Cognitive Surplus [book review]
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Erin Lawrimore, University Archivist (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: In his 2008 book, Here Comes Everybody: The
Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Clay Shirky
explored how the Internet empowered groups outside of
traditional organizational structures. His 2010 book,
Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into
Collaborators, expands that theme, expertly examining how
and why individuals choose to join these technologicallyenabled
groups and analyzing how these groups are
transforming modern communications. Defining “cognitive
surplus” as “the free time of the world’s educated citizenry
as an aggregate” (9), Shirky uses examples from around the
world. These include everything from a crowd-sourced
service to track ethnic violence in Kenya to the LOLCats of
ICanHasCheezburger.com, all in order to analyze the source
of our cognitive surplus and the ways it can be harnessed
effectively. In a world of participatory archives and a focus
on developing new user groups, Shirky’s observations and
recommendations are pertinent to archivists striving to grow
communities locally and online.
Cognitive Surplus [book review]
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Created on 11/21/2013
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Journal for the Society of North Carolina Archivists, 10(1), 57-61
- Language: English
- Date: 2012
- Keywords
- book reviews, communications, communication technology, archives, collaboration