The Rise Of The Credible Mass
What matters more? What 10,000 random people think of a particular design, or what 50 of the most respected and informed designers think about it?
How do we push getting attention and opportunity in online communities beyond one's popularity or willingness to spam their friends? How do we achieve a credible measure of quality that empowers careers for all the right reasons?
As our team at Behance seeks to connect and empower creative professionals online, we've become obsessed with meritocracy and mechanisms we can use to bring the best quality creative work to the surface.
Of course, "quality" is a very subjective measure. In Behance, we have an "appreciate" button at the end of every project in a member's portfolio. Visitors can click "appreciate" when they like the work. As a result, projects amass hundreds - and often times thousands - of appreciations, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. The set design for a popular movie may go viral, but the project's thousands of appreciations are not necessarily coming from other set designers. Similarly, a fashion shoot of a famous model may receive accolades for the model, but not for the photography. And then there are the thousands of photography projects that don't go viral but receive tremendous respect from other highly respected photographers on Behance. As a result, our team has started to focus less on how many people like something and more on exactly who likes something.
I've come to call this the difference between the "Critical Mass" and the "Credible Mass." While the Critical Mass is all about raw numbers - how many views or likes on YouTube, how many likes on Facebook, etc…), the Credible Mass is exactly who viewed or liked something - and how credible they are to have an opinion. Of course, the web has long relied on the Critical Mass to determine quality. This behavior self-perpetuates, and before you know it the world is dancing Gingham Style (not that there's anything wrong with it) or reciting Rebecca Black's Friday (no comment).
The Credible Mass is identified using data and empowered using algorithms. If done right, the professional world should be able to curate itself and collectively fuel meritocracy. At Behance, we're considering the weight of every appreciation based on how respected the viewer is in that particular creative field and other related fields of influence. I also know from a recent chat with LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, that LinkedIn, with its new "Endorse" feature, is aiming to do the same thing in the world of business. With this data, algorithms can help us access a new and more credible measure of quality.
Thanks to LinkedIn and other professionally-geared platforms and marketplaces, the web is ready to move beyond the whims of the Critical Mass. By focusing more on the Credible Mass, we can support a level of meritocracy and career opportunity the world has never seen. Great talent will rise to the surface and get opportunity regardless of who they know, age, background, institutional affiliation, or location. At a macro level, leveraging the Credible Mass to help match the best talent with the best opportunity could have a remarkable impact on every career, industry, and society as a whole.
Exciting days ahead, thanks to those who are best at what they do.
Photographer and advisor for Creative East
11 年I think the credible mass is a real concept, it is only a matter of time or tech for this collectivism to send out full ripples across the web and beyond, Our start up is trying to use this power of the mass critical eye in photography, with a genuine meritocratic goal, which seems to produce the right endorphins and warm feelings in the users, anyway we are www.photocrowd.com, we would love you to see what we are trying to achieve, and here back from you about it.
Trade Support
11 年Although the Credible Mass concept does seem to be a far better method of measuring quality, it does have it's own drawbacks. For instance, a person may have social agreements with numerous individuals resulting in several endorsements which may not be well deserved ones.
Trustee of CIoJ Welfare Fund and Communications Consultant
11 年I agree with asking specialists what they think when they are designing a product or building. But for goodness sake ask those who are using it and spell out the issues if you want something that works. I have seen fabulous designs which just happen to let toddlers fall at height or have workers waiting outside lifts for half an hour at key times and I think that says it all.
Founder & CEO @ GUARDDOG AI | CTO, CMO
11 年Is there not a sample of the credible mass always present in the demographic sampled? When do you ever see a non-credible mass in the social world?