2. Authority
Explain 3 things:
• Why authority figures in 2nd
order org.
• Positive benefits of authority
• Drawbacks of authority
Thursday, September 5, 13
3. 2nd Order Authority
Go through every item and put it in its
proper place
Settle arguments
tangent: controlled vocabulary
Forced choice, limited options
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4. Benefits of Authority
Accuracy (given an accurate authority)
Efficiency
Predictability
Reliability (opposite of ambiguity)
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5. Drawbacks of Authority
The world isn’t always a black or white place
(false dichotomy)
Lost insight from multiple perspectives
Example: The Best and the Brightest
Demonizing the Other
Thursday, September 5, 13
9. Yochai Benkler
The right question isn’t whether the Web provides
perfect equality but whether it provides more
equality than “the one-way structure of the
commercial mass media.”
Explain this quote in terms of authority and
information organization.
Thursday, September 5, 13
10. Discussion
What kinds of situations benefit from tagging and
mass participation.
What kinds of situations benefit from the
expertise of authority?
Thursday, September 5, 13
