Collectivism vs. Individualism in a Wiki World: Librarians Respond to Jaron Lanier's Essay “Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism”

Jaron Lanier's essay “Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism” is a self-described rant of the dangers of the hive mentality in suppressing individual human intelligence as demonstrated in online resources such as Wikipedia and MySpace. He sees merit in collective decision-making and problem-solving if evaluation is uncontroversial, but argues that individuals are essential in providing judgment, taste, and user experiences in many situations. Lanier's essay appeared in the online progressive publication Edge and received responses from a variety of technologists, academics, and writers. In this “Balance Point” column, four academic librarians provide a library public services viewpoint in responding to Lanier's essay.