Shirky richt zijn geschriften op de sociale en economische effecten van internettechnologieën, en onderzoekt hoe gedecentraliseerde technologieën en netwerktopologieën onze cultuur vormen en vice versa. Hij analyseert groepsdynamiek in online omgevingen, waarbij hij de signalen onderzoekt die we gebruiken om opkomende eigenschappen van groepen te begrijpen. Zijn werk verschijnt regelmatig in toonaangevende publicaties en behandelt opkomende technologieën en hun maatschappelijke impact. Voorheen hield hij zich ook bezig met theater, waarbij hij experimenteerde met onconventionele vormen van 'non-fictie theater'.
Evaluates the significant role being played by technological advances on the formation and experience of modern group dynamics, citing such examples as Wikipedia and MySpace to demonstrate the Internet's power in bridging geographical and cultural gaps. Reprint.
For decades, technology encouraged us to squander our time and as passive consumers. Today, tech has finally caught up with human potential. In Cognitive Surplus, Clay Shirky examines the changes we will all enjoy as our untapped resources of talent and good will are put to use at last. Since the postwar boom, we've had a surfeit of intellect, energy, and time - a "cognitive surplus." Shirky argues persuasively that this cognitive surplus - rather than being some strange new departure from normal behavior - actually returns our society to forms of collaboration that were natural to us up to and through the early 20th Century. He also charts the vast effects that our cognitive surplus - aided by new technologies - will have on 21st Century society, and how we can best exploit those effects, and how the choices we make are not only economically motivated but driven by the desire for autonomy, competence, and community.
The author of the breakout hit Here Comes Everybody explores how new technology is transforming us from passive consumers into active collaborators, unlocking a wave of creative production that will reshape our world. For years, technology led people to waste their time and intellect as mere consumers. Now, it has aligned with human potential. Clay Shirky predicts exciting changes as digital technology finally harnesses our untapped resources of talent and goodwill. Since the postwar boom, Americans have possessed a surplus of intellect, energy, and time—what Shirky terms cognitive surplus. However, this abundance largely went to waste as television dominated our leisure time, fostering isolation. Today, new media enables us to collaborate at minimal cost, leading to remarkable outcomes, from innovative reference tools like Wikipedia to lifesaving platforms like Ushahidi.com, which empowers Kenyans to report violence despite government censorship. Shirky argues that this cognitive surplus represents a return to natural forms of collaboration that existed until the early twentieth century. He outlines the profound effects of this surplus on twenty-first-century society, including increased innovation, transparency, and productivity. The potential impact is vast; for instance, Wikipedia was created using just 1 percent of the time Americans spend watching TV annually. Shirky illustrates how our society will dramatically improve