Digital Nation

Crowd Computing: Hive Mind or Digital Mob?

I recently attended a seminar called “Crowd Computing: Hive Mind or Digital Mob?” at the Paley Center here in NYC. It was a conversation of polarizing views between the two people responsible for the Frontline documentary Digital Nation – Douglas Rushkoff and Rachel Dretzin, and three tech industry leaders: RU Sirius, Sherry Turkle, and Amy Bruckman.

The most interesting point for thought and consideration was that these are the early days of the internet – not 20 or 30 years ago. It is now that we all have our online training wheels on and are testing out ways to communicate and live online – second life, social media, online commerce, etc. The greatest challenge for us now is to identify the online values we expect to live by, so that the internet continues to be a place where we leverage growth, education, and experience. Otherwise the risk looms that the internet becomes a place of refuge. We need to decide now if our new social media instincts of sharing thoughts real-time in an archival setting are good for us, or for others. Are the seductions of simulation too strong to productively manage ourselves in a second-life environment? Will we build rules and set up consequences so that plagiarism, slacktivism, and other threats to the self and the accomplishment thereof don’t become too difficult to vet?

This is an exciting time to work at a place that is digital to the core! It is both encouraging and challenging to realize that this is only the beginning, and while there are many strides to be made with new programs and environments, we are also the people who will be responsible for the framework of online governance and growth.