Although there are problems with referring to technologies as “tools” (which implies that they are relatively neutral conduits for solely human-derived action), I love this Ivan Illich quote that Digital Storytelling maestro Daniel Meadows brought to my attention:

“Tools are intrinsic to social relationships. An individual relates himself in action to his society through the use of tools that he actively masters, or by which he is passively acted upon. To the degree that he masters his tools he can invest the world with his meaning; to the degree that he is mastered by his tools, the shape of the tool determines his own self-image. Convivial tools are those which give each person who uses them the greatest opportunity to enrich the environment with the fruits of his or her vision.”

So, which tools for creative content production and distribution are most “convivial”? Those that are relatively open and complex and invite social connection (e.g. open source software with its collaborative configurability and non-didactic, but often difficult GUIs?); or sole-user black boxes (closed but designed to “guide” the inexperienced user along familiar pathways to enable easier content production – like iMovie)?