We-Think: Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production

by Charles Leadbeater

You are what you share.That is the ethic of the world being created by YouTube and MySpace, Wikipedia and Facebook. We-Think is a rallying call for the shared power of the web to make society more open and egalitarian.We-Think reports on an unparalleled wave of collaborative creativity as people from California to China devise ways to work together that are more democratic, productive and creative. This guide to the new culture of mass participation and innovation is a book like no it started first online through a unique experiment in collaborative creativity involving hundreds of people across the globe.The generation growing up with the web will not be content to remain spectators. They want to be players and this is their we think therefore we are.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Spirituality, Philosophy, Design, Technology, Psychology

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Crisa Valadez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In writing We-Think, Charles Leadbetter proposed a question to our generation: why not use technology for innovation and creativity instead of consumption? This book made me realize how much time I actually waste on social media, not really contributing to anything. I think that anyone with a facebook or twitter should definitely read this book. Unlike most other adults, Leadbetter doesn't chastise us for being incompetent; rather he admires and praises our technological innovations, just not the way we use them.

We-Think engages in a lot of little scenarios yet still focuses on the big picture. It definitely shows you how people who create collective websites think; they are making puzzles for the users to solve. It engages us as a global community to be more open and unified in the way we share our information. Leadbetter does a great job of presenting both the good and bad sides of the framework of the internet. This book is not biased and approaches collective creativity with a very level-headed perspective. I think anyone who is interested in sociology, psychology, or any teenager should definitely read this book. I am very glad that my psych teacher, Ms. Allen, lent it to me.

[Samyuktha jayaprakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utopian? Optimistic albeit a bit outdated. Some sounds ludicrous but maybe that's how revolutionaries first sounded. A bit too vague with too any synonyms used to cover pages. 3.5/5

Well researched with rich examples

Finally a healthy look on youngsters and the social network

Overall an interesting read but a bit too vague at times.

[refine here · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this book for the second time. I don't mind reading this again and again. I love this quote from Charles Leadbeater : "We think therefore we are, we share what we are".

With the open communication tool such as internet which branch out to so many different platform, facebook, twitter, blogs, youtube, myspace, linkedin, instagram, secondlife, wikipedia, quora etc etc even goodreads, we can clearly see what type of person behind the screen from what they are sharing online. In this book, it also tell us that the world is getting flatter everyday, people from different walk of life conversing for different ideas openly. Everyday someone inspire someone else and so forth. The author gave an example of mountain bike innovation which actually was not come for any specialized institution or company like sophisticated lab, engineer, new product innovation, but it came from a user, the daily bike commuter. The future is a collaborative idea, this is where great ideas will be born. The audience is taking the stage, they are no longer a passive recipient anymore, they are contributing ideas through the conversation, feedback or interaction.Now million of people can have their say and be heard by others.This could be pretty confusing, that is also what big data might encounter the same problem too, information overload and authenticity.

The web is mass conversation therefore it is mass innovation. in 20th century, it is the mass production for mass consumption, factories, cars, TV, fridges. in 21st century it is mass innovation, users drive the innovation, product become more customized. Million of people creating games, softwares, ideas, knowledge, information etc everyday to cater this need. In a ways this is the best environment for democracy, because more people will have their voices heard and understood by others.It is good for equality as well because more people will have more access to information or knowledge for free because they are not able to pay for it. And more and more people know how to think creatively. It is sound super great, but we still have challenges. How to understand privacy in a common public space, safe sharing, what if wikipedia is a crap, how do we earn a living when everyone is free sharing. In the past you are what you own, in today's world you are what you share.

Good book, recommended to read.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for some basic research info and stats about the early days of the internet, and the boom in people starting to use social media platforms (it's quite dated now, but fine as a starting point). In We Think, Leadbeater makes some good points on the many positive aspects of sharing and collaborating with one another via the internet, highlighting greater freedom of speech (well for some of us in select countries anyway) and elements of mass participation across different age and race groups.

However, I don't think he executes his ideas very succinctly as he has a tendency to repeat himself which causes this book to be a bit of a bore to read. A case of someone having an interesting concept but not really explaining it very well.

[Jesse Biroscak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book on the Sharing Economy doesn't disappoint. I found myself dog-earing and note-taking throughout. There are many lessons and macro concepts that would serve anyone (experts, too!) interested in the burgeoning p2p / sharing / collaborative economies. I re-read many of the sections and will likely do so again in the future.

For experts, some of it is basic, but there are a TON of interesting concepts that will no doubt enhance your perception of the Sharing Economy and give you ideas on how we can make it better.

[Charissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read it cover-to-cover, in fact I jumped around quite a bit and probably finished really reading about 60%. It has some good ideas, but most of it is really common sense, in my opinion. Maybe it's just slightly outdated already? Anyway, for a 1 euro book it was still definitely worth it ;)

[Oggie Ramos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise but quickly degrades as you plod through the pages. I agree with some observations by the earlier reviewers that the author tends to repeat himself (could have used a stricter editor but I guess that's what crowdsourcing can do for a book). Also, as the book is now a decade old, a lot of the predictions/forecasts in the book never came to fruition. At times, Mr. Leadbeater exhibits great faith in the liberating characteristics of the internet but is quick to overlook its darker side, e.g. when it is co-opted for more heinous purposes.

