Crowd Wisdom, Virtuous Cycles, Death and Taxes

Our world is so interdependent. Everything we do adds to some one's virtuous cycle. Here is how authors Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams discussed being trapped in some one's virtuous cycle:

Blogger and media consultant Jeff Jarvis points out that even a simple act of consumption in this new world is an act of creation. Acts like searching on Google, tagging bookmarks with del.icio.us and sharing photos on flickr all have private benefit, but these acts create collective benefits as well. These collective benefits yield a richer Web experience and enhance "the Wisdom of Crowds."

The latest trend is to question the "crowd" in the Wisdom of Crowds.

Is Crowd Sourcing A Myth

The Dirty Little Secret About the "Wisdom of the Crowds" - There is No Crowd

These articles miss the point. Jarvis and the book Wikinomics understand crowd wisdom is built into everything now. When you manage large web sites you start to relate to people differently. I remember reading science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's concept of "pscyhohistory". Psychohistory is happening now. Asimov's idea was man's future was predictable. That is man as the collective had a predictable, mathematical future. Man as an individual remained the great unknown. Man as a collective animal was mathematically knowable in Asimov's Foundation universe.

Those who debate crowd wisdom don't understand virtuous cycles. Wikinomics authors and Jeff Jarvis understand. EVERYTHING we do is contributing to some body's algorithm. Your contribution to my math helps me, in an Asimovian way, know the future for my tribe. Smooth the numbers and individual aberrations disappear.

Writers who debate crowd wisdom don't understand how "behind he curtains" works. For example, they write an article about crowd wisdom not being all it is cracked up to be. Their article goes out to Google. Social Networks pick it up. Links are created. In other words, even when you write an article questioning the Wisdom of Crowds you contribute to crowd wisdom. Life is a bitch, you contribute to some one's algorithm and then you die (lol). There is no escape, no way to avoid, no remote corner to crawl up into. Let's rewrite another cliche. The only sure things used to be death and taxes. We can rewrite this old adage to: The only sure things in life are death, taxes and your every action is captured and helping some body's algorithm.

Peace,

Marty

Helpful Books:

Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams

Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov



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