Well I found this site called Blog of Collective Intelligence it states that:
“Collective intelligence is the capacity of human communities to evolve towards higher order complexity and harmony, through such innovation mechanisms as differentiation and integration, competition and collaboration.”
A rather lenghty definition and working on this post at a later hour it had me a bit perplexed at first. But basically its saying that when people from different backgrounds, ages, communities, etc. come together to share their experiences and information, through forming groups, competing against one another, that that knowledge interchanged between them is collective intelligence.
We focus mainly on it being through the Internet that we obtain this knowledge from others, but it also happens in our day to day interactions with others. Just on a much smaller scale. In a way I’ve been following collective intelligence all along, mainly through forums that interest me. The information gleened from those resources aren’t as immediate as “social bookmarking” or “content aggregators” but they provide a wealth of information from people I know have more experience than myself regarding the subjects I’m researching.
I found an article by Craig Hamilton called Come Together it is a rather lengthy article but extremely insightful. From what I gathered from it, collective intelligence is not so much about the knowledge (all though that is important) but about people coming together and working towards a solution as a unit, a whole, not just individuals but a shared mindset.
Its an interesting, but scary prospect for some. Americans have such strong ties to individualism that the thought of sharing knowledge, people represented as a group rather than individuals is a bit unnerving. I for one feel that way. If figuring out who you are is based more on you as an individual, what will we become if we are referred to as a collective?
In that same breath working alone only gets you so far. Without access to information from different perspectives, older or younger than yourself how will you fully understand the audience you want to design for? As far as this subject of collective intelligence is concerned, with my Personal Learning Environment it is a necessity. By allowing collaboration from others I’m able to expand from my foundation of knowledge and further broaden my learning environment.
Posted by wayne on April 22, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Some very interesting concepts that you share and your feelings/emotion about the collective. I think Hamilton’s article in particular contributes to the concept we humans are a part of everything. The concept that we are all connected to the ecology of all that is life globally, to me means that humanity is meant to work together and form collective and integrative roles.
I understand your fear of losing the individualism, but my understanding is that each individual contributes a very unique way of being to the universe. In my work with blogs and social networking, I feel that I give as much as I receive, in that my comments to another person are my unique contribution to their thoughts expressed in their blog, and yet I receive from what they wrote. We can’t lose the individual, but we can envision a different role than we may have inherited – one that brings humanity together instead of apart. Even competition can be done in a way that each part respects the whole!
Posted by dannymacdougall on April 22, 2008 at 4:43 PM
I read Hamiltons article as well. I found the information to be rather suprising. To me he seems to bring about an almost spiritual side to it. In the end, maybe collective intellegence is nothing more than the ability to allow ours, and others diversity to come to light without prejudice so that our raw selves can be displayed.
Posted by mwcain81 on April 23, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Heh I ended up finding the same blog site. I think when we use it in day to day use this idea can be commonly referred to as common knowledge. I do agree that it is a scary concept to lose individuality in the shared knowledge.
Posted by Lindsey Norman on April 23, 2008 at 3:32 PM
I touched on the same basic concept in my blog when you mentioned that, “Americans have such strong ties to individualism that the thought of sharing knowledge people represented as a group rather than individuals is a bit unnerving.” I have been brought up in a way to be individualized in my education, rather than work with others. Being in this class has made me rethink this idea.
Posted by nicosilva on April 23, 2008 at 5:23 PM
I agree with Lindsay. I think I actually commented on her blog. I just don’t like it’s a scary idea. I like the idea that I can go to someone knowledgeable and ask instead of having to pore through some (probably outdated) book in the library, and probably get a nice allergic reaction to the dust. It’s not taking away from the individual, it’s enhancing it.
And I didn’t mean to be critical of libraries. They have always been my friend, I just find it easier and just as reliable (if not moreso) to get the information from a trusted source online.