THE ARC OF HISTORY IS EXPLAINED BY SUDDEN SHIFTS IN THE UTILITY CURVE
Well, you know about network effects, right, as a "thing" in economics? If you don't, dude...!
But, it appears that there is another network effect. It's meta: 'now we know what we know'. It's powerful. It needs a name: "Revealed unknowns effect" or some such, like "Marginal uncertainty calibration theorem".
Facebook and Twitter, in Egypt and possibly Tunisia (I'm less versed), apparently "solved" the collective action problem, by reducing psychological-fear (real and perceived) through risk-sharing.
It's true. You heard it here first, but it won't be the last.
