Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators

Initially, I had some difficulty with this assignment as I could not find a book that both caught my attention and also contained relevant concepts that I felt confident analyzing. That is until I found this book by Clay Shirky. In other FIG classes we have talked about Shirky's work, specifically in LIS 301.  I started out my search on Amazon.com with key words that we have been dicussing in our classes. First I tried "social networking," but the only books I found we either guides for professional students or books which other students had already selected. 

The first interesting book I found was one entitled Here Comes Everybody, also by Shirky, that focused on the ways in which people of society have gathered together and the methods through which our society today is changing and evolving. There was an aspect of the influence of technology in said book; however, I felt it focused more on behaviors and patterns more than technology itself. Also, it was written too long ago (in 2008).  I found the book I selected through the "consumers also bought..." section on Amazon. I clicked on it out of curiosity and, upon reading its reviews, I knew I had found the perfect book. This book seems particularly interesting as it focuses on the new elements of collaboration that social media brings. One reviewer even classified this read as "THE book to understand the fundamentals of social media collaboration." Shirky, with other writings that appear in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, seemed to be a very reliable source of insight and information. I can't wait to see what he has to say about social media and the future of our collaborative society!

Sources:

Shirky, C. (2011). Cognitive surplus: how technology makes consumers into collaborators. New York: Penguin Books. (Original work published 2011)

Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: the power of organizing without organizations. New York: Penguin Press.