Poking a Stick Into the 'Hive Mind'

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  • munki
    Do Fun Shit.
    • Dec 2004
    • 13393
    #1

    Poking a Stick Into the 'Hive Mind'

    Aug. 21-28, 2006 issue - Jaron Lanier is a man of many talents?virtual-reality pioneer, New Age composer, visual artist and artificial-intelligence scientist. Now Lanier has taken on another role: dyspeptic critic of the surging trend of digital collectivism, an ethic that celebrates and exploits the ability of the Web to aggregate the preferences and behaviors of millions of people. In a recent essay posted on the Web site Edge.org, Lanier disparages the recent spate of efforts that rely on conscious collaboration (like the anyone-can-participate online reference work Wikipedia) or passive polling (the so-called meta sites like Digg, which draw on user response to rank news articles and blog postings). To Lanier, these represent an alarming decision?rejecting individual expression and creativity to become part of a faceless mob. To emphasize the enormity of this movement, Lanier titled his essay with a fearsome moniker: "Digital Maoism."
    http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14320423/site/newsweek/

    What do you guys think?

    “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” -Oscar Wilde
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    • 2HousePlague
      CURATOR
      • Jul 2004
      • 14572
      #2
      I don't necessarily see it as an either/or situation. I think you can be an individual -- standing up from time to time to say "Hey, this is me. This is what I think. This is the way I want to communicate." -- and also participating in collective expression when it suited you. What's important and encouraging is that we have more opportunity for both, and we do seem to. I don't see the "faceless mob" denying the indivdual his right to say his piece. Nor do I see the "celebrity voice" counting for more than the sum of the constituent voices that support it. Citizen Kane could not make his un-talented wife an "opera diva" on the strength of his money and influence today. But, if she were clever and cute I might read her blog.




      2hp
      tada!

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        • munki
          Do Fun Shit.
          • Dec 2004
          • 13393
          #3
          Originally posted by 2HousePlague
          I don't necessarily see it as an either/or situation. I think you can be an individual -- standing up from time to time to say "Hey, this is me. This is what I think. This is the way I want to communicate." -- and also participating in collective expression when it suited you. What's important and encouraging is that we have more opportunity for both, and we do seem to. I don't see the "faceless mob" denying the indivdual his right to say his piece. Nor do I see the "celebrity voice" counting for more than the sum of the constituent voices that support it. Citizen Kane could not make his un-talented wife an "opera diva" on the strength of his money and influence today. But, if she were clever and cute I might read her blog.




          2hp
          Well played as always sir.

          “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” -Oscar Wilde

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            • shake
              frc
              • Jul 2003
              • 4663
              #4
              Poke poke
              Crazy fast VPS for $10 a month. Try with $20 free credit

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