There’s a powerful, invisible force that explains why broken systems can survive in plain sight for years, then collapse almost overnight. It’s the difference between scattered knowledge and shared knowledge. It shapes how scandals survive, how people avoid accountability, and how an industry built on your data thrives behind your back.
Scattered knowledge is when everyone individually knows something is wrong, but each person holds that knowledge alone. You know… The person next to you knows…but neither person is certain what the other knows, so it’s very difficult to expand on this knowledge to make a permanent change.
On the other hand, shared knowledge is something everybody knows that everybody knows. People, companies, and countries alike use shared knowledge as the foundation to build a better or fairer society.
It’s fascinating to watch how ideas transition from scattered knowledge to shared knowledge. Think of water changing from a liquid to a gas. The process takes a lot of time and energy, and from the outside, it looks like nothing is happening. Then, at a seemingly random moment, we reach a boiling point and everything changes at once.
You’ve seen this play out, even if you didn’t have a name for it.
For years, Harvey Weinstein operated in patterns of abuse that were an open secret in Hollywood. His position as a powerful career maker was used to prevent this knowledge, which was widely understood in the industry, from becoming shared. Dissent from whistleblowers and victims was discarded because their complaints were scattered. Through no fault of the victims and whistleblowers, there was no unified front because there was no safe way to address the problem.
The process of Weinstein’s deeds transitioning from scattered to shared knowledge started with one victim speaking publicly. This was impossible to ignore