Cognitive Surplus

               Cognitive Surplus was probably one of the most unique books I have read as of late.  It challenges its readers to think about their priorities and activities regarding their personal free time.  In addition to that this book seems to be a call to action for its readers in how it recognizes the availability of people and avoidable distractions that we can replace with more altruistic or generous activities.  This book discussed many activities that people take part in during their free time and some of the motivations behind those activities.

               As it was pointed out in Cognitive Surplus, there is a growing opportunity for generosity in today’s world.  This is due to an increase in the convenience of generosity due to technological advances and an increase in overall need.  In today’s world, one of a difficult economic situation, there is a growing need for generosity.  This creates a unique circumstance in that technology, a device that can be addictively time consuming and an overall distraction from involvement in altruistic activities, is an important outlet in the social participation in generous activities.  Clay Shirky points out in his book that “watching a lot of TV leads us to shift more energy to material satisfaction and less to social satisfaction.”  However, when used for the right purpose technology allows us to reach people groups that were once considered out of reach.  Therefore, it is logical and relevant for Clay Shirkey to state that technology increases our opportunities for growth.  He then gives us an implied call to arms throughout his book by giving us various examples of individuals and groups using their cognitive surplus for acts of generosity.       

               Not only does technology increase our opportunities for generous acts technology allows us to have freely convenient media.  The internet is a source by which people groups with similar ideas in mind can join together and make a difference, Clay Shirkey uses the example of the Grobonites in his book Cognitive Surplus.  The Grobonites are a group of people who were joined together by a similar interest, in that they were all fans of the singer Josh Groban.  They decided to create a gift to give him for his birthday, and that ended up being a donation to charity.  This was a single act that ended up growing into a new charitable organization that is still distributing funds today.

                  In order to consider the issue of generosity in today’s society one must ask about the underlying motives pertaining to those events.  What motivates a person into generosity?  Is it out of potential for personal gain, or out of benevolent character?  Or do we do a generous act because we simply have too much time on our hands and not enough activities to consume our attention (other than television).  Whatever the reason may be the generous act as a whole is an event that should always be honored and recognized in the community.  It is, as Clay Shirkey mentions, the realization of mankind that there is a surplus of cognitive attention that creates the need for activity.  It is our innate restlessness that in perspective creates a certain motivation for ambitious action and generous activity.  With that being said, I would like to delve into a recent generous act that I committed over the course of this past year.     

               In the summer of 2010 I decided to dedicate a year of my life to the Peace Corps.  However, this was not the Peace Corps that works overseas, this is an organization called Americorps otherwise known as the domestic Peace Corps.  My Americorps service is a parallel representation of the type of convenient technologically enhanced organization that joins people together who have similar motivations and goals.  Overall my service with Americorps was a convenient opportunity based off of the motive to do good backed by a secondary motivator, an intrinsic educational award.  This type of generous activity enhanced my personal and professional growth.

               My narrative surrounding my activities with Americorps represents that of a journey.  I started out having a restless need to go into the community and make a difference.  It was in the late spring that I found an internet posting while surfing the web about an upcoming opportunity to serve my own community in association with the Peace Corps.  I had previously done volunteer work with local Non for Profit agencies, but I had never seen an opportunity quite like this before.  It was a meeting of like minded individuals who were interested in working with one another to make a lasting impact.  I then recognized this as a great opportunity and decided to join.  We initially connected with one another via the convenient mobile web but ultimately we joined together and performed generous acts for the community. 

               I served for approximately one year in the United Way of Porter County.  Through this program I worked as a Teacher’s Assistant and case manager to children in special education through Valparaiso Community Schools.  One such significant story that I recall and look fondly upon was raising money for the local Food Pantry.  We connected with local community resources and businesses and they decided to make a competition to see who could collect more goods.  At the end of this fundraiser we had the food pantry stocked to where it couldn’t accept any more items because they had received over 10,000 items.  Other things that I did in Porter County over the year includes but is not limited to feeding the homeless, providing housing opportunities, preventing violence, substance abuse prevention, treatment opportunities, providing assistance to the school system, and construction.  It would take multiple papers to completely describe everything this organization did for the community.  Overall, this organization that I had the great privilege of serving with was based off of the realization of a cognitive surplus that created a restless motivation.  It was made possible through the convenient and ever available world of technology.

               Clay Shirky goes on to say in his book that “one of the most important lessons is this: once you’ve figured out how to tap the surplus in a way that people care about, others can replicate your technique, over and over, around the world.”  Not only is this an encouragement for the creating of generous acts, but it is an encouragement aimed at people joining and participating in such activities.  When one reads multiple examples throughout his book it is only natural for introspection to occur, or to look inward and evaluate yourself based off of what you just learned about.  Although Clay Shirky does not give a call to arms in so many words he does pose this challenging question at the end of the book: “What are you doing with your cognitive surplus?”  It is a final reflective though which challenges its readers to ponder the endless possibilities that our free time can entail.   

               In conclusion Clay Shirkey’s book Cognitive Surplus is a thought provoking motivational statement that is universally applicable.  Its message is to those who don’t realize how much time can be wasted doing activities such as watching television.  He stresses the importance of how everyone should take part in doing benevolent acts for the community and beyond in his first chapter by posing the question what would Americans do with their free time if they did not waste it watching television and comparing that to the Gin Craze.  This is a message that I have taken to heart and am interested in sharing that mission with those around me.