The Hive Mind

 From ‘Why the web has gone sour’ —SMH

" ...One of the main targets of Lanier's critique is the concept of the "wisdom of the crowds" or the "hive mind". This is the idea beloved of so many social media enthusiasts that the collective wisdom of a large number of people, generally harnessed online, will exceed that of the individual. Wikipedia is the classic example often cited in support of this theory... "

—And poetry forums? 

‘Lanier believes that by fetishising and over-stating the power of this collective so-called intelligence we undervalue individual humans.

‘"The 'wisdom of the crowds' effect should be thought of as a tool. The value of a tool is its usefulness in accomplishing a task. The point should never be the glorification of the tool."

‘He considers that "an adventurous individual imagination" is far more valuable than anything produced by a crowd.... ’