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Quote by Clay Shirky

“The downside of attending to the emotional life of groups is that it can swamp the ability to get anything done; a group can become more concerned with satisfying its members than with achieving its goals. Bion identified several ways that groups can slide into pure emotion - they can become "groups for pairing off," in which members are mainly interested in forming romantic couples or discussing those who form them; they can become dedicated to venerating something, continually praising the object of their affection (fan groups often have this characteristic, be they Harry Potter readers or followers of the Arsenal soccer team), or they can focus too much on real or perceived external threats. Bion trenchantly observed that because external enemies are such spurs to group solidarity, some groups will anoint paranoid leaders because such people are expert at identifying external threats, thus generating pleasurable group solidarity even when the threats aren't real.”

Quote by Clay Shirky

Book:Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age
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Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age

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Clay Shirky
Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky is a writer known for his insightful analysis of how technology shapes social structures and human behavior. His work delves into topics such as collaborative networks, information overload, and social media. more

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