Our essays in response to Clay Shirky's Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age (2010)

Clay Shirky argues that we are at a unique moment in time. That is, with the worldwide burgeoning of affordable, easy-to-use internet applications, people in industrial and post-industrial societies are able to shift from being media consumers alone to being media producers as well. As a result, we are able to engage in generous networked activity that has the potential to change the world. In spring 2012, less than two years after this book has been published, we have seen many ways in which world political structures have, in fact, changed due in part to unprecedented numbers of people who have digital connections. In these essays, we comment on some of the book's more notable points, as well as on generous acts, networked or otherwise, that we have witnessed or in which we have participated.

Fall 2012 essays

"A Generous Woman Builds a Gym" by Jazmin Pratt

Parenting in the Age of Technology by Barb Pardee

Thumb Era By Xuewei Wu

Something About My Dancing Lessons by Jin Ma

Reflections on New Media by Christine A



Blogging As an Act of Generosity to Report the Unreported By Raber Aziz

Cognitive Surplus and Acts of Generosity by Diane Noe

"Act of Generosity" by Karwan Khmo

Milkshake mistakes in microblog by Haoxiang Wang

Reflection on Cognitive Surplus by Weiwei Yao

Cognitive Surplus Sharing and Generosity by Liuge Shang

Impacts of technology on everyday life by Krista Martin



Spring 2012 essays

Down the Rabbit Hole: The Community of 4chan by Ethan Grant

An introduction to the seedy core of online culture.

TOMS by Eric Hilmer

On the TOMS shoes movement and the quickening spread of trends due to the internet.

The Art of Blogging by Alex Moulchin

on blogging and publishing yourself

Music and the Internet: Sharing a Universal Language by Rebecca Werner

on music composition and music sharing

A Surplus to Health by Nathan Albert

on LoseIt!, weight loss and social media.

Generosity as an Art Form by Ashlee Stanley

The generosity of strangers on a site called deviantART.



Gamers Unite by Mike Siano

on the culture of gamers and their impact on others and each other



The Project for Awesome by Kirsten Pohlplatz

on community generosity on the internet, and generally being awesome

Writing Again Thanks To Cognitive Surplus by Alicia Smock

Feeding Those Without Surplus by Abby Christiansen



Why Giving Blood is a Good Thing by Mallorie Kaskubar

An Intrinsic Motivation, An Inspirational Soul by Michelle Stiegart

How one remarkable soul's life cut short inspired actions in those who knew and loved her.

Medical Treatment through PatientsLikeMe by Rebecca Szabo

Cognitive Surplus: Changing History Through Boredom by Angela Nickels

Fanfiction: Uniting and Fostering Writers by Victoria Hole



on Harry Potter fanfiction, fanfiction communities, and writing in a digital age

Cognitive Surplus and School Lunch: A Blog for Change by Stephanie Coleman

on School Lunch Programs, Nutrition, Public Schools, Blog, Food

Generosity: from the Internet to the Post Office by Rachel Shinville

on Moreloveletters.com and old and new media existing side by side

Recall Scott Walker By Aubree Zdanovec

How public workers of Wisconsin united to protest in order to save their rights.

The English Theatre Business Project and Marketing Shakespeare by Jacquielynn Wolff

marketing, theatre, Intercultural-Competence

Competitive Internets By Eric Mozynski

How the internet is changing generosity

Fall 2011 essays

Reflection on cognitive surplus by Qi Huang

on RenRen (the Chinese Facebook), Sina Microblog, and more

Cognitive Surplus—From Receiving to Creating by Huiqing Wu

on iphones and participatory culture



The Internet as a Support System (4).docx by Jessica Baldwin

On motherhood, daughterhood, and networked culture in responding to a rare medical condition



Unity Through Technology by Kimberly Bari

On social media and epilepsy

Americorps and Cognitive Surplus by Christine Wagenblast

generosity in the domestic Peace Corps



Television to Internet: How We Connect by Adam McFatridge

on TV, social media, and community



Blogs and a Breakdown - Generosity in Action by Allyson Vis

on the scarcity of surplus and a surprising act of (non-digital) generosity



“Cognitive Surplus” around Me by Jiajuan Guo

on work, surplus, and news and generosity on Sina microblog



Cognitive Surplus and the Value of Connection by Chris Sapone

on social media, coaching writing, and supporting the recovery community



Microblog by Jia Yang

Sina microblog and generosity following Japan's 5.2 earthquake



Cognitive Surplus – Giving to Those That Cannot Help Themselves by Laurie Hurson

generosity and animal adoption



Shirky On Social Media and Motivation by James Iddins

social and philosophical reflections on why we act generously



Facebook by Nicole Schimizzi

social media, grief, and remembering after the tragedy at the 2011 Indiana State Fair

Rewrite of 1st essay.docx by Lark Carlson Brown

an orchestra director leads musicians of diverse talents and abilities

Fall 2010 essays

Generosity, The University, and Today's Networked Environments by Elizabeth Burow-Flak

On being generous in academia and as a parent

Redefining "Academic" by Lindsay Carlson

Internet Use for Medical Research by Lisa D.

The Convenience Brought by Technology by Ludan Sun

Generosity and the Blogger by Erin K.



Cognitive surplus essay by Xia Chen



Interactive Media: Closing the Gap between Generations by Lindsay Sperling



Generosity: Motives Matter by Stacey Cassady



Essay about Cognitive Surplus by Weina Ding



Cognitive Surplus by Lora Mendenhall



Cognitive Surplus - What is reality anyway by Erica Sponberg



Public and Civic Sharing by Deborah McHugh



Cognitive Surplus by Ting Xu



accessibility and permance touch home by Dan B.



Something after Reading Cognitive Surplus by Can Yang



My experience for TV ‘surrogacy hypothesis’ by Haiqi Li



Acts of Generosity by Phyllis Penninga



Don't be too Generous to Media by Ling Li



The Weight of Constructive Potentiality in the Digital Age by Christopher Palko