What will be the next human-centered metasystem transition?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g94iWT2SIwI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasystem_transition
A metasystem transition is the emergence, through evolution, of a higher level of organization or control.
Prime examples are the origin of life, the transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms, and the emergence of symbolic thought. A metasystem is formed by the integration of a number of initially independent components, such as molecules, cells or individiduals, and the emergence of a system steering or controlling their interactions. As such, the collective of components becomes a new, goal-directed individual, capable of acting in a coordinated way. This metasystem is more complex, more intelligent, and more flexible in its actions than the initial component systems.
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/community-service/if-we-knew-how-connected-we-all-were-how-would-that-change-everything
(a few other related Mahalo questions I didn't find in my search)
Also, if you don't like something about my question and think your explanation of what's wrong with the question could possibly be informative or interesting please go ahead and answer anyway.
Doesn't really look like people are interested in answering this question. But in case it helps, maybe increase the scope a little to include aspects of contemporary social science, biology, religion or whatever field you think might relate to the topic.
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Specialization among people and interconnectedness hasn't gotten anywhere near the levels experienced by cells, either.
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Question: Do you see any way that some kind of multi-agent consciousness(es) could emerge (or even be formed top-down) from these types of technologies?
Response: No.
Q: Or does that sort of thing just augment individual human intelligence?
R: Yes. Just speculating that a wide array of super-high quality "knowledge" could alter consciousness dramatically--more than just augment it. Think thoughts we haven't thought before in a way we haven't thought before.
Q (related): Certainly it broadens and enhances individual's viewpoints but are those human viewpoints/abilities qualitatively different?
R: We'll have to see! I think my own persistent interactions with readily available information and "content" via the internet have--over the last ten+ years--altered my own consciousness/brain. I think my consciousness is qualitatively different (broader? bigger? more saturated?) than it was or would have been. Not huge, but subtle. Something I sense. Or should I see a doctor?
I have been thinking something along those lines as well. Do you see any way that some kind of multi-agent consciousness(es) could emerge (or even be formed top-down) from these types of technologies? Or does that sort of thing just augment individual human intelligence? Certainly it broadens and enhances individual's viewpoints but are those human viewpoints/abilities qualitatively different?
To me it looks like your consciousness has definitely expanded in an upward and pointy direction. That may be what you are sensing. If you wear that hat on a daily basis then yes, see a doctor :) (Just kidding (I'm sure you only wear it for photos)).
replying to ilaksh - Exactly, and I think that once we have access to mass quantities of data, and that data in some way helps to define who we are, we will want very much to slice and dice that data in the way OLAP/MOLAP/ROLAP does today with relational data. These tools will allow us to manage the massive amount of data that we will be able to interact with.
Imagine if every "frame" that was produced by your optic nerve could be stored and retrieved at will. The central problem of your life would be managing that data. That is the next big change that is coming down the pike.
Ok.. hadn't thought of it that way thanks.
As far as cross calculated data etc., to me it sounds like you might be talking about pivot tables or OLAP? Cross calculating the intersection of types of related data sounds like multidimensional analysis?
Do you think the brain/computer interfaces could translate into higher bandwidth more coherent brain-brain systems (via these brain/computer interfaces)?
replying to ilaksh - I don't know if human thought will become more coherent, but it will clearly be based on data and data volume. The concerns that those of us in data processing have will become standard human concerns. What is the cross relationship of data? How to maintain the cardinality of that relationship? How to cross calculate the intersection of types of related data (tuples)? How to present cross calculated data in a simple way (so that a simple graph, for example, could represent millions of underlying cross calculations).
Handling data at scale will be the forefront issue once the human/digital interface is adopted.