The Haiti Earthquake happened in 2010. Digital volunteers from around the world organized themselves and created a massive global collective in order to analyze data coming from Haiti. The volunteers translated reports into different languages. They also used and analyzed satellite images in order to create digital maps. They used apps like OpenStreetMap and Ushahidi to share not only information but geographical locations in order to build the map. The information gained and shared by the volunteers enabled the emergency resopnders a clearer image of what was happening on the ground. 

Collective Intelligence During The Haiti Earthquake

The Flooding of Alberta, Canada happened in 2013. The Mayor, Naheed Neshi, of Calgary used media and social media in order to share information regarding response and recovery efforts. In effect, Neshi became the "puppetmaster" and was able to organize the online volunteer efforts. Multiple other organizations including the Calgary police did the same thing using Twitter and Facebook to share information and request help.  Outside of the political realm of information sharing the community was able to stay connected and share information about resources, equipment, food, and illegal activity like price gouging. 

Collective Intelligence During The Flooding in Alberta, Canada

The Boston Marathon Bombing happened in 2013. FBI lead crowdsourcing in an attempt to gain photos and videos on the Marathon. The FBI was able to find a photograph of a suspect and asked for help with the identification. The digital volunteers did more than that they launched their own investigation eventual falsely accusing two men of being the perpetrators. The FBI did eventually find the real perpetrators.  

Collective Intelligence During The Boston Marathon Bombing

1. The Haiti Earthquake
2. Flooding in Alberta, Canada
3. The Boston Marathon Bombing


Albion College

Collective Intelligence in the modern age is having a big impact on how crises are seen and dealt with. Scholars are interested in how social media plays a role in the creation of collective intelligence during a crisis.  

Using Collective Intelligence in Crises

Büscher, M., Liegl, M., & Thomas, V. (2014). Collective Intelligence in Crises. In J.  Stewart (Ed.), Social Collective Intelligence: Combining The Powers of Humans and Machines (pp. 243–265). Springer International Publishing. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-08681-1__12

Collective Intelligence in Crises

Examples of Collective Intelligence used in Crises

Scholars debate whether collective intelligence is best with orchestration or complete self-organization of the individuals or digital volunteers. Though there is a forming consensus that a mix of orchestration and self-organization might be best. There could be few individuals or groups as "puppetmasters" in which they help design and instruct the digital volunteers on how they should participate. Though after that considering the spread of social media the digital volunteers would have a great deal of freedom in which tasks they participate in. 

Orchestration or Self-organized Collective Intelligence 

Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many others allow individuals to spread and organize information. The information or data can be pictures, locations, and ground-level facts. Aspects of social media like Hashtags allow individuals to group information into searchable categories. Facebook groups also allow for a way of organizing information. This information can then be spread to those in the affect population, officials, emergency responders, and world wide. 

How Collective Intelligence is used in Crises through Social Media

Digital Volunteers are those who use the internet in order to help communities during a crisis. While online activism doesn't always spur political attention or change during a crisis those that are heavily involved in online activism are able to impact the online attention the crisis receives. 

Digital Volunteers In a Crisis

While collective intelligence can be helpful it can also be harmful in a crisis. 

1. Reliability of information and who controls it
2. Communication and connection to officials

Issues with using Collective Intelligence During a Crisis

Collective Intelligence allows for a greater understanding of the problem and a way of gaining more data. The digital volunteers and the information they have garnered is a way of helping older agencies meet the needs of the community more effectively and faster than before. With budget cuts and outdated plans of action the digital volunteers are able to provide a more modern take about how best to solve the crisis.

Effects of Using Collective Intelligence during a Crisis

Collective Intelligence is believed to be best used in crises that involved crowdsourcing activities like analyzing data and building digital maps. Crises that involve man hunts can cause the collective to go off mission and attempt to be digital vigilantes.

Best Crisis to use Collective Intelligence

With the new wave of digital volunteering and the use of social media established agencies are in the process of trying to figure out their new roles and way of interacting during a crisis. 

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