Crowdsourcing power?
You are probably following the developments around the Skolkovo Innovation Fund website? In my opinion, the most interesting thing is not the site itself (who will be surprised by arrogant cuts and lack of talent of officials in Russia now?), But the reaction of the community to it. Namely, this and this habratopiki. It seems to me that such initiatives have a very big future. Perhaps these are the first signs of impending serious changes that may affect the whole society. Too brave generalization? I will try to justify.
We love to criticize power. There is a reason, is not it? Corruption, rudeness, inefficiency, the constant desire to seize more and more - at all times the powers that be were subject to these vices. But the institution of power itself and the state in general would not be preserved if it did not have functions useful for the survival of society. Take, for example, the police-police. Yes, they take bribes, yes, arbitrariness, yes, irresponsibility, impunity and mutual responsibility. But what would happen if tomorrow all their department ceased to exist? Nothing good - drunk thugs behind the wheel, robbery and robbery in broad daylight.
One of these useful functions is informational. In order to gather any large group of people into a single whole, first of all it is necessary to organize information flows, and only then other mechanisms of influence are connected (for example, organized violence in the form of police and army, without them ...) In order to accurately collect taxes, judge and generally manage - you need to carefully record everything. It was written language, along with weapons and a regular army that allowed the creation of the first giant empires.
From the side (especially in our post-Soviet madhouse) it seems that the president or the prime minister is just the most aggressive male in the herd of baboons who row all under themselves and spit on the heads of subordinates, but he also has all sorts of delusions, advisers The “apparatus” is actually these people who actually govern the country. All information flows are concentrated in their hands. They make sure that trains run, schools run, garbage taken out, and so on. A "elite" only decorates the TV and removes the cream. If tomorrow the president or the speaker suffers a blow, what will change? Never mind. Soon another will take its place. But very much depends on hardly noticeable deputies and secretaries. They are the ones who know everything. The minister can absolutely not understand the affairs of his ministry. And, if he does not climb on the rampage in order to “steer”, the ministry will work like a clock. Because the main information flows pass a little below his chair. In general, "above" is not only rowing loot, from there the overall picture is also visible. This is the basis of the information function of the state.
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What do we have to do with it? And despite the fact that the Internet and computers in general is also very good at handling information. Here, for example - Habr himself. The lion’s share of editing, filtering and moderating content is done by ordinary users. Rather, users and algorithms laid down in the framework of Habr. Algorithms are usually forgotten - but they turn an unstructured stream of assessments into concrete solutions: this topic is for home, this one is a firebox, this user is an invitee, this one comment per hour and no publications. Understand what I'm getting at?
The same can be done at the state level. And they are already doing it - the truth is more in Europe and America. We have a strong habit of believing in a good king. No, of course, the kings, we are already very formidable and arrogant, if you don’t believe in such people, they will soak or tear their mouths. In our latitudes, the phrase “electronic government” so far means an attempt to revive the government at least a little, to give it a handful, to poke a muzzle into reality. This is a necessary thing. RosPil or My Territory are great projects. But this is only the first step. It is necessary, as the power works normally and does not go wild only under pressure.
And you can go further. Do not just catch the thieves with their cuts and kickbacks or by the hand bring local officials to the ruts on the roads and ask to fix them, but try to do so in order to do without their help at all. Take any function of power - social, support of science and education, courts, roads, street cleaning - whatever! Think up and implement at least a small piece of this functionality without the participation of the authorities, transferring the information function to computers, and decision making will be reduced to the community and experts, and the living space of parasites and rogues will be slightly reduced from the authorities. This is much harder, but some are trying . Not only to demand or ask the authorities to do something, but to cope on their own. This could potentially have a greater impact on power than direct confrontation. The main thing is that the “elite” cannot fight with such an encroachment on its powers in the open, with riot police and Berkut, but only slyly, with all its might, pretending that they really like it, that the people are so independent, solve all problems without their guidance. .
Computers operate airplanes and factories, power systems and telephone networks. Why can't they manage utilities, repair roads or allocate a budget? Actually, this is exactly what should be called a real electronic government, and not electronic document circulation across the state. Of course, it is an order of magnitude more complicated than the primitive system of accounting for karma or reputation, because you cannot make difficult decisions by a majority vote. But is not a constant and continuous consideration of people's opinions better than elections every five years? But what about the community of experts and specialists who deserve the right to make decisions because of the reputation that has not appeared in an empty place is no better than random people who have obtained a high position by deceiving the electorate, for money or for cunning?
We live in a unique time. For the first time in history, people have created such a powerful information processing system, like the Internet. For the first time, the opportunity appeared on the horizon to create huge social structures on the basis of horizontal rather than vertical ties, without a rigid hierarchy and its attendant drawbacks. Think about it! Many here habitually give up in response to initiatives like habraexpertiza - they say, all this is nonsense, as they have stolen, so they will steal, you will not change anything. Probably just as they looked two hundred years ago at those who wanted to free slaves, create a system of universal education and force the authorities to regularly hold elections.
