As technology
picks us up and washes us away in its all its simplified complexity, it becomes
an integral part of not only the life of the individual, but also the life of
organisations and institutions; namely the United Nations. As countries in the
United Nations become more and more dependent on the intelligence that the
other countries had to offer, and as the United Nations itself saw an
increasing demand for the intelligence of all its member states to be
collected, categorised and stored, the overarching need for collective
intelligence became apparent.
Taken from one
of the most accessible collective intelligence mediums in the world is the
definition of collective intelligence itself. Collective intelligence is the
grouping and collaboration of information from individuals that creates
consensus decision-making (Wikipedia, 2010) .
In November 2008
the world saw another one of its large organisations, the European Union, adopt
collective intelligence platforms via the creation of a shared computer network
that allowed each member to brainstorm the given idea and then contribute their
individual ideas to a shared database. This database filtered similar ideas and
made those ideas that were more frequently put forward, the main concepts
discussed during the conference. (EURActive.com, 2008) This use of
collective intelligence makes the essential information more readily accessible
and uses the minds of the individual to create, confirm and contribute to the
collective ideas of the masses. In such a globalised and complex world psychologist
Professor Peter Kruse puts it best,
"The complexity and dynamics in the world are increasingly
overrunning the capacity of individual intelligence. The time for a single
great mind solving problems is over" (EURActive.com, 2008) .
It is true the individual
thought is no longer favoured above the collective, therefore it is essential
that institutions such as the United Nations, see globalization as an
opportunity to network their intelligence and have taken steps to do so. A
networked United Nations would increase stability, and also improve managerial
functions within the institution. It has been suggested that through social
networking the United Nations would have greater access to information
concerning the international arena and therefore become more efficient in
responding to conflicts, and have a greater impact in peacekeeping missions (Ekpe, 2009) . By connecting the
international arena and having an institution such as the United Nations
governing this collective intelligence, troops would be deployed faster, aid
would be collected and distributed more efficiently, conflicts would be
addressed earlier and understanding between member states would concreted
further.
Furthermore, the
United Nations could benefit from not only an internal social network, as this
may foster bonding social capital, but also from an external social network
which promotes linking social capital (Flew, 2002) . If all the member
states of the United Nations contribute and have access to an internal social
network, then the information that is pooled into this network would only be
compiled of the intelligence of the United Nations. In order to increase the
input of intelligence and therefore the scope and depth of the information, an
external network that is accessible by other members of the international
society would be essential. This would then in turn create more value to the
information being pooled, as opening up the collective intelligence medium to
be external would increase heterophily. For example, if intelligence of where
to best distribute aid, where not to deploy troops and when or where conflicts
are about to arise was immediately accessible to the United Nations, then if
needed, resolutions could be passed quicker and actions could be made faster to
avoid another United Nations failure. Naturally, the collective intelligence
would have to be controlled and in some circumstances made inaccessible to the
external contributors, however, technology makes anything possible.
To put collective
intelligence in more simple terms, if the United Nations had a Facebook page,
member states could become friends, populations could become fans, each country
could ‘like’ a resolution and important wall posts from Iraqi citizens who need
aid could be sent directly to their Iphones. Fans could even ‘send a gift’ and
donate to peacekeeping missions and the United Nations could always update its
status on the Millennium Development goals!
Social networking
in the international arena has been utilised before and has been deemed very
successful in decision-making. The United Nations would greatly benefit from
the implementation of a collective intelligence platform as in the 21st
Century; readily accessible knowledge is indispensable especially in such a
globalised world.
Bibliography
Ekpe, B. (2009). The United Nations and the Rationale for
Collective Intelligence. New York: Cambria Press.
EURActive.com. (2008, November 12). ’Collective intelligence’ tool enters
European Parliament. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from Euroactive Network: http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/collective-intelligence-tool-enters-european-parliament/article-177082
Flew, T. (2002). New Media. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Gareis, S., & Varwick, J.
(2005). The United Nations. New
York: Palgrave McMillan.
Wikipedia. (2010, April). Collective Intelligence. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_intelligence
