Cognitive Surplus: Its Impact on Animal Welfare
This week, Clay Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus looked at the sharing of media throughout history. One point that I like from this chapter is when he compares media to a triathlon, with “…three different events: people like to consume, but they also like to produce, and to share” (Shirky, 22). I think that everyone has experienced this, from tweeting about a new show on Netflix to becoming a youtube star. Our communication now is so focused on technology that the way we communicate, learn what is going on around us, and function is through media and devices.
When looking on Wikipedia, I found a page about the Best Friends Animal Society. They are an American non-profit animal welfare society that works in outreach programs with other animal welfare groups and shelters and promotes pet adoption and spay-and-neuter services. One thing that I read that I found interesting was the whole history behind this organization. Wikipedia keeps the different sections brief, but the fact that this animal shelter developed from a church and was the main animal rescue group involved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina struck me. Additionally, this organization publishes a magazine and has been on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, giving it perfect platforms for sharing its message. Shirky talks about the sheer amount of time we spend watching television, so the fact that this organization was on a show allows people to not only share its message but also consume it.
On IndieGoGo I found a fundraiser for an animal shelter in Croatia, in time for the cold winter for ninety-four cats and dogs. This fundraiser does a very good job on the consuming and sharing part of the information as well, as it includes a video about what the group, called the The Association Sapica, is doing. Watching it made me want to donate right away, as they play happy music, show dogs happily running and playing (outside) in the grass, and talk about some of the animals’ stories.Listening to the stories makes you feel bad for the poor animals,who were chained, abandoned, and sick. They clearly have had good luck, because the organization has reached double its original goal.
Picture Source: http://tvaccessspotsource.com/sites/default/files/logos/bfaslogo.jpg
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That’s pretty cool that the animal shelter in Croatia reached double its goal. It probably had something to do with the rhetorical velocity of the video. Like you mentioned, it makes people want to donate and/or show it to their friends, who might want to donate also. Without the increasing cognitive surplus, things such as this probably would not have been possible.
I think it’s interesting that you point out the fact that the organization’s magazine was featured on Ellen’s show and how that type of platform allows them to reach a wider audience. It’s interesting in particular to me because the platform reaches people who want to consume and spend they’re time watching TV. Maybe mentioning the magazine and the organization will inspire the consumers to not only start support the organization’s cause, but to start creating themselves.