Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Crowdsourcing doesn't work if one voice drowns out all the rest. Then it just becomes a form of transmission, rather than interactivity. "The wisdom of crowds is extremely fragile, especially in two specific circumstances: when people are influenced by the opinions of others (because they lose their independence) and when opinions are distorted by cognitive biases (for example, strong political views held by a group)." Simply being a crowd doesn't create knowledge. Being a crowd properly organized creates knowledge.

Today: 0 Total: 399 [Direct link] [Share]


Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

Copyright 2025
Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025 8:56 p.m.

Canadian Flag Creative Commons License.