Clay Shirky; Cognitive Surplus
I picked up this book
on the premise that the subheading “Creativity and Generosity in a
Connected Age” would help me be more resourceful and productive. It
resulted in a fascinating read that I found myself bringing up in
conversation time and time again. I am not sure if I feel more
productive now I have finished, but I feel as thought I understand a little
bit better exactly why things they are a-changing.
Shirky writes in an
incredibly concise way, throwing in clear and enlightened insights
consistently, not only explaining how and why, but leaving your
thoughts reeling in the wake of what he has just said.
The story of Cognitive
Surplus covers just what we do with our free time since the occurance
of the big old world wide web. Previously us citizens were seen
simply as passive consumers of television, singularly and separately
in our spare time. With the revolutionary nature of the internet we
saw a change in this consumption. People began reaching for the
mouse, interacting, as pointed out by Shirky, through varied avenues
such as Lolcatz or couchsurfing to the communities of open source
technology programming. Shirky discusses how we use our free time and
how it has changed due to the burst of social media over the past few
years, now allowing interconnectivity on new levels.
For me, I felt my eyes
sparkle. What if it's true, and all of this free time can result in a
better, more communal society? At the moment, in the UK and across
Europe, and even the world, we are seeing financial crisis' left
right and centre. Younger and older people alike are finding
themselves jobless. Under 25 employment is at a record high in the
UK. And all of these young people have grown up in the age of the
internet, watching the technological revolution unfold. We have
already seen the importance of social media in various uprisings
across the world; from the revolution in Egypt to the formation of
Occupy globally. The internet, and more specifically social media is
becoming integral in organising human beings into value laden action.
Perhaps now we will
see a further politicisation of the younger generations; those sat at
home, jobless, full of fury and promise, constantly reaching for the
mouse to see what can be done.
