If people took the time they spent watching TV and actually did something useful, what sort of good might occur. This is a video of Clay Shirky speaking at a conference recently and addressing this question. His point being that our culture is on the verge of a momentous change - the kind last introduced by mass-audience television programming.

Television and traditional mass media gave hard working Americans (and westerners in general) a more or less useful and entertaining outlet for their curiosity after long days at the office (and coping with a rapidly changing world). Shirky discusses how social media, the Internet and the interaction it brings is replacing television - and the kind of productive time people might have on their hands as a result.

Shirky’s most recent book came out a few months ago and is titled Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. Probably a good read for people in organizations trying to organized change from within those organizations.