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Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

I purchased this book on 12 June, and started reading it shortly thereafter. It is an amazing book, a thorough and well-though-out expansion of the ideas in this presentation by Shirky (Link to Clay Shirky on Cognitive Surplus). He has been thinking about this for a couple of years and it shows.

Means, Motive, Opportunity and the Current Economic Crisis

Cognitive Surplus is the term Shirky uses for our free time, or the time that we are not spending making a living. In this book Shirky describes the history of cognitive surplus and the massive potential for its use and development.

Shirky describes the background of events and technological developments that have allowed humans to spend less time doing the things they need to do to survive – the creation of “free time”.

Before the invention of television people used a great deal of this time for social interaction. The advent of TV, and the marketing that financed its production, pulled people away from social and group activities and into passive consumption of entertainment.

People also started to turn to TV and favored programs if they were lonely (of course they were lonely, no one gets together for ice cream socials or barn-dances any more!), with the on-screen cast replacing or standing in for their personal, real-world, social network.

As an aside, I find it interesting that TV broadcast companies are called “networks”…

Social Networks in the Internet Age

With the explosive growth of the Internet, however, we find that people still have a fundamental need to connect and share with others. Suddenly people have the opportunity to be sociable again, with an incredibly low barrier to entry. In addition people are creating and nurturing connections to other people that share very narrow interests. In the past it could be difficult for a person interested in, say, model trains, to find and interact with others that share that interest. The Internet has destroyed the barriers of geography and publicity, enabling these people to find each other easily and have conversations, create relationships, and share their experiences.

Today it is only a matter of investing a few minutes in searching Google (or Flickr or Facebook or Twitter…) to find others actively sharing their thoughts on any topic imaginable. This is having a revolutionary impact on the use of free time, the active employment of our cognitive surplus, because people really do want to share, to collaborate, to create things.

Two Thousand Wikipedias

One of the most amazing examples of the potential of applying our cognitive surplus to something other than TV involves the collaborative effort that is Wikipedia. According to an estimate, Wikipedia represents the result of the application of about 100 million hours of human thought. To give that some context, 100 million hours is about 50 thousand full-time jobs lasting one year. All of it is contributed by volunteers for free. In their spare time, putting their cognitive surplus to good use.

“Sure“, you might say, “but how much free time, this cognitive surplus, is there anyway?”

Well, Americans watch 200 billion hours of television each year, or the equivalent of two thousand Wikipedia projects. Think about that for a minute…

Imagine if even a fraction of that passive consumption of TV could be re-directed toward something productive. It makes me feel guilty about the one evening a week that I spend in front of the TV with my Lovely Bride.

Moving Away from TV

Recent studies indicate that for the first time ever there are groups of young people that are actually watching less TV than their elders. I would be willing to bet that these groups probably fall into fairly specific demographics: 20-something, early adopters of technology, largely self-educated (learning more in their free time than they do in “lowest-common-denominator public schools), web-savvy, and completely uninterested in getting a “job” and working for The Man. I say this because in this time of recession where about 1 in 6 people are out of work, creating your own stimulus is undeniably attractive.

In my own experience I know half a dozen young people like this that are preparing to start their own business. They work hard and don’t watch TV. One young man I know doesn’t even own a TV, but he does have a computer and a great idea for a business.

Means, Motive, Opportunity

So here we are, faced with economic uncertainty, a depressed economy, and an amazing asset – our collective cognitive surplus – sitting idly by watching “Real Housewives of New Jersey“. Couldn’t we put this asset to better use? Shouldn’t we? Is it not a moral imperative? Perhaps not, but I think that we should all be putting at least one hour a week into creating something amazing. And remember, amazing is what you say it is.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Learn something – Read a book, take a class, go online, whatever, but learn something new. How to paint with watercolors, how to tie a fly, how to create YouTube videos to promote your business.
• Make something - Create a new product or service for your business, or an online store.
• Teach something to another person – Could your neighbors or co-workers benefit from learning about something that you know how to do? Drag them away from their TVs too, and share your knowledge.

What are your thoughts on how to use your own cognitive surplus? Please share in the Comments.