Infotopia
In “Infotopia” Cass Sunstein explores how human beings collect and produce knowledge. One intriguing point of his book is the chapter on deliberation. At first Sunstein explains that when answering a question, there will be a greater average of accuracy the bigger the number of people guessing. He then goes on to tell us that when a large number of people deliberate, their answer is usually wrong. His reasons for this give a lot of insight into the psyche of human beings, and how real the “mob mentality” can be.
I think this is a great read following last week’s book by Umberto Eco. Last week we questioned what it is that makes us individuals, and to what extent society effects who we are. “Infotopia” extends that thought. Not only can popular culture shape our memories, but also the pressure of our peers to believe in certain ideas can be powerful. Together they ask us to question our past memories and beliefs as well as the ideas being introduced to us every day.
Sunstein also discusses blogs and how people can fall into “information cocooning” by surrounding themselves with information that they already agree with. He explains the importance of being exposed to contradicting views, which give people a better understanding of their world. Overall, Sunstein is hopeful as to the possibilities things like weblogs and open source software may bring.