Towards the democratisation of knowledge, Collective Intelligence (CI) is being constantly generated and transformed by our produsage (aka content production and usage) in the Web 2.0 and its participatory platforms: like e.g., the wikis, blogs, and the social media (SoMe). When interviewed by Peters (2015), the Tunisian Philosopher, Pierre Lévy, who coined the term, notes that, contrasting to AI, CI “is a scientific, technical and political project that aims to make people smarter with computers, instead of trying to make computers smarter than people” (p. 261) like the Artificial Intelligence allegedly aspires. Consequently, with the increase of our interaction within interconnected networks, produsers can participate in a civic process of developing and democratising the discussions on their particular areas of interest.
Currently, the coordination of our data is largely mediated by computed algorithms, which converge and correlate our shared symbolisms and significances, converting our information into an emergent collective intelligence. Claro Bembem & da Costa Santos (2013, p. 141) observe that the collective work, which allowed the development of computed networks, enabled the access to information and its exchange, correspondingly constructing new forms of knowledge. Now, instead of having a hegemonic message broadcast by the media channels’ centralised sources, information is increasingly shared by all to all individuals, irrespective of their socioeconomic hierarchy. Moreover, because knowledge is in humanity, it is fundamental to critically analyse the contexts in which our individual intelligence may be meaningful; that is: in which thematics our individual interest is de facto significant. After all, as Jenkins (2006) writes, “[n]one of us can know everything; each of us knows something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills” (p. 4). And, in the end, novel information and communication technologies (ICTs) can facilitate the synergy of individuals’ knowledge which, when gathered in databanks, culminate in our cumulated CI.
In sum, Collective Intelligence is a project that seeks to connect people not by ethnic, national, or religious identities, but via their (non)scientific knowledge in light of their interests – may that be political, cultural, or of any other kind. Hence, CI seeks to civically engage citizens, empowering and emancipating their collaborative capacity to enhance our individual abilities. Thus, finally, collective intelligence could soon be seen as one of our cybercultures’ currencies.
Rodrigo Firmo Emediato
University of Lapland, Faculty of Education
Blog is based on Master theses "Collective Intelligence: Consenting to Conscient Consultation".
REFERENCES
Claro Bembem, A. H. & da Costa Santos, P. L. V. A. 2013. Inteligência Coletiva: Um Olhar Sobre a Produção de Pierre Lévy. Perspectivas em CIência da Informação, 18(4), 139-151.
Jenkins, H. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York, US: NYU Press.
Peters, M.A. 2015. Interview with Pierre A. Lévy, French philosopher of collective intelligence. Open Review of Educational Research, 2(1), 259-266.
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