Comments on: Three lies about social software

By: Connecta Planet » Hvad er social software?

Connecta Planet » Hvad er social software? — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:51:15 +0000

[...] – http://managementinnovationgroup.com/ideas/can-large-companies-succeed-with-social-media/ – http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/11/11/three-lies-about-social-software/ – http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/10/what-motivates-wikipedians-rev.html – [...]

By: Wemind Weblog » Blogarkiv » Hvad er social software?

Wemind Weblog » Blogarkiv » Hvad er social software? — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:24:43 +0000

By: Mark E

Mark E — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:32:32 +0000

Great Post, JP.

However, it seems to me that the problem with the first lie you take on is that it starts from the point of view that the software is the bit that matters in the equation. Truth is that herd-behaviour is caused by human nature rather than the technology we are so proud of (that said, our technology may or may not amplify it’s effect).

I think you’re right in the interpretation of Surowiecki (I asked him the same question at dinner in September) – individuals interacting with each other, under the impression that they are acting independently is what creates the patterns we call ‘herding’.

That said, it still strikes me how strongly negative we are towards the phenomenon and focus only on the negative examples when the truth is the same mechanism is now being shown by a bunch of behavioral scientists to be the underpinning for most behavioural cascades in the real world (e.g. Duncan Watts at columbia and Alex Bentley at Durham): copying seems to explain most of the cascades examined.

By: e-learning Now » Blog Archive » Three lies about social software

e-learning Now » Blog Archive » Three lies about social software — Sun, 20 May 2007 21:11:36 +0000

[...] Full post [...]

By: The Phantom City » Random Stuff, List 2

The Phantom City » Random Stuff, List 2 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:14:29 +0000

[...] Three lies about social software – I can’t state it any better than this: “The ‘team’ represented by a given blog community is actually a collection of incredibly diverse people, with common interests rather than common views.” Link courtesy of Too Many Topics, Too Little Time. [...]

By: Too many topics, too little time. » Confused Of Calcutta Â» Blog Archive Â» Three lies about social software

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:53:45 +0000

[...] Confused Of Calcutta Â» Blog Archive Â» Three lies about social software: Lie 3: Social software destroys privacy There are many reasons why I believe that privacy, as the West knows it, is dead. Some of it is to do with the web. Some of it is to do with social software, I guess. Some of it is probably even due to cyber-crime. But I think weâ€™re missing the point. People share information willingly. Now some of them may not realise quite how much information they are sharing, and how this information may be used against them, but that cannot be laid at the door of social software. People who donâ€™t want to share openly still use social software. There are passworded wikis, closed-loop IM systems, even things like Orkut Crush. Openness is primarily a choice and not a condition. [...]

By: Using Wiki in Education » Blog Archive » Debunking three lies about social software

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:59:19 +0000

[...] Three lies about social software is a great piece in which JP Rangaswami examines three lies about social software that need to be debunked. To the idea that social software causes groupthink, Rangaswami counters that social software actually relies on the aggregation of ideas from people with common interests, but not necessarily common views. He says, “Much of what I learn from comments on my blog is from the extensions, the qualifiers, the provisos, even the complete disagreements. This is not groupthink, itâ€™s anything but.” [...]

By: Confused Of Calcutta | Three lies about social networks « Bankwatch

Confused Of Calcutta | Three lies about social networks « Bankwatch — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 03:12:06 +0000

[...] Source: Confused Of Calcutta Â» Blog Archive Â» Three lies about social software [...]

By: Jon Collins

Jon Collins — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:08:10 +0000

Hmm, interesting – but (as a researcher) I find myself questioning the premise of the article. I don’t recognise the three “lies” – perhaps because I don’t move in circles where they are being discussed; from a layman’s perspective I would suggest that that these are not the right “lies” to be questioning. Consider:

- Social software is a more powerful phenomenon than anything that precedes it (ans: poppycock – though it may well be equally powerful)

- Social software is social (ans: people are creating online personalities, cf declarative living)

- Social software is the answer (ans: at the moment it is raising many more questions)

- Social software is affecting all parts of society (ans: many are blissfully ignorant, and many more are technologically disadvantaged)

Just thoughts! Best, Jon

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 16:59:35 +0000

Aren’t the critiques against social software the same as the critiques against the participatory conception of democracy? Those who criticise democracy for creating groupthink and mob behaviour often overlook the fact that these faults are even more common in non-democratic states. Similarly, can anyone deny that groupthink was much more prevalent in the 50’s versus now when all media was essentially controlled by a small handful of companies (or the state in most countries)?

The point of social software, as well with democracy, is that it offers a channel, a voice, for dissent.