Institutions Will Seek To Preserve The Problem For Which They Are The Solution
from the the-shirky-principle dept
We already wrote a detailed analysis of Clay Shirky's recent writeup on complex business models. However, a few of you have sent over Kevin Kelly's recent post about Shirky's piece that also compares it to Clayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma, but thankfully highlights the one key line in Shirky's piece that may have gotten lost in the original:"Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution."Kelly calls this the "Shirky Principle." To me, it calls to mind Upton Sinclair's famous line:
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"They are not the same point, but they are related. In both cases, these are situations where people will often seek to preserve a problem or a falsehood, rather than recognize that it doesn't need to be that way. There are lots of industries where this is a major issue.
But, of course, the real problem is in how they go about trying to preserve that problem. They will go to great lengths to demonize the solutions. This is why the newspaper industry has, at times, lashed out at Craigslist and Google News -- two operations that have essentially removed problems that the newspaper business used to solve. It's why old school video guys lash out at YouTube or Boxee -- because they have removed problems that television used to solve. And, yes, it's why the RIAA and the MPAA lash out at file sharing apps and services -- because they have removed problems in distribution and promotion, that they used to solve.
![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: business models, innovator's dilemma, institutions, problems, solutions
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Preserve The Problem
Never in a million years would I have thought of this.
The truth of this is overwhelming.
The medical/pharma industry vs cancer.
Education cartel vs learning.
Legal vs justice.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
Education cartel vs learning.
Legal vs justice."
UNATCO vs. Grey Death
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
not many people seem to care much about conflicting interests these days.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
the problem isn't one of quality, it's one of availability and affordability.
you can't count on an industry that profits from scarcity to solve the problem of scarcity.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Preserve The Problem
No laws, no crime.
eg. recent article about cell phones and driving.
Justifies many jobs and budgets.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
The point of this are that there are institutions that may not have to exist at all if you solved the problem.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Preserve The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
More examples
Unions and unfair labor practices
ACLU and rights violations
These organizations just keep finding more and more minute unrelated examples to justify their existence. There are leagal structures, societal norms, and business pressures that make all of these issues rare and easily responded to by the buying public. How long would Wal-Mart last if it put a "Whites Only" sign on the front door? There would be no need for Jesse Jackson or the courts as the stock price plummeted and the stores emptied.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: More examples
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: More examples
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: More examples
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
/Discussion
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Scary example...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Scary example...
No worries, the Turner/Overdrive ticket will beat them handily....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Scary example...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Scary example...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Demotivational Poster
(It's absolutely true, and I've seen it firsthand in the financial software consulting industry... but consider the ancient software used at doctors offices, airports, libraries, the DMV, some of which dates back to Windows 3.1 or earlier. There are huge consulting industries built around this ancient software, since it's much cheaper and easier to help people use crappy software than to build a viable competitor.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So True!!
Just recently, I saw a TV add that looked quite expensive (and on location to-boot) for donations to help some impoverished group. My response, why was the money spent on a glossy tear-jerk TV add when the money could actually have been used to help that group?!?!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Politics
If abortion was illegal, they would lose the majority of their supporters.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Politics
Abaondoned fetuses?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Politics
As one congressman put it, every line in the tax code has a special interest supporting it. It will never be fixed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Rural Electrification Administration, whose initial purpose was to provide electricity to rural areas. It still exists, albeit under another name. I challenge anyone to point out a rural area in America that is devoid of electricity.
The Federal Helium Reserve was established after WWI to ensure a supply of helium for dirigibles. It still exists and is governed by the Dept. of the Interior. The alarmism surrounding the depletion of helium for scientific purpose is breathing new life into this project, which has been vestigial almost from the beginning.
Amtrak was supposed to last two years. That was in 1970. Marvel at our brilliant passenger rail system, replete with bullet train service coast to coast!
Need I go on?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
You're so cognizant. Do you have a website with which to visit so I may learn more of your ironclad position?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
only path to ridding ourselves of 20th century corporate rule.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
correlation does not imply causation
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It's called 'The Iron Law of Bureaucracy'.
I know it's hard for the precious Web 2.0 younglings to understand, but they did not in fact invent everything nor have all insights worth having; perhaps one day they'll learn of the concept of 'prior art', and possibly even read a book or two (Kindle is fine).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
William Inge
Every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The problem is me
[ link to this | view in chronology ]