Collective Consciousness and Social Media: Identity Empowerment

From using information technologies, the actual information human beings exchange is becoming more knowledgeable in its content because of peer review, and the critiquing process of ideas in social media. The collective mindset of the individuals within networks creates a group-consciousness, which resonates principles of the specific impact the digital community wants to have on the world.
The collective consciousness of the Internet as a whole exists as an integrated, symbiotic organism. Information processed through social media exists through individual and separate processes- simultaneously flowing from desktop computer, to mobile interface; through servers and within databases- at an incredible scale; interoperatively culminating to form the collective identity of the Internet. Similarly; the information exchanged between single-cellular organisms, and the subsequent creation of multicellular organisms, acts as a biological analogy for the creation of 'digital collective consciousness' in the context of our individual digital identities. Beyond issues about the creation of Internet consciousness; this living organism actively empowers, manipulates, and corrupts the individuals which compose it. (Wright 2007)
The digital identities participating in social media networks all have their own specific agendas, assumptions, knowledge bases, epistemological, fears, and Utopian(or dystopian)views. This is precisely how the collective consciousness of the Internet can in one breath empower philosophy, knowledge, and critical analysis within communities; and in the same instance forcibly indoctrinate, misinform, manipulate, corrupt, and defy its own open-source logic. Depending on where one is situated, social media could create a very frightening form of “techno-anarchy”, hell-bent on falsifying individual perceptions; or it could provide the medium by which individual cognitive advancement is made more real. Viewing Internet consciousness as neither a savior nor a destroyer will change the fact that we have the technology and the incentive to make communication between intellectuals better.
Well informed individuals can use the “social software” available to create platforms for interdisciplinary education in the hopes of empowering individuals to be more knowledgeable about the world around them, disseminating information through social media.(Farkas 2007) This powerful image of collective consciousness in action is a model; exemplifying the essence of what information flow within society should resemble. As we see today; information being exchanged through 'social software' is predominantly about personal preferences, entertainment, cultural trends, and daily plans (among other things.) A common misconception is that the Internet is only effective at exchanging this kind of information. If we insert the massive influence of mainstream media manipulation and corruption of information in this conception of the Internet, there is a continuous information war to make individuals more conscious of some institutionally supported topics as represented from some specific background, field, or transdiscipline. As individuals are bombarded with updated entertainment information and data about their “friends;” combined with the efforts of wealthy institutions that purposefully want to misinform and manipulate (both online and off); people cannot see how simple it can be for individuals to have agency over how plausible, knowledgeable, and credible information is disseminated to society. The Internet's collective consciousness must be aware of institutional/societal factors which impact the way factual information is disseminated and researched. Many organizations have invested a great amount of wealth into disenfranchising the public so that they will not be focused on activism or searching for valid sources of information. The Internet is the platform by which social software can empower social media to physically form the intellectual communities radical activism has been calling for to supersede the influence of these huge institutions on our media.
There are an infinite number of factors which influence what media humans will observe, how we observe it, and to what 'ultimate goal' it is that shifts our individual perception of the information mediated; but I can say that I am certain the information that is exchanged is valuable and powerful if integrated in certain ways. If enough individual parts compile information; organized in the most socially beneficial and useful way(s); than the collective consciousness which blooms will be something philosophically valid, epistemologically sound, and intellectually sustainable. (Sunstein 2008)

Wright, Alex
Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages. New York: ACM, Joseph Henry Press, 2007
Farkas, Meredith G.

Social Software in Libraries: Building Collaboration, Communication, and Community Online. Medford, NewJersey: Information Today, Inc., 2007

Sunstein, Cass R.
Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge. New York: Oxford UP, USA, 2008.