Cognitive Surplus

November 13, 2011

This book was quite the eye opener for me as in many respects I have not taken the time to contemplate the many and varied ways “new” technology has changed just about everything in the past twenty or so years. What specifically struck me in the book was the manner in which my own thinking changed regarding technology and how it has and continues to be used to involve more and more people worldwide in the evolving “game of Life.”

As a child I can readily recall the limited influence technology had in my life with respect to the world of media or social connecting/communication. Most of my social connections came in the form of face to face contact be it family gatherings, playing with friends or being involved in organized activities.  Growing up I was strongly encouraged to find things to do to keep myself busy. This of course meant I did not have an abundance of tv time, as it was so affectionately called by my parents, but when it was on, it was captivating and I would agree with Shirky that in my household television was king. It was truly the media my family relied on to get most of our news from the outside world as we did not subscribe to newspapers or magazines and radios were for music. How quickly what I once knew as standard has changed now that I am one of the heads of our household.

With a 17 year daughter I found myself repeatedly drawing comparisons to the book and the world as she knows it. The life she has come to know and understand is one that has truly benefitted from the powerful combination of having not only the cognitive surplus but also the many tools at her disposal to make tremendous change for good and for so many individuals. The interesting story in the book about the teenagers in Korea who drew worldwide attention due to the beef recall ban being lifted is very similar to what my daughter’s friends are currently experiencing in their attempts to make a difference for students in her school. A recent decision by the school board prompted a number of students to “go public” with their message to get the board the reverse the decision. The all out campaign, though on a smaller scale than the Korean incident, started with students texting, tweeting and blogging about the injustice as they saw it. From there a small group of student organized, posted pieces about their displeasure and now the uproar is in full swing, with board presentations and lawyers willing to act as council for the students. The students involved in this effort are not only demonstrating initiative, but what a fabulous example of positive deviants (Shirky, page 127) working to improve their lives.

The act of sharing information and collaborating absolutely got this effort off the ground and like so many of the examples in the book, these situations more than not tend to bring out the best in people. As I read about the various scenarios in which Shirky described people as wanting to do something for others I was not at all surprised by the fact it seemed most people did not care if they were compensated for creating a website or managing a fundraising operation. From most of the media I am able to access this generosity is rarely newsworthy and

may show up as special clip once a week on the 6 PM news. I do believe however, most people by nature are caring, considerate people who want to participate in activities that interest them or make them feel like they are making a contribution, a difference for others. The Crobians discussed in the book is such a cool example of this big picture use of technology to make a significant impact on people all over the world. The part of this story I enjoyed the most was the simplicity with which a couple of folks got the ball rolling and turned their love for a musician into a huge success and they did it basically from the basements of their houses.

Another interesting piece of this explosion of communication and collaboration is the fact it spans all groups and ages. , though in some situations old thinking has persevered.  I say this as I have a father who three years ago basically unplugged his computer and has not looked back. Actually many of the “older” folks I know have not expressed much interest in technology and find the “old way” of connecting with people just fine. Shirky also discusses this “preserve the old thinking” model on page 39 with his example of PickupPal. Though many people could see the overwhelming benefits of this program, fewer cars on the road, less gas consumption, creating additional social connections, when it comes down to money being lost, in this case for the bus company, then the use of cognitive surplus is seen as a detriment. Shirky further exemplifies this thinking in his explanation of Napster and how it begin as a way to share music and ended up being disband primarily due to financial reasons.

As with many things in our lives we gravitate to things that are of interest to us. Sometimes we sustain this interest but chose not to take it past ourselves. Fortunately today we have numerous platforms to share our interests should we elect to do that. We now have virtually unlimited ways to share our thinking, interests or to connect with people nearly anywhere in the world. Like the young ladies in Korea if we want to take our interests to the next level we do not need the consent of anyone to share our story. Now it is a matter of a few clicks here and a click there and before you know it your group of friends and what you can do together can it capable of accomplishing just about anything. A pretty smart feeling knowing we are no longer passive absorbers of media, but participants who have the control to be as involved as we want to be.