From madness to wisdom: intelligence and the digital crowd

TY - JOUR

T1 - From madness to wisdom: intelligence and the digital crowd

AU - Jaeger, Mark Daniel

AU - Dunn Cavelty, Myriam

PY - 2019/4/16

Y1 - 2019/4/16

N2 - This article sheds light on the complexity and sensitivity of crowd-based intelligence in security governance. The 'crowd’ as special manifestation of ‘the public’ is both challenging and enabling new forms of intelligence practices. As a spontaneous eruption of collective activity, the crowd is a notion of great versatility. Sometimes considered mad/dangerous, sometimes wise/useful, the crowd’s drivers are a context-dependent collage of (affective) group engagement, projection from the outside and the workings of digital technologies. The article traces how the existence of crowds in its variations is connected to how they are approached by security agents and their intelligence practices.

AB - This article sheds light on the complexity and sensitivity of crowd-based intelligence in security governance. The 'crowd’ as special manifestation of ‘the public’ is both challenging and enabling new forms of intelligence practices. As a spontaneous eruption of collective activity, the crowd is a notion of great versatility. Sometimes considered mad/dangerous, sometimes wise/useful, the crowd’s drivers are a context-dependent collage of (affective) group engagement, projection from the outside and the workings of digital technologies. The article traces how the existence of crowds in its variations is connected to how they are approached by security agents and their intelligence practices.

U2 - 10.1080/02684527.2019.1553375

DO - 10.1080/02684527.2019.1553375

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0268-4527

VL - 34

SP - 329

EP - 343

JO - Intelligence and National Security

JF - Intelligence and National Security

IS - 3

M1 - 1

ER -