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Cognitive surplus : creativity and…
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Cognitive surplus : creativity and generosity in a connected age (original 2010; edition 2010)

by Clay Shirky

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8692724,612 (3.7)7
The author of the breakout hit "Here Comes Everybody" reveals how new technology is changing us from consumers to collaborators, unleashing a torrent of creative production that will transform our world.
Member:bobbedh
Title:Cognitive surplus : creativity and generosity in a connected age
Authors:Clay Shirky
Info:London : Allen Lane, 2010.
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Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky (Author) (2010)

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Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
While I preferred "Here Comes Everybody", this book was interesting as well. It's basically an examination of how people use online tools to change the world. The book tends to feel Polyannaish and I don't think Shirky went nearly deep enough in his examination on how tools like Facebook and Twitter can be used for evil. I also think that LOLCats is a rather trivial example of group collaboration(Shirky admits this), so why bother with it at all. I'd liked to have seen discussion of 4chan, anonymous and other places/personas on the Internet that don't always work as a force for good. Shirky is obviously pro-sharing, and pro amateur production without really discussing the filter failure this creates and how we might deal with it, whether it be by curation or algorithm. Clearly, Shirky set out to prove or at least suggest a positive use for online tools, but ignoring the less than savory uses doesn't make them go away, nor does it give users an adequate picture of how online tools really work. ( )
  dogboi | Sep 16, 2023 |
enjoyable.
  royragsdale | Sep 22, 2021 |
The author has some very good points. It feels lightly researched and he makes his points more through anecdotes rather than research. (To be fair he does provide some additional information in a notes section but no footnotes in the material.) The other problem with the material is his assumption that this surplus will only be used for good. He has a number of stories about people using this surplus for good, but there are I'm guessing an equal number of people that are communicating and connecting for less good reasons. Which doesn't argue that there isn't a surplus but does indicate that we should really be considering the consequences of this surplus rather than just embracing it as a good thing. A good but flawed read. ( )
  Skybalon | Mar 19, 2020 |
Reading this in 2019 felt a bit old-hat, so I can't imagine it'll age well. But some good anecdotes/interesting facts, rather loosely held together by the thesis (which is that people are using their spare time to create content rather than just consume it - as indeed I'm doing right now).. Well written, if a bit shallow. ( )
  sometimeunderwater | Aug 30, 2019 |
This has not aged gracefully. ( )
  urnmo | Jul 29, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
As a route towards action, rather than an escape from it, technology and media have never looked more potent than they do today. And perhaps the most amazing fact about Shirky's incisive manual for building a better world is this: it's just possible that everything he promises may be true.
added by Ludi_Ling | editThe Observer, Tom Chatfield (Jun 27, 2010)
 
The time we might free up by ditching TV is Shirky’s “cognitive surplus” — an ocean of hours that society could contribute to endeavors far more useful and fun than television.
 
Shirky is the best chronicler we have of the unfolding cultural revolution brought on by the web. But, with his passion for fighting the old enemy, television, he may not have given enough attention to the new battles under way in which emerging media powers such as Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google compete to fence off a digital landscape that is only just coming into view for most of us.
added by Katya0133 | editNew Statesman, Charles Leadbeater
 
This thought-provoking, sunny, optimistic read will appeal to those interested in technology's social impact.
added by Katya0133 | editLibrary Journal, James A. Buczynski
 

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Shirky, ClayAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Foley, KevinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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The author of the breakout hit "Here Comes Everybody" reveals how new technology is changing us from consumers to collaborators, unleashing a torrent of creative production that will transform our world.

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