Jonah Lehrer on the Wisdom and Foolishness of Crowds | Head Case - WSJ.com - 1 views
-
America depends upon the wisdom of crowds.
-
The wisdom of crowds turns out to be an incredibly fragile phenomenon. It doesn't take much for the smart group to become a dumb herd. Worse, a new study by Swiss scientists suggests that the interconnectedness of modern life might be making it even harder to benefit from our collective intelligence.
-
All of a sudden, the range of guesses dramatically narrowed; people were mindlessly imitating each other. Instead of canceling out their errors, they ended up magnifying their biases, which is why each round led to worse guesses. Although these subjects were far more confident that they were right—it's reassuring to know what other people think—this confidence was misplaced.
- ...2 more annotations...
-
We live at a time when seemingly everything is available, but it's more likely than ever before that we're all reading the same thing. The lure of conformity is hard to resist. This research reveals the downside of our hyperconnected lives
-
Instead of thinking for ourselves, we simply cite what's already been cited. We should be wary of such influences. The only way to preserve the wisdom of the crowd is to protect the independence of the individual.