By coming together, groups of people can collaborate, share information, and find solutions to problems or questions which wouldn’t have been possible as individuals. This phenomenon is referred to as “collective intelligence”.
New media such as the internet allows for collective intelligence to grow and thrive, with resources and help being spread easily without a gatekeeper. As knowledge can easily be passed to people across the world, people are able to share their knowledge and experiences to help others become more informed.
However, with this freedom comes a downfall—fake news and misinformation.
Websites like Wikipedia are easily accessible and easily edited, meaning that the information supplied isn’t always accurate or reliable. Same goes with news sites; they often rely on the internet as a source, however not all of the information found is well-informed or accurate.
While collective intelligence is truly great, it can also negatively impact peoples’ perceptions or understandings.
Dayle Beazley 