There's never been more interesting, worthwhile uses of free time than there are now.
If you haven't already, read Seth Godin's post But it's better than TV. He explains that he doesn't watch TV because there are so many other things he'd rather do at that moment (blog, read, start a community, tutor, etc.), all of which require more brainpower than passive viewing.
Seth's post was inspired by Clay Shirky, who noticed that smart people are using technology to put their spare time to work (video highly recommended).
Shirky calls that spare mental capacity the cognitive surplus. For more than half a century, it was largely wasted on television. But today there are infinite ways to make better use of our cognitive surplus.
A college professor once taught me that the idea of leisure as a time for shutting your mind off is a modern invention. During the Renaissance, those with means devoted their spare hours to academic study and the arts.
Now we're seeing a rebirth of that mindset. We're just coming to realize the power technology gives us to be participants and creators, and the potential output is astounding. Seth calls it "one of the underappreciated world-changing stories of our time."
What's the marketer's role?
While marketers can no longer count on passive audiences to consume their message, they can benefit from being a catalyst for the cognitive surplus.
Both Stuart Foster and Faris Yakob have made this point: Rather than having creative ideas that are content (i.e. advertising), marketers now must have creative ideas that inspire content.
As more people make use of their cognitive surplus (the numbers are growing), marketers have an opportunity to inspire us to apply it toward creativity, utility, entertainment and social good.
In return, great content and goodwill will build around their brand, and they'll probably make some money along the way.
