Ideas worth spreading

How cognitive surplus will change the world

1,101,756 views |

Clay Shirky |

TED@Cannes

• June 2010

Clay Shirky looks at "cognitive surplus" -- the shared, online work we do with our spare brain cycles. While we're busy editing Wikipedia, posting to Ushahidi (and yes, making LOLcats), we're building a better, more cooperative world.

Clay Shirky looks at "cognitive surplus" -- the shared, online work we do with our spare brain cycles. While we're busy editing Wikipedia, posting to Ushahidi (and yes, making LOLcats), we're building a better, more cooperative world.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Clay Shirky

Social Media Theorist

See speaker profile

Clay Shirky argues that the history of the modern world could be rendered as the history of ways of arguing, where changes in media change what sort of arguments are possible -- with deep social and political implications.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.