Nieman Journalism Lab: Clay Shirky’s ‘Cognitive Surplus’
June 28th, 2010Posted by Judith Townend in Editors' pick, Journalism
Nieman Journalism Lab has a review and analysis of media theorist Clay Shirky’s latest book and concept. ‘Is creating and sharing always a more moral choice than consuming,’ asks reviewer Megan Garber.
Cognitive Surplus, in other words – the book, and the concept it’s named for – pivots on paradox: The more abundant our media, the less specific value we’ll place on it, and, therefore, the more generally valuable it will become. We have to be willing to waste our informational resources in order to preserve them. If you love something…set it free.
Tags: Clay Shirky, cognitive surplus
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August 8th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I’ve been a fan of Clay Shirky’s work for quite some time. He is realistic in his assessment of collaborations strengths and weaknesses. His chronicle of an online study group at Ryerson University is a perfect example of the ramifications of widespread interconnectivity that society will be wrestling with into the future.