Assignment 21A
Cognitive Surplus: Clay Shirky
1) What was the general
theme or argument of the book?
The general argument in the book is the increase in technology
of time passes will change the social constructs associated with the different
technology, and society should adjust for these future differences.
2)
How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what
you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book, through its exploration of how new technologies
changed social perceptions and circumstances, enhanced my appreciation for how
technologies can help define a marketplace and opportunity with understanding your
outside circumstances and limitations.
3) If you had to design
an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that
exercise involve?
I would design an exercise that involves comparing the impact of
modern day technologies to pre-modern advances, such as AOL and Napster. In
addition, they would then need to create a business idea using modern day
technology and how its improved using modern-day technology versus pre-modern
technology.
4) What was your biggest
surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you
learn that differed most from your expectations?
My biggest surprise came from understanding his comparison
between the gin craze in 18th Century London. By putting in rules to
ban gin drinking only subsided drinking for a period and then an alternative
was used to quench their thirst. In a similar manner, Shriky explains how the
shelf life of technology is outdone by increasing methods, but the passion for
the technology will continue far into the future. This altered my view of
current technology and now understand that future methods will replace certain
aspects of tech I don’t agree with.
