COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCEWHAT IT MEANS TO THE WEB AND WEB 2.0

INTRODUCTION

Collective Intelligence is a term that has become essential to modern internet functions. In this presentation, I will:

Explain what collective intelligence is

Provide some examples as to how it works

Examine how it relates to Web 2.0

INTRODUCTION

In addition to the topics already mentioned, I will also:

Describe some of the benefits of collective intelligence

Examine social media and how it relates to collective intelligence

Give an example of the effects of social media and collective intelligence on a larger scale

WHAT IS COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE?

Collective intelligence is defined as, " a phenomenon in sociology where a shared or group intelligence emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals." ( Dictionary.com's online dictionary, n.d) Though this term is used in several fields, this presentation will focus on collective intelligence as it relates to the internet.

WHAT IS COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE?

Collective Intelligence, in terms of the internet, generally refers to users of a website, software or internet service making contributions that better the function of that service as a whole. There are a large number of ways that users can add strength to a website. Next, we will look at some examples of websites that make use of collective intelligence.

BLOGS

Blogs are a way of sharing information with others. This form of communicating has become increasingly popular in recent times. Wordpress.com, one of the leading sites for blog creation, has over 409 million people viewing over 14.7 billion pages each month. (Wordpress.com stats, n.d) Collective intelligence tools are a common part of most blogging practices.

BLOGS AND COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

Linking to other blogs is often done in the blogging world. These links create a connection between blogs of similar interests. The advantage of this is a network of information and opinions that spans a large variety of interests in a way that was not easily accomplished before blogs became common and it demonstrates some of the principles of collective intelligence.

WIKIS

Another website in which collective intelligence tools are put to use is a wiki. A wiki is a type of website that allows multiple people to edit or add to the content on the pages of that wiki. A wiki is usually text-based and can be edited by anyone or just a selected group of people. The description of a wiki makes it a good example of collective intelligence ideas.

WIKIS AND COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

In the use of a wiki, contributors edit the information contained on a page or they may choose to add their own insights. With a large number of people working in this manner, wikis are able to provide information that is a collaborative effort. Mistakes and inaccuracies have a higher chance of being corrected than if the text was edited by a single person. This is one of the reasons wikis are a good example of some of the benefits of collective intelligence.

VIDEO-SHARING WEBSITES

Video-sharing websites such as Vimeo, Dailymotion and the popular YouTube, get their content mainly from users. They generally allow users to upload videos, add tags, and share these videos with others. As is the case with the other websites mentioned previously, collective intelligence is in use in these websites as well.

VIDEO-SHARING WEBSITES AND COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

One of the main effects collective intelligence has on video-sharing websites is that without input from the users themselves these websites would not function properly, if at all. The tags added to each video by users adds important information for sorting the videos but can also add more abstract terms, such as the feelings associated with the video. The fact that users can add harder to define terms to their tags exemplifies another facet of collective intelligence.

VIDEO-SHARING WEBSITES AND COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

In addition to the benefits for searching, the tags added by users to video-sharing websites also allows for the display of related videos that might not have been chosen under a indexing system strictly controlled by the website. With 100 hours of video being uploaded to the widely used YouTube every minute (YouTube.com statistics, n.d) the tags added by user likely gives a needed supplement to the sorting tools already in place. The collective information submitted by users gives additional strength to the websites.

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE AND WEB 2.0

Now that I have explained collective intelligence and given some examples of how it can be used, I would like to discuss its relevance to Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a more contemporary way of designing internet content with a focus on cooperation. Because of this cooperative center, collective intelligence has a definite place in Web 2.0.

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE AND WEB 2.0

The 2005 article 'What Is Web 2.0' written by Tim O'Reilly says this in reference to collective intelligence and Web 2.0, "The central principle behind the success of the giants born in the Web 1.0 era who have survived to lead the Web 2.0 era appears to be this, that they have embraced the power of the web to harness collective intelligence." This statement summarizes the impact that collective intelligence has had on Web 2.0. Incorporating content and information contributed by users can have a strong positive effect on a website and is considered one of the key points of Web 2.0.

BENEFITS OF USING COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

The examples given in the beginning of the presentation already present some of the benefits of collective intelligence. However, there are several more benefits than the ones I have mentioned so far and I would like to add what I believe is an additional advantage.This new point is that, in my opinion, a website may be able to achieve an increase in efficiency in catering content to a target audience through collective intelligence tools.

BENEFITS OF USING COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

For example of these benefits I look to websites like Reddit, that employ a system that allows users to rate stories and discussions, which gives users a list of information that is controlled by the votes of other users. This means that the topics interesting to the users of Reddit have a good chance of being seen by the appropriate users. With over 114,000,000 unique visitors in March 2014 (Reddit.com statistics, 2014) Reddit appears to have made good use of its collective intelligence system and is an example of this benefit of collective intelligence.

SOCIAL MEDIA, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE AND THE EFFECT THEY HAVE ON A LARGER SCALE

Social media websites are a common feature in the online activities of many internet users. In 2013 it was estimated that nearly one in four people will use social networks worldwide (eMarketer, 2013). Social media websites themselves typically have a collective intelligence component with a large network of users connecting with each other. However, social media can also have farther reaching effects. Crowd-funding websites, like Kickstarter, that encourage sharing through popular social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, can have a positive influence on businesses and communities.

SOCIAL MEDIA, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE AND THE EFFECT THEY HAVE ON A LARGER SCALE

Crowd-funding websites allow average people to fund ideas, inventions, and businesses. More than five million people have backed projects through Kickstarter alone.(McGregor & Benenson, 2013) Users of these websites often use social media to share projects that they are interested in and the people they have shared with may choose to send this information to more people. This creates an entire network of people who can fund a project more quickly. This effect is also an example of some collective intelligence ideas in that this group of people can accomplish a goal more efficiently together. When these projects are funded they can create new opportunities for many indiviuals, which in turn can provide opportunities that make a community better. This is just one of the ways that collective intelligence and social media impact the outside world.

IN CONCLUSION

In short, collective intelligence occurs when the knowledge from a group of people is put together and creates a combined center of intelligence. The use of tools based on collective intelligence has many benefits for websites and other internet presences and some of those benefits have been outlined in this presentation. However, there are even more examples that can be given on collective intelligence and related topics. For more insights I recommend reading the articles 'Decisions 2.0: The Power of Collective Intelligence' written by Eric Bonabeau in 2009 and 'What is Web 2.0' written by Tim O'Reilly in 2005. With all of this information, I hope that I have provided a clear picture of collective intelligence and what it means to Web 2.0 and the internet as a whole.

NOTES

Bonabeau, E. (2009, January 9). Decisions 2.0: The power of collective intelligence. MITSloan Management Review. Retrieved from

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/decisions-20-the-power-of-collective-intelligence/

Collective intelligence. (n.d.). Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Dictionary.com website:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/collective intelligence

eMarketer. (2013). Social networking reaches nearly one in four around the world. eMarketer.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Networking-Reaches-Nearly-One-Four-Around-World/1009976

　McGregor, M. & Benenson, F. (2013, October 29). Five million backers! [Web log post] Retrieved from

https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/five-million-backers

NOTES

Nations, D., (n.d.). What is a wiki? Retrieved April 21, 2014, from

http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/what_is_a_wiki.htm

　O'Reilly, T. (2005, September 30). What is web 2.0. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from

http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=1

　Reddit.com. (n.d.). About reddit. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from

http://www.reddit.com/about

　WordPress.com. (n.d.). Stats. Retrieved April, 22, 2014 from

http://en.wordpress.com/stats/

Youtube.com. (n.d.). Statistics. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from

http://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html