AUTHOR:
Jeff Jarvis (Simon & Schuster, 2011)
REVIEWER:
David Fleit
BOOK LINK: https://goo.gl/FqrJYt
REVIEW:
After reading Jeff Jarvis’ What Would Google Do? (HarperBusiness, 2009), we at 21/64 were moved to take a closer look at how technology has impacted our society. We discovered that much of Jarvis’ thinking could be applied to the worlds of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. In our view, Jeff Jarvis’ latest book, Public Parts, furthers the analysis of the evolving relationship between technology and modern day philanthropy.
21/64 recommends Public Parts as a tool for understanding the blurring of definitions between “public” and “private”. This shift has already shown its effects on different generations’ approach to philanthropy. Previous generations tend to be private about issues of wealth and philanthropy. They demonstrated an ability to compartmentalize their giving efforts from their work and personal lives. Younger generations operate in public, utilizing the multitude of technology and social media outlets available to them. As a result, the current generation’s philanthropic work is often intertwined with all of other components of their life.
Jeff Jarvis argues that the internet has fundamentally altered our conception of “private” and “public.” In Public Parts, Jarvis delves into the history of privacy as we know it and explores the ways technology has affected our ideals and contributes to an emerging generational tension regarding privacy. Jarvis promotes the idea of “radical openness” for companies, governments, and individuals in their online personas and interactions.
Public Parts offers suggestions for organizations (for-profit and non-profit alike) to become more transparent and to utilize the power of open online communication to enhance their services, reputations, and customer relations. Jarvis extols the virtues of virtual forums and cyberspaces; he describes the changes that organizations and individuals can implement to take full advantage of the potential offered by a more open online presence. Why should a company adopt a more open online identity, and what steps can it take to achieve this goal? Jarvis argues that we are poised at a new age of interpersonal relations — the age of sharing — where publicness is rewarded, and where the traditionally-defined “private” and “closed” attitude is becoming disadvantageous to success.
Reviewed by David Fleit, MPA, 2012 intern at 21/64