Post by Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business

“As social filtering erodes, society as a whole might end up a bit dumber.” New research from Prof. David McAdams explores a paradox of the digital age: as it becomes easier and cheaper to create and share information, the quality of collective knowledge may actually decline. Key insights: • Ideas spread much like epidemics, moving through networks of people who evaluate, retain and share information. • Social interactions act as a filtering mechanism, helping higher-quality ideas rise over time. • Information overload fragments attention and shortens these social transmission chains, reducing opportunities for filtering. • The result can be a sudden deterioration in the quality of information circulating through society. • Gatekeepers—from editors and academic journals to trusted curators and credibility signals—may create value simply by narrowing the field of ideas competing for attention. • AI could eventually help filter and evaluate information, but only if people continue to provide meaningful feedback and exercise judgment. AI may have the potential to filter, organize, and evaluate information, McAdams said. “But that all depends—at least as AI exists today—on people knowing what to ask and giving AI systems the right feedback. You will still need people to actively evaluate information.” #InformationEconomics #AI #KnowledgeManagement #DigitalMedia #InformationOverload #Leadership #Innovation #BusinessResearch