Use Your Noodle

 (Giant shout out to Sarah in my EME6414 section for this idea, inspired by her blog post.)

I hate making decisions.  As a Millennial, apparently, I'm not alone.  Which is what makes crowdsourcing decisions so appealing.  Crowdsourcing, or soliciting free information and opinions online, is as easy as a tweet or Facebook post.  Web 2.0 and quick clicks mean loyal followers are too eager to offer their opinions.  

For example, one of my favorites on Twitter (not a Millennial), activist April Reign allowed her followers to help pick her headshot this week:  Twitter Thread

There's something comfortable about this idea...take something that is meant to face the public and ask the public themselves to select what they want.  It's marketing.  It's engagement.  In project management terms, it's Agile, dare I say.

Could we be taking it so far?  Chiefly, when we get this information and opinions from wherever on the Internet...do we make our decision based on the data or robotically just yield control?  A fitness influencer I follow uses this video trend on his YouTube channel by allowing his social media followers to determine what he eats:


In the video, there's only one choice he adjusts based on his limitations.  He even endures his most hated food because Instagram told him so.  Matt does this as entertainment: he's a bodybuilder, personal trainer, and gym owner who typically follows a regimented nutrition plan.  This is not how he eats typically.  Yet does this imply a model that others can use and abuse?  Is one of his viewers copying him and not considering the consequences?  

My opinion: being a produser means we influence and are influenced.  The key is in the critical thinking step.  Whether reading a scholarly article or a Twitter feed, the data is only as important as the decision it inspires (or discourages.)  April is a great example: there are several times where she has made different decisions than what her followers make or shut down the sourcing threads as she pivots to another direction.  We should do the same - it's our life.  

Letting the Internet decide can be fun so long as you remain in control.



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