As technology advances at a near exponential rate, we tend to take for granted that we hold in the very palms of our hands technology more powerful than the first space shuttles –– millions of times more powerful, to be precise.
With this technology we can communicate with anyone on the globe within seconds, access the totality of information our species has amassed, and can even use filters while taking selfies. Feats that mere decades ago would seem unworldly.
In fact, if a smartphone were presented to even the most skeptical individual from only a few centuries ago, they could only reasonably suspect it was the product of witchcraft or an artifact possessed by demonic spirits. And how could we blame them?
But technology hasn’t only changed the way individuals relate to the world around them — it has also radically changed how individuals connect with one another, and further, how those connections can be organized to form what is known as “collective intelligence.” Geoff Mulgan explores the significance of this latter development in his new book, Big Mind.…show more content… The most salient examples are websites such as Wikipedia that profit from the collective input of its thousands of users, which is far more effective than a small number of full-time employees. Other examples are apps such as Waze, which utilizes the data of its users to create up-to-the-minute traffic reports.
Mulgan then argues that collective intelligence can potentially reach much further with its application. He envisions universities, media organizations, governments, and other facets of society all benefiting from implementing collective intelligence systems.
He further believes that by combining the mental resources of large numbers of people into a collective force, global problems such as climate change, geopolitical conflict, poverty, and public health could possibly be
