Better, Faster, Stronger
On the surface, hyperempowerment sounds like an intrisically awesome thing. It’s an ideal for democracy, each individual participating to their true, ever increasing potential. A related concept I have heard is that social networking makes us better people faster. I think that the corrollary of this, that social networking can make us worse people, faster is important for us to address. Hyperintelligences can manifest as Wikipedia, Al Qaeda and everything in between.
With a modernist conception of discrete individuals, the people composing a network dictate its character. A growing body of evidence invalidates this model, revealing a much more complex body of relations at play. The spirits of our networks feed into us at least as much as we contribue back.
Social networks influence our happiness, our weight, our sociability and possibly every aspect of our personalities. The effects happen out-of-awareness and extend beyond the domains of specific communities. As individuals exploring and extending ourselves into these territories, conscious appreciation of these points supports our well-being. By associating with groups that lift us up, we do ourselves and those in our life a service.
Taking it further, can an individual utilize this awareness in the engineering of hyperintelligence? @mpesce consciously guided the beginning of Share This Course to develop socialization and trust amongst us. What strategies and traits might increase health, have a vivogenic impact, not only on the individual participants, but on the ecological system of hyperintelligences?
Further Reading:
Keith Hampton’s research into the impact of social networks on individuals and communities
Connected: The Surprising Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas Christakis & James Fowler
Tags: engineering, etiology, hyperintelligence
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 5:40 am and is filed under Share This Course. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
@cole_tucker, nice post.
I believe a network (or community) is an entity in itself, borrowing from, but not limited to, the individuals that make it up.
I think that one can be a part of a community without adhering to all its precepts and thus, can be a member of communities that may seem contradictory to begin with. I guess what I’m really saying is that you can take the best from each community you’re in, from an individual perspective, and weave that into your own ‘tapestry’.
For example, I don’t think I’ll ever be a Greenpeace warrior but I’d say the work Greenpeace has done has empowered me to do something about my ecological footprint…every bit helps, so they say.
Re: “What strategies and traits might increase health, have a vivogenic impact, not only on the individual participants, but on the ecological system of hyperintelligences?”….
- have opportunities to share (as in the assignments)
- make sharing easy (as in this blog, the wiki, Twitter)
- encourage (or in my lingo, affirmations)
- engage: active participation (conversations need >1 person)
- enquire: provocation by questioning and challenging thoughts
- empower: individuals know they belong and be responsible for the upkeep of the sharing community
…am I on the right track?
[Reply]
ctucker Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 11:51 am
@malyn, some really nice points here. I especially like the strategies that you mention. The spirit of enquiry especially goes a far way to address my specific concerns.
The image of a tapestry is great! I think that it is important to remember, though, that we don’t get to choose all of the threads we draw from our communities. Since most of the research into the area of out-of-awareness impact focuses on local social networks, I cannot wait to find out what the characteristics tend to spread through non-local networks.
I do believe that any healthful community will possess the characteristics you suggest, and think the spirit of enquiry is a biggie when it comes to health for the community and individuals in it. I look at the US Birther and Tea Party movements, and see groups who have hyperconnection, hypernetworking and hyperintelligence, but directed to what appears as a pathological direction, at least it feels that way to me.
Thanks for the fantastic points! I think they may need to be saved somewhere on the wiki.
[Reply]
Memetheme Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
@ctucker, A new term to add to all the hypers: hyperheart. Similar to hyperintelligence, but is beneficial not only members of the group included in the network, but all Members, however broad you would like to concieve of that, i.e. the human race, senient beings, the universe etc. Hyperintelligence with proper direction, with wisdom.
[Reply]
ctucker Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
@Memetheme, I love love love this concept.
[Reply]
kath Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 12:01 am
@Memetheme, hyperheart – nice, I like this
(btw I’m back – sorry I moved house & was busy with last min packing then offline whilst net was reconnected at new place + work has become busy. hope to catch up over weekend!)
[Reply]
malyn Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
@ctucker, you are right that we can’t choose all things (or threads) that come our way but we can choose how, or even whether or not, to weave this into our tapestry, the fabric of our being and thinking.
Also, we can unpick (and re-do) what we may have woven in before – it’s all part of knowledge-creation, our own and the communities we belong to.
re:enquiry –> it’s a very good form of engagement, encouragement and empowerment. As you can see, in my mind, all these things are interwoven.
aargh, enough of the tapestry-weaving already.
[Reply]
ctucker Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
@malyn, weaving is awesome! And Mom is the loom! Or the shuttle? These metaphors have me all humbugled.
[Reply]
malyn Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
@ctucker, we can all be moms… rather, we can all emulate the skills that moms have
…we care, we share…we share, we care
i bet there is at least one network (or relationship) you’re in where you act as a hub
[Reply]
Fly Agaric Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 3:07 am
To stay with the weaving interknitting for a moment, I made a blog called THREADONISM, inspired by HYPERBOLIC CROCHET. An activity that can produce models of the hyperbolic plane, and play-toys, and art-objects and beautiful teaching tools.
[Reply]
kath Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
thanks @fly I’ll take a look at this. love to see craft theme/similarities – the act of making/creating things
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kath Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
@malyn, love the weaving analogies! (& any fibre arts)
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