Now everything is happening much faster than two hundred years ago. Perhaps we (and not only our great-grandchildren) will live to the time when a full-fledged e-government will be able to almost completely replace a flock of gnawing for a place at the feeding trough of alpha males, which calls itself the “political elite”. And then civil society, instead of enduring this zoo for the sake of the useful functions of the state, will be able to say to them: “Go and you will retire, we'll figure it out without you!”
We love to criticize power. There is a reason, is not it? Corruption, rudeness, inefficiency, the constant desire to seize more and more - at all times the powers that be were subject to these vices. But the institution of power itself and the state in general would not be preserved if it did not have functions useful for the survival of society. Take, for example, the police-police. Yes, they take bribes, yes, arbitrariness, yes, irresponsibility, impunity and mutual responsibility. But what would happen if tomorrow all their department ceased to exist? Nothing good - drunk thugs behind the wheel, robbery and robbery in broad daylight.
One of these useful functions is informational. In order to gather any large group of people into a single whole, first of all it is necessary to organize information flows, and only then other mechanisms of influence are connected (for example, organized violence in the form of police and army, without them ...) In order to accurately collect taxes, judge and generally manage - you need to carefully record everything. It was written language, along with weapons and a regular army that allowed the creation of the first giant empires.
From the side (especially in our post-Soviet madhouse) it seems that the president or the prime minister is just the most aggressive male in the herd of baboons who row all under themselves and spit on the heads of subordinates, but he also has all sorts of delusions, advisers The “apparatus” is actually these people who actually govern the country. All information flows are concentrated in their hands. They make sure that trains run, schools run, garbage taken out, and so on. A "elite" only decorates the TV and removes the cream. If tomorrow the president or the speaker suffers a blow, what will change? Never mind. Soon another will take its place. But very much depends on hardly noticeable deputies and secretaries. They are the ones who know everything. The minister can absolutely not understand the affairs of his ministry. And, if he does not climb on the rampage in order to “steer”, the ministry will work like a clock. Because the main information flows pass a little below his chair. In general, "above" is not only rowing loot, from there the overall picture is also visible. This is the basis of the information function of the state.
')
What do we have to do with it? And despite the fact that the Internet and computers in general is also very good at handling information. Here, for example - Habr himself. The lion’s share of editing, filtering and moderating content is done by ordinary users. Rather, users and algorithms laid down in the framework of Habr. Algorithms are usually forgotten - but they turn an unstructured stream of assessments into concrete solutions: this topic is for home, this one is a firebox, this user is an invitee, this one comment per hour and no publications. Understand what I'm getting at?
The same can be done at the state level. And they are already doing it - the truth is more in Europe and America. We have a strong habit of believing in a good king. No, of course, the kings, we are already very formidable and arrogant, if you don’t believe in such people, they will soak or tear their mouths. In our latitudes, the phrase “electronic government” so far means an attempt to revive the government at least a little, to give it a handful, to poke a muzzle into reality. This is a necessary thing. RosPil or My Territory are great projects. But this is only the first step. It is necessary, as the power works normally and does not go wild only under pressure.
And you can go further. Do not just catch the thieves with their cuts and kickbacks or by the hand bring local officials to the ruts on the roads and ask to fix them, but try to do so in order to do without their help at all. Take any function of power - social, support of science and education, courts, roads, street cleaning - whatever! Think up and implement at least a small piece of this functionality without the participation of the authorities, transferring the information function to computers, and decision making will be reduced to the community and experts, and the living space of parasites and rogues will be slightly reduced from the authorities. This is much harder, but some are trying . Not only to demand or ask the authorities to do something, but to cope on their own. This could potentially have a greater impact on power than direct confrontation. The main thing is that the “elite” cannot fight with such an encroachment on its powers in the open, with riot police and Berkut, but only slyly, with all its might, pretending that they really like it, that the people are so independent, solve all problems without their guidance. .
Computers operate airplanes and factories, power systems and telephone networks. Why can't they manage utilities, repair roads or allocate a budget? Actually, this is exactly what should be called a real electronic government, and not electronic document circulation across the state. Of course, it is an order of magnitude more complicated than the primitive system of accounting for karma or reputation, because you cannot make difficult decisions by a majority vote. But is not a constant and continuous consideration of people's opinions better than elections every five years? But what about the community of experts and specialists who deserve the right to make decisions because of the reputation that has not appeared in an empty place is no better than random people who have obtained a high position by deceiving the electorate, for money or for cunning?
We live in a unique time. For the first time in history, people have created such a powerful information processing system, like the Internet. For the first time, the opportunity appeared on the horizon to create huge social structures on the basis of horizontal rather than vertical ties, without a rigid hierarchy and its attendant drawbacks. Think about it! Many here habitually give up in response to initiatives like habraexpertiza - they say, all this is nonsense, as they have stolen, so they will steal, you will not change anything. Probably just as they looked two hundred years ago at those who wanted to free slaves, create a system of universal education and force the authorities to regularly hold elections.
Now everything is happening much faster than two hundred years ago. Perhaps we (and not only our great-grandchildren) will live to the time when a full-fledged e-government will be able to almost completely replace a flock of gnawing for a place at the feeding trough of alpha males, which calls itself the “political elite”. And then civil society, instead of enduring this zoo for the sake of the useful functions of the state, will be able to say to them: “Go and you will retire, we'll figure it out without you!”
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/117460/
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