[RANT] Collective Intelligence versus Smart Mobs

Howard Rheingold wrote this article that Phil Shapiro pointed out on the Digital Divide email list.

And for those of you who have been here a while, you know how I dislike the term 'Smart Mob'. If a 'Smart Mob' is anything, it's a subset implementation of Collective Intelligence, and a limited one at that - but open ended enough to take credit for anything that falls under Collective Intelligence. A Smart Mob is a commercialized name for the very same thing, and it benefits... one guy, really.

The concept, though, is good. It's not original, though, and the name isn't one I like. It's an oxymoron to me.

What collective intelligence does is explain how multifacted teams can come together when needed. What smart mobs does is describe the teams, and I really don't want to be called part of a 'smart mob'. Why? Because becoming classified as part of a 'mob' means that there is a stereotype associated with what you do, and therefore you're - branded - much like Smart Mobs.

But as a part of a collective intelligence, you can be a part of many projects without having to worry about being classified.

Smart mobs? No thanks. I'm part of a collective intelligence - a brain in a matrix, connected through technology to share and leverage my knowledge and ability. And I do that and continue to do that without helping anyone sell books about it. If someone wants to put advertising on my shirt, they can pay me. Of course, I'm not the average person.

The average person wears trendy clothes with brand names prominently displayed because the brand is more important to them - the status of the brand - than the utility of the clothing.

Sorry. I'm a bit more interested in form over function. You'll see me wearing SSC t-shirts, Linux Gazette t-shirts, etc - but that's because it's something that I am proud of being a part of - and in the case of SSC, it's because I get paid by them as well (but even then I don't feel like a billboard).

I don't feel the need to qualify my contributions by posting advertising for someone else on them.

Next up: Microsoft running shoes that you have to be certified to wear. And you know what? Some idiots would buy them.