In its last issue, Wired magazine argued that digital socialism is here to stay. Although, it does not look like the traditional socialism, the digital version still relies on the concept of collectivism. The process starts by people sharing. Here are some amazing statistics in sharing:

• 150 wiki engines;
• 6 billion (yes, billion with a "B") videos in YouTube in US alone;
• 3 billion photos in Flick.

The second phase is cooperation. In digital socialism, that translates into taking the time to tag, categorize, label, and identify keywords for the material submitted. Best submissions receive votes and the submitter becomes an authority in the subject. Ironically enough, the traditional experts admit researching and relying on the amateur experts' research. One reason for this is that for the amateur expert the particular subject is the ONLY subject they research and it is their ONLY passion. Hence they dedicate a lot more time to researching the subject that professional experts, who usually juggle several subjects.

The third phase is collaboration. Freeware, open source all made with a very high quality work and no compensation for the effort. The currency is social currency. The most precious currency in today's world. This substitutes the face-to-face interaction, the friends, and family time. The virtual family and world does not require interaction. Their are the same as you; they understand you. You don't have to listen to the same old record from Aunt Ann. Collaboration creates a new, elite club. It becomes the new tribe. Your tribe; the one you choose to belong to and not the one you happen to belong to.

The last step: collectivism. A twist in traditional notion of collectivism. Digital collectivism actually require the "self-directed peers to take responsibility for critical processes, and where difficult decisions, such as sorting out priorities, are decided by all participants".

The John Galt question becomes: how do reason the enjoyment and benefits of using free resources with the fundamental value of being compensated for your work?