[Xavier Barette · Rating 3 out of 5]

All about sharing ideas over the internet. It being published in 2007 was tough - but quite funny. Didn’t love it. Bit of a chore. Some interesting predictions though.
6.4/10

[Andrew Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and entertaining book which provides a clear overview of how and why the ethos of mass sharing and creativity has arisen. Of course, it's inextricably linked with the rise and adoption of the Internet and its associated technologies, but the author never gets bogged down in the technical details of how the web etc work. This book is a celebration of how people use these technologies to enhance their lives and how they are changing the world we and our descendants will live in. My reservation is that the final chapter makes too many predictions of what *will* happen. Predicting the future is a dangerous game, but Leadbeater seems to have a reasonably strong foundation for his arguments: they aren't of the "by the year 2000 we will be going to work by jetpack" type. In summary, a well-written book that anyone with an interest in how business and society might develop should read.

[Nathanael Coyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles introduces the topic of mass collaboration and the potential of the Internet with a balanced view of both the good and ‘evil’ side of the Internet. I say potential because the author also infers that as with previous inventions we haven’t yet realised what the Internet is capable of and are still in the honeymoon/novelty phase.

It’s not that Charles is refusing to choose a side but rather he makes the case that the Internet is merely a catalyst. The Internet is neither good or evil (it is humans who may use it for good or evil purposes). Yes the Internet can be used by terrorists to plot attacks that kill civilians but did not also the invention of the telephone aid their cause? Written language? Yet we forget our past and the critics or simply ignorant jump on the Internet-hating bandwagon ...

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[Bookaholic]

Charles Leadbeater a scris cartea asta într-un mod neconvenţional. Când a strâns suficient material, l-a postat pe un site de pe care putea fi downloadat, comentat şi modificat de toţi cei interesaţi de subiect. În prefaţă, spune că la prima vedere există cel puţin două motive pentru care un scriitor n-ar trebui să facă aşa ceva.

Primul: dacă există o versiune gratuită, de ce s-ar mai cumpăra apoi cartea? (Se pare că experienţa infirmă temerea asta. Dacă mare parte din textul unei cărţi e pe net, vizibilitatea şi notorietatea ei creşte, iar vânzările nu sunt afectate.)

continuarea cronicii: http://bookaholic.ro/despre-un-tip-no...

[Kotryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting read about new economy model that sums up to "you are what you share" conclusion. Though the author leans to the optimistic approach to sharing ideas (mostly through web), he still manages to include some criticism to his own ideas into the book, which gives it a bit more depth. Unfortunately, the author almost misses the point that sharing an idea, patent, copyright and so forth should be the decision of the author - an individual - not the faceless mass of activists surrounding the author. And this, in my opinion, is the biggest weakness of the book - it focuses only on mass power and misses the role of individual authorship, individual responsibility and an individual him/herself in this new shared economy.

[Martinxo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I became bored of this book quite quickly. Leadbeater makes some good points about the power of sharing information, open source, collaboration and communities but he goes on a bit and a bit more.

The major fault with this book is the author seems to think we are going to continue living in a growth economy, one that thrives on never ending supplies of oil. On both counts this is highly unlikely, Leadbetter needs to get his head out of the sand and take a look around.

[Peter Collingridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about how the web may change the way people organised themselves in society, business, science, politics etc, with ideas being shared rather than kept private and control by patents and copyrights. It has some interesting ideas and manages not to be overly optimistic. My main criticism is that it is poorly referenced with several claims made and studies referred to without a footnote to find them.

[Захарченко Віктор · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга тяжело идет в начальной части, н ок средине берет уже достойный темп. Лидбитер размышляет о том, чем же совместное творчество (под брендом we think) является сейчас, какие пути развития и куда все это безумие вокруг Интернета и мобильной связи приведет человечество. Прогнозы хоть и претендуют на авторство "Капитана очевидность", не отдают явным абсурдом и фантазией ни о чем. Труд в формате "Да? Я так и думал!"

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into the thinking behind many modern day projects like Linux and Wikipedia, without getting jargonist in the least. Gives a good analysis of the creative structures that grow to develop such projects and the hierarchy involved. Anyone interested in modern business, communications, or innovations in the way society develops will enjoy this book.

[Pedro Plassen Lopes · Rating 2 out of 5]

(mass) Collaboration and sharing applied to various contexts. From software development to politics, from companies' organization to small communities' development.
At times the justification of using the sharing model as The Solution seems a bit forced and not thoroughly founded. A not very inspiring book.

[Ellen]

The partner read for this is Maverick by Ricardo Semler showing what can be done with work practices. We think highlights the need for traditional workspaces to change, in order to Forster greater innovation and creativity. While this book is four years old, there are still some useful examples to consider.

[Heather Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the old economy, you were what you owned. In the Web economy, you are what you share. That, plus most people will share (for nothing) based on the possibility of recognition were the most interesting points. Great opening chapters also about "I Love Bees" and Wikipedia.

[Adam Procter · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://mad.beds.ac.uk/nmrg/?p=173
Not my review but Gavins Review

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as review copy for the journal Prometheus. Despite its title, this did turn out to be a more interesting read than I had anticipated.

[Dave Harte]

bored me to death

[Willy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting links:
- http://wethink.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
- http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/home...

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling prologue to the predicted incoming age of mass innovation. Written by Leadbeater and 257 co-contributors.

[Gemma Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting but probably a lot longer than it needed to be. Some points seemed to drag and some were repeated. Worth reading if you have a lot of time

[Terhi Pennanen]

"Organisations exist to get the work done. Any succesfull organisation must do three things well: motivate, co-ordinate, innovate."

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know how the web operates and get an insight into how it could evolve, this is for you.