One of the main points that Shirky was making seemed (to me) to be that the most significant effect of all the new technologies we have, is that they empower the formation of many more focused-interest groups than used to be feasible, as well as enabling links between individual members of those groups, bringing disparate but thematically-linked groups closer together as well.

But what will never change is the essential human nature of the members of those groups. So yes, if there’s a pre-disposition towards a particular viewpoint or attitude, then there’s a chance that the new group will serve to reinforce and strengthen those positions, whether other individuals, or society as a whole, things those are ‘good’ or ‘desirable’ positions to have or not.

Plenty more to the book than just that though, and absolutely fascinating reading throughout – highly recommended.

Thesis: There something inherent in the medium of 21st century communication networks that they promote the kind of bottom-up, emergent, evolving, ad-hoc, decentralised, pluralistic and democratic tendencies that those of us of a particular political leaning in the West imagine are the best elements of Western liberal democracy.

Antithesis: far from promoting pluralistic democratic debate 21st century communication networks allow groups of previously dispersed and isolated like-minded individuals to create onanistic echo-chambers to build on and reinforce pre-existing prejudices without any reference to a common, objective reality.

Synthesis: the echo-chamber tendency will always be there, but what 21st century communication networks allow is for curious and interested individuals to expose themselves to foreign and alternative ideas with an ease that has not hitherto existed.