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Friday, November 2, 2012

Clay Shirkey - Cognitive Surplus & Changing the World



What is a culture of generosity and how can it be used to improve education? What does it mean to say, "Free cultures get what they celebrate?" How can you as a leader affect what you celebrate?

Clay Shirky’s TED talk finds unlikely commonalities among LOL Cats and Ushahidi. His talk is centered on the idea of “cognitive surplus,” a combination of collective free time and media tools that allow us to create and share. These are qualities that are required for both comical and philanthropic digital ideas to flourish.

When Shirky uses the phrase “culture of generosity” I think he is pointing to the productive use of free time and the social contracts that we intrinsically maintain. But, as evidenced by the day care study, cultures can be broken. Not every digital venture goes viral and in successful projects I think that smart planning and opportune timing bring out a culture of generosity. 

In other words you get what you give, or “free cultures get what they celebrate.” To create something of civic value I think you need to be familiar with your community and present something that has some value to your audience. As leaders I think that we all have the power to affect the culture of our workspace and therefore influence what we celebrate.  

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