others to make money. That brings us back to Benkler's argument that information innovations and goods can create revenue for some in non expected ways. 


Chris Anderson in his article "The Long Tail" talks just about the unexpected ways consumer sharing and internet generativity creates a new market. Let's look at Amazon, for example. Recommendation feature on the websites tells the consumers what they would like based on the previous purchases. However, Amazon knows what to recommend only because it looks on the other users behavior after they have bought the same thing. Amazon analyzes what they have looked at or bought after buying the product. Consumers behavior on Amazon serves as an advertisement for the products that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. 


As we see, all Zittrain, Benkler, and Anderson hint that users information sharing, generativity, and innovation can benefit both consumers and suppliers of the goods. There is no need to apply extra cost for information sharing and innovation technology, because, on one hand, it would slow down the evolution of the internet,  and, on the other hand, the innovation of the internet leads to promotion of businesses and products. 


P.S.  All the links in this article were taken from Wikipedia.org, because it's awesome!