Reading Reflection 3

1. For this book review, I read Cognitive Surplus by Clay Skirky. The main argument in his book, is that social media, the internet, and technology in general can actually propel us towards a more engaged, democratic society. Shirky makes a contrast between his optimistic tone and the typical view that the internet has taught us to be lazy, passive, isolated consumers. Television, on the other hand, does just that. We pour our time into it and get nothing in return. In this way, generations that are participating in interactive media will be better off than those addicted to the tv.
2. This book argues that making connections and having interactions with others is how we advance ourselves and our world. This is definitely something reinforced throughout this class. We do exercises to analyze and grow our network by interacting with others. We do this through an online platform, but it doesn't make it any less real.
3. An exercise we could do in this class based on this book is to report how much time in the past week each student spent watching tv. Then, each student should come up with a list of other activities they would complete if they had spent their time on anything else. The class can see how much the class as a whole could accomplish if everyone gave up their tv time.
4. I think Shirky's comparison of America's allotted television time to gin in 1720s London gave me the biggest aha moment. It's not a bad thing, and it helps us cope with modern reality, but what do we gain from it? I guess I thought I couldn't waste time more than I do using social media, but Shirky's book points out that at least there is human connection and some value when using the internet.