Reading Reflection No. 2

Reading Reflection:

"Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age" by Clay Shirky

General Theme: Clay Shirky suggests in "Cognitive Surplus" that the innovations of the modern industrial age, specifically higher wages from increased global production and educational resources, has given most people the ability to maintain a level of free time in their lives that was not possible previously. Shirky asserts that while this time can be used for less productive efforts, like the consumption of gin or other entertainment outlets, the knowledge that an educated population attains while preparing for a shifting labor market can be used in one's free time for creative means that benefit the creator or society in general. Shirky asserts that the tools information age give the best platform to accomplish this, since now more than ever people are able to connect with one another, learning the skills that others have and the needs of the general public, which both cause people to be more likely to develop creative resources when engaging in this internet community. This "cognitive surplus" that can be achieved in this age should not be seen as a wasting of valuable time, but instead as an innovative resource of the modern age, often utilized for the good of commercial and civic ventures.

Connection to ENT3003: What I think this book hits on well that we also talk about in class is the role of the connected world of the internet in the dissemination of ideas and products. Shirky highlights the important role that social media plays in allowing communities to spread ideas and awareness of issues, as well as potential solutions that people develop creatively in response to these issues. This is a central topic we discuss in this class when we consider how an online social marketing presence can improve the speed in which we communicate the need for a product to an identified valuable demographic, and how certain activities that we can accomplish, like search engine optimization for a website or media marketing on appropriate platforms to target the most valuable audience. Entrepreneurs also should share the same creative mindset that Shirky talks about for those who employ their cognitive surplus for creative ventures, as those who desire to creative a valued product are required to use their free time for creative ventures rather than consumptive means.

Class Exercise: I think since the book talks a lot about using your free time for creative goals rather than less productive consumption of entertainment, I think a valuable exercise might be for students to do a self analysis of their time spending habits, noting specifically what they do outside of their required class and schoolwork time. An exercise where students break down the hours in the day and show accurately what they spend time doing in their free time could help them see how they can utilize these surplus hours for creative ventures for their own benefit or for the benefit of others. I think chances are people spend a lot more time consuming media sources than they do working on creative projects, so I think an exercise that helps students see what they spend their time doing could help them determine how to factor in hours in the week for these creative goals, whether that is working on a business idea or simply producing some creative design that makes them feel fulfilled, like artwork or music.

Surprising Moment: I think the biggest learning moment I had that changed the way I normally thought was when Shirky highlighted that media use and free time in the modern age is a highly valuable resource for human networking and ingenuity. Most of my exposure to online media has been in the media consumption side of things, so when I think of social media and networking platforms I think of a tool that wastes my time and takes away hours of my day that I should be using for more useful tasks. But the way that Shirky frames it lets me see that for these consumptive media channels to exist in the first place someone had to be creative with their use of the internet and develop resources to fill a community need, specifically the need for entertainment in our expanding free time and connection with those outside of our physical landscape. I think this book has allowed me to see that my time spent in the online realm can be much more creative than what I originally anticipated, and that I can use the novel connectivity of the modern age to add value to society through these creative means.