I'm guessing he's arguing against people like Nick Carr and Andrew Keen, who've gotten a great deal of press in prominent places. Certainly, Keen seems to have

I'm guessing he's arguing against people like Nick Carr and Andrew Keen, who've gotten a great deal of press in prominent places. Certainly, Keen seems to have the point of view Shirky is describing. Carr is more nuanced, but still seems to be arguing for something pretty close to that point of view. These points of view are uncommon amongst hackers, they're quite common in other parts of society. Certainly, many journalists seem to want a return to the 1980s.