The Fallacy of the Infallible Collective

A few years ago, computer scientist and future-thinker Jaron Lanier wrote an essay called Digital Maosim about the dangers of a “new online collectivism.”

Lanier says that what we are witnessing today is the alarming rise of the fallacy of the infallible collective. Numerous elite organizations have been swept off their feet by the idea. They are inspired by the rise of the Wikipedia, by the wealth of Google and by the rush of entrepreneurs to be the most Meta. Government agencies, top corporate planning departments and major universities have all gotten the bug. This newthink is called “digital Maoism.”

It’s not hard to see why the fallacy of collectivism has become so popular in big organizations: If the principle is correct, then individuals should not be required to take on risks or responsibilities. We live in times of tremendous uncertainties coupled with infinite liability phobia, and we must function within institutions that are loyal to no executive, much less to any lower level member. Every individual who is afraid to say the wrong thing within his or her organization is safer when hiding behind a wiki or some other Meta aggregation ritual.

The beauty of the Internet is that it connects people. The value is in the other people. It is wrong to readily trust the wisdom of the crowd: if we start to believe the Internet itself is an entity that has something to say, we’re devaluing those people and making ourselves into idiots.

It’s safer to be the aggregator of the collective. You get to include all sorts of material without committing to anything. You can be superficially interesting without having to worry about the possibility of being wrong. Except when intelligent thought really matters. In that case the average idea can be quite wrong, and only the best ideas have lasting value. Science is like that.

Summing-up: Culture and technology are increasingly reliant on the hive mind — and whatever its faults, we have to consider the consequences of this momentous development. A swarm of connected human minds is a fantastic resource for tracking down software bugs or discovering obscure gems on the Web. But if you want to come up with a good idea, or a sophisticated argument, or a work of art, you’re still better off going solo.

The Ultimate Online Diary
https://www.online-diary.com/
Keep a private journal and see your own unique perspective.
Continue 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *