Accelerating the Crowd with Video
Wired published an essay by Chris Anderson (of TED, not Wired editorship) on the phenomenon of Crowd Accelerated Innovation. This concept is basically the idea that by giving individuals an audience, the pace of development and improvement for any idea can be quickened through feedback, appropriation and implied accountability. Anderson started seeing it in his own realm:
When we decided to post TED talks free on the web four years ago, something unexpected happened: Speaker behavior changed. Specifically, they started spending more time preparing for the talks.
After the TED talks became viewable, new presenters could use past examples as a starting place for their own talks, making it possible for individuals to stand on the shoulders of those that came before them.
Extending this idea further, Anderson looks at the burgeoning world of online video, where a global audience for any skills, art form, concept, etc. is readily available. Not only are eyeballs suddenly on posted clips but a host of like-minded commenters can offer criticism and a vast library of related content can offer tips and techniques for future endeavors.
To quote Anderson (again):
Perhaps the most miraculous element of online video is that, for the first time in history, it’s possible to assemble a crowd of people numbering in the millions and give every single member a chance to be seen and heard.
Equally miraculously, you can log onto the web day or night and take a look at the output of countless community members formerly known as strangers. […] It’s surprisingly easy to sift through the chaff for the wheat.
It’s a well and truly fascinating read full of examples and acrobatic connections – all of which makes me excited to be in the field of multimedia training in 2011!