Social Media Connection Technologies

In an article in the July 18, 2010 issue of The New York Times Magazine about social media connection technologies (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) Clay Shirky, a New York University professor is quoted as saying “The loss of control you fear [in using these technologies] is already in the past.  You do not actually control the message, and if you believe you control the message, it merely means you no longer understand what’s going on.”  Makes sense – once you’ve posted the message you have no control over what is done with it in the digiverse.  It brings to mind Marshall McLuhan’s statement that “the medium is the message”.  Come to think of it, I don’t think we can say that we really control the medium either!