Clay Shirky's Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators is a 2010 non-fiction book that explores the fundamental principles of social media and collaboration. The book argues that the rise of social media and technology has unlocked the innate human desire to create and share, returning society to a more communal and collaborative state. Shirky persuasively makes the case that this cognitive surplus is a positive force for good, enabling individuals and groups to do private, public, and civic good. In the book, Shirky provides a compelling and clear description of how technology has transformed society and how it can be harnessed for the betterment of individuals and communities.