Mood:
d'ohTopic: Books
I am reading 'The wisdom of crowds' - why the many are smarter than the few, by James Surowiecki. Malcolm Gadwell author of 'The tipping point', Outliers, etc says of this book "Dazzling.... the most brilliant book on business, society, and everyday life that I've read in years.
Is there really wisdom in the crowd? My sixteen year old son has been debating this point with me since I began telling him about the contents of this book. He claims I am captivated by it because it supports what I say about Tribes, Clans, and Clusters on the web. He is probably right. But he, like me before I began reading this book, thinks of the mob - the dumb mob - not the crowd. In the mob there is very little or no wisdom. The mob is a construct of conformity and herd behaviours. So I have to agree that the mob is not the font of much wisdom.
So where do you find the wisdom of the crowd? Well as I say I am still reading this book so I still have a way to go before I glean a sensible answer to that question. But I can tell you something about where and why the wisdom of the crowd goes missing within online communities.
Online communities surely do contain the wisdom of the crowd. But is it accessible? In most cases it is not..... Well it is not anymore accessible than in society in general. It is less accessible within those communities that demand conformity, share clearly defined ideologies, are shaped by conventions, etc. Therein the wisdom of the crowds is being squashed, it is being overlooked, it is being ignored, and it is being foregone. Interestingly, most online communities do not contain the transparency, equity, or accountability that is needed for the wisdom of the crowds to flourish.
Online communities will only see the "wisdom of the crowds" flourish if there is diversity, discussion, debate, cooperation, and collaboration. Then the wisdom of the online community kicks in and provides a collective wisdom that is so much deeper, richer, and meaningful than that which the smartest in that community can bring to the gathering. Inside any online community it is the ability, capacity, wilingness, and eagerness of everyone to join into a collective sharing of the pieces of the puzzle that will ultimately reveal the big picture wisdom.
If all this is true, then my simple insight into online communities is that they are better able to access the inherent wisdom of the crowd if they are not directed, managed, structured, or formalised to any great degree. Of course there are other reasons for doing all of those things but if you are seeking the "wisdom of the crowd" and thus all the invention, innovation, and remarkable insights into our world that this can bring then you will let your online community run free. You will encourage debate, be accepting of diversity, and enjoy a healthy level of deviant behaviours.
a-ok