The Cognitive Surplus

[A Black Falcon]

Fascinating, great video which makes a good point. Watch it. It's well worth the time.

http://www.calacanis.com/2008/04/30/clay...t-web-2-0/

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[Sacred Jellybean]

Very interesting and insightful. I had a couple problems with the things he said halfway through, like condemning television even when compared to playing World of Warcraft, but by the end I think I pretty much agree with him. I think there's a place for both passive entertainment and participative entertainment. There are times when I'd rather veg out and read other people's opinions on messageboards instead of including my own.

[Dark Jaguar]

This error can be repaired in time.

Soon the participation shall improve. The day shall come when we read each other's opinions via cybernetic implants. Wikipedia shall be accessed as quickly and easily as we access our own brain's pools of knowledge, and the difference will be as trivial as differing memory addresses. Soon we shall open sections our brains up for browsing by others, then further, until eventually there will be a hard time for any one individual to know where they end and another person begins. At this point the unification shall be complete and we shall run across the galaxy absorbing every other species we encounter into our internets, with a statement before assimilation of "LOL you be pownzered now".

[A Black Falcon]

Well, World of Warcraft is "doing something" more than watching TV is... :)

I do see your point, but still, gaming IS more interactive than watching TV. Even if it is semi-pointless MMORPG grind.

And yes, I'm sure there will always be a place for both passive and active entertainment. People still drink, after all, to compare it to the analogy he started with. The point is more about balance -- decreasing use of the crutch and increasing use of the newly available world.

[Weltall]

See, I had to wait until someone else took the time to watch it, because there was no way I was going to spend precious time on a half-hour video without knowing what the point was, as when I made the attempt, five minutes of the video didn't reveal that little secret.

[Sacred Jellybean]

Well, World of Warcraft is "doing something" more than watching TV is... :)

I do see your point, but still, gaming IS more interactive than watching TV. Even if it is semi-pointless MMORPG grind.

Yeah, I got his point, I just think it's a bad comparison. I feel like playing WoW is more compulsive than watching television and therefore has more potential for harm. But then again, given the amount of time people spend watching television, it's hard to talk too much about MMORPGs...