Cognitive Surplus and Charter Schools
I found this idea of the shifting of cognitive surplus to be very interesting. Looking back at history, you can see how people are now changing the way they utilize their free time. Shirky argues that people are using their free time for more collaboration projects rather than consumption and he is totally right. The best example of this is social media. With Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, Reddit and many other social sharing websites, people are actively involved. Even with new websites such as Kickstarter and Wikepedia, people can now actively share their views, ideas, and inventions.
One of the best websites that utilizes the changing ways of cognitive surplus is Kickstarter. One of the Kickstarter campaigns I found about my topic was called “Building our own classroom: Studio H at REALM Charter School.” This wanted money to help finance a new classroom at a charter school. This promised its donors a variety of things ranging from having name in room to sending a finished picture of the classroom. This fits in perfectly with the idea of cognitive surplus. People are now actively using their free time to not consume but to share. With the ranges of things they will get if they donate, Kickstarter is untimely using the new age of free time effectively. Overall, in this new age of social media, people can easily come together to collaborate during their free time.
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I think another element that helps convince potential donors to contribute is the budget and design plan on the site. This group has a strong project plan so donors know exactly how their money is being put to use. They also have a lot of interesting information about their school and class that helps donors get even more interested.