Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky09/06/2010 10:25:51 PMLocation : Cleveland, OH
According to Clay Shirky's new book, Cognitive
Surplus, the average American
watches twenty hours of television a week. That is a part time job. We
watch more television every year, but there is a curious trend occuring;
people of the younger generations are watching less. While television provides
people comfort, a sense of belonging, even when alone, and it tells stories
and helps people pass the time, more people are spending more time creating
their own media, contributing to open source initiatives and wiki's, and
more. We are experiencing the birth of amazing possibilities that all of
this cognitive surplus will bring to the internet and the world.
Contents:
Chapter 1: Gin, Television, and Cognitive Surplus
Chapter 2: Means
Chapter 3: Motive
Chapter 4: Opportunity
Chapter 5: Culture
Chapter 6: Personal, Communal, Public, Civic
Chapter 7: Looking for the Mouse
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
While Cognitive Surplus talks about the amount of television we collectively watch, Shirky is not commenting on the quality (or lack of it) of those shows that we watch. Rather, he points out the number of hours we sit in front of the television consuming but not creating. However, he does document some of the initiatives that have taken off when people spend less time with the television and more time connecting with people, creating new sites, and allowing individuals to create content. Some of the choices he makes to illustrate his point could be lost on many people, for example lolcats (the most popular site is icanhascheezburger.com), but Shirky uses the example well - a simple site that allows anyone to play. The best example is PatientsLikeMe.com where people contribute their medical history, results from treatments, and more. It is so popular, and the contributions so good, that it is has become the foremost site for medical trials, a support group that the current medical community cannot offer, and a clearinghouse for information and ideas.
Clay Shirky, in Cognitive Surplus, isn't advocating that we turn off the television, however he does illustrate what happens when people find other avenues for their "free time." For the more part, we are creating new communities, connecting with people, and providing new avenues of creativity. Also, it is the younger generations that are leading this inventiveness; they are watching less television, putting more time into the internet and connecting people in new and original ways. What we are seeing, experiencing on the internet demonstrates that "media" is no longer passive. It is producing, consuming, and sharing and it is open to everyone. The individual, or group, that takes a little time to evaluate a situation where others have been provided a canned experience, denied an opportunity, and ask "can we apply cognitive surplus to this situation and make the experience better?" will probably be rewarded for attempting the connections.
While not every advantage of "cognitive surplus" benefits humanity, Shirky spends all of his time providing positive anecdotes, while ignoring some of the "darker" aspects of internet collectives. However, his optimism is contagious; he sees the internet as a place for unbridled innovation and his examples reinforce that point. If you have read Shirky's previous book, Here Comes Everybody, where he talked about the power of leveraging the crowds, Cognitive Surplus is an excellent follow-up. After leveraging the crowds, the next step is to harness that knowledge, and time, to create new, interesting, and wonderful collaborative web sites. Our imaginations will provide new opportunities and the internet will provide the means to deliver creativity, sharing, and participation.
Disclosure:
Obtained from: Library
Payment: Borrowed
Technorati tag: book review Clay Shirky
Contents:
Chapter 1: Gin, Television, and Cognitive Surplus
Chapter 2: Means
Chapter 3: Motive
Chapter 4: Opportunity
Chapter 5: Culture
Chapter 6: Personal, Communal, Public, Civic
Chapter 7: Looking for the Mouse
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
While Cognitive Surplus talks about the amount of television we collectively watch, Shirky is not commenting on the quality (or lack of it) of those shows that we watch. Rather, he points out the number of hours we sit in front of the television consuming but not creating. However, he does document some of the initiatives that have taken off when people spend less time with the television and more time connecting with people, creating new sites, and allowing individuals to create content. Some of the choices he makes to illustrate his point could be lost on many people, for example lolcats (the most popular site is icanhascheezburger.com), but Shirky uses the example well - a simple site that allows anyone to play. The best example is PatientsLikeMe.com where people contribute their medical history, results from treatments, and more. It is so popular, and the contributions so good, that it is has become the foremost site for medical trials, a support group that the current medical community cannot offer, and a clearinghouse for information and ideas.
Clay Shirky, in Cognitive Surplus, isn't advocating that we turn off the television, however he does illustrate what happens when people find other avenues for their "free time." For the more part, we are creating new communities, connecting with people, and providing new avenues of creativity. Also, it is the younger generations that are leading this inventiveness; they are watching less television, putting more time into the internet and connecting people in new and original ways. What we are seeing, experiencing on the internet demonstrates that "media" is no longer passive. It is producing, consuming, and sharing and it is open to everyone. The individual, or group, that takes a little time to evaluate a situation where others have been provided a canned experience, denied an opportunity, and ask "can we apply cognitive surplus to this situation and make the experience better?" will probably be rewarded for attempting the connections.
While not every advantage of "cognitive surplus" benefits humanity, Shirky spends all of his time providing positive anecdotes, while ignoring some of the "darker" aspects of internet collectives. However, his optimism is contagious; he sees the internet as a place for unbridled innovation and his examples reinforce that point. If you have read Shirky's previous book, Here Comes Everybody, where he talked about the power of leveraging the crowds, Cognitive Surplus is an excellent follow-up. After leveraging the crowds, the next step is to harness that knowledge, and time, to create new, interesting, and wonderful collaborative web sites. Our imaginations will provide new opportunities and the internet will provide the means to deliver creativity, sharing, and participation.
Disclosure:
Obtained from: Library
Payment: Borrowed
Technorati tag: book review Clay Shirky
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