4. public goods

super-sharers

accounts that share an enormous quantity of content, sometimes more than humanly possible

public good

something used/enjoyed by some collective with access to the good (public)

2 features of public goods

• non-rivalrous

• non-excludability

non-rivalrous

an individual’s use of a good doesn’t reduce the amount available for others

functional non-rivalry

an individual’s use of a good doesn’t materially impact another individual’s use of it

why does functional non-rivalry exist?

perfect non-rivalry is rare

how can goods be non-rivalrous? (2 mechanisms)

• the good is so abundant that no one can use enough that it would impact others

• the good is easy to reproduce and can be made in abundance

non-excludable

others can’t be denied access to the good easily

why are some goods non-excludable? (2 ways)

• it would be costly to exclude

• excluding is not desirable

critical mass

number/extent of resource contributions necessary to create and maintain a public good

how does non-excludability affect critical mass?

because those public goods are non-excludable, individuals lack incentive to create them

critical mass is threatened by…

free riders

free riders

individuals who use goods but don’t contribute to its creation/maintenance

free riders are tolerated because…

exclusion is difficult or undesirable

what happens because of free riders? (2 things)

• many public goods fail or aren’t created

• governments introduce punishments

connective public goods

technology/infrastructure/other basis that provides a group’s members a means to communicate

what goods do connective public goods provide? (2 goods)

• access to social ties (especially weak)

• information/resources provided by ties

how are connective public goods non-rivalrous?

an individual’s use of one connection doesn’t affect another individual’s use of another

how are connective public goods non-excludable?

they are not non-excludable, but exclusion is not desirable

network effect on public goods

more individuals being connected to a public good makes it more valuable to everyone

what is the negative effect of network effects on public goods and how does it work?

encourages monopoly and undermines consumer choice because switching from one established network to another requires massive coordination

communal public good

body of information that group members can all access

what good do communal public goods provide?

information from outside immediate social ties

how are communal public goods non-rivalrous?

an individual learning information/knowledge doesn’t affect another’s

how are communal public goods non-excludable? (3 ways)

• expensive to exclude

• easy to diffuse

• impossible to revoke

why aren’t private/paid encyclopedias completely non-excludable?

they can’t prevent individuals with access from sharing knowledge with others (non-rivalry)

what should the best/most valuable contributions of information be and why?

volunteered because contributions should actually be useful

commons-based peer production

a public good created and maintained by a networked organization

3 ways to address critical mass

• government conscription

• patents/intellectual property

• honors