From the bestselling author ofHere Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky'sCognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Ageis a fascinating look at how the internet is transforming our culture, providing new outlets for human potential.
In the past, we filled our free time with the tools at our disposal. Television became a kind of universal part-time job, and sitcoms and soap operas sponged up our cognitive surplus: the collective surfeit of time, intellect and energy at our disposal.
Today, tech has finally caught up with human potential. New tools don't just let us consume, but create and share. Clay Shirky's groundbreaking book reveals what is now happening with this previously untapped talent and goodwill. From lolcats to tools for tracking voter fraud and ethnic violence, he shows how we're using our cognitive surplus for the better, and what it means for the future.
'A manifesto for what's next - or what ought to be'
  Independent
'Perhaps the most amazing fact about Shirky's incisive manual for building a better world is this: it's just possible that everything he promises may be true'
  Observer
'Fizzes with great insights ... It's a delight to read and will change how you think about the future'
  Cory Doctorow,Boing Boing
'When Clay Shirky speaks ... people listen. The author of the influentialHere Comes Everybodyis again driving conversation'
  TIME
'Shirky gives us a ruler by which to measure our contribution to the world. Watching TV will never be the same again'
  Guardian
Clay Shirkyteaches at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, where he researches the interrelated effects of our social and technological networks. His writings have appeared in theNew York Times, theWall Street Journal, theTimesof London,Harvard Business Review,Business 2.0, andWired.