The Hive Mind - Is It all that scary?

 People generally have an instinctive fear of the Hive Mind - an amalgamation of many thoughts into one collective whole. The thought of losing one's individuality is terrifying to most people and the portrayal of the hive mind in popular science fiction films like Star Trek (the Borg Queen controls the Hive Mind) does not help. However, what people do not realize if that hive minds at work are more common than they think. For example, how many people think that owning Hermes, Gucci or Chanel are the epitome of one's status? Why do people continue to buy diamonds as an engagement ring even though it has no real significance? Why do I still have to buy roses for my wife on Valentine's Day - what is even the significance of 14 February? In fact, marketers and advertisers often seek to harness this hive mind to form a certain general perspective of the brands they represent - which is why I work hard to make sure I can afford a Hermes bag for my wife one day.

The Hive mind is not all bad too, and when harnessed properly, could lead to spectacularly good results. The example that I will provide here is the Ice Bucket Challenge (I am sure everyone knows what this is). A viral trend that took the world by storm in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge involved one pouring a bucket of ice cold water on oneself, and nominating other people to do the same - pretty senseless if you ask me and yet, millions of people around the world took part in this challenge. Underlying this challenge, the purpose behind it was to raise awareness for people who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and the act of pouring ice cold water on yourself was to give people an understanding of what people who suffered from this disease went through. The results of this campaign was spectacular. In 2019, an independent research organization revealed that the donations obtained from the Ice Bucket Challenge allowed the ALS Association to increase its annual funding for research around the world by 187% (~US$115 million was raised)! The pace of research into the field has also increased rapidly, with researchers discovering five new genes connected to ALS. You can read more on the impact of the Ice Bucket Challenge on the field of ALS here! 

The Hive Mind is more common than we think, and can definitely be harnessed to improve education - it all depends on how as educators, we choose to employ its effects in the learning journey we create!