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On June 25th, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died and for many Americans the news of the passing of these celebrities originated online. Twitter feeds and celebrity blogs acted as an example of what Pierre Levy calls collective intelligence. People close to the deaths posted information about the status of the celebrities hours before it hit the mainstream news. The “viral” spreading of information is a key feature of the networked society. Levy believes that a wired society enables disparate experts to compile information and solve world problems. The example of these celebrity deaths calls into question these lofty goals particularly when you consider the disruptive “prankster” aesthetic that the internet has nurtured throughout its history. Levy’s idea of “collective intelligence” turned out to be a collective “punk-ing” of millions of people as the false reports of Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford’s deaths spread across the web. The video I am posting satirizes this moment of collective intelligence by critiquing the way in which internet reporting can misinform citizens. I used this video to prove to some friends that Jeff Goldblum was not dead after I had been inundated by emails which pronounced his accidental death in New Zealand. I felt that the Colbert Report’s tone punctuated the teasing that I had been giving my friends for believing this false reporting. Thus I see believe Levy’s concept of collective intelligence as a noble idea that is often usurped by the cultural desire to trick, tease and prank, particularly as internet correspondence is primarily driven by friendship networks which can be strengthened by humor.
-Ethan Tussey
I agree that much of internet use can be based on a desire to share humorous moments with networked friends but I think that discounting Levy’s theory as “often usurped” is to ignore the examples of genuine collective intelligence. Consider Wikipedia, which despite being mistrusted by college professors, often allows people to collectively gather together information about shared interests. It is an excellent site for aggregating information from a variety of sources about a particular subject. It works as collective intelligence because a person that reads industry trade magazines and a person that works for a television studio can each contribute their insights into a show and give fans a more complete picture of the inner workings of the entertainment industry. Shows like Friday Night Lights have even been saved from cancellation because of the efforts of collective intelligence. Certain, TV experts were able to contribute their knowledge about the names of NBC chairman, while others could contribute their ideas about social movements and a “Rescue Friday Night Lights” campaign can be organized as it was back in early 2008.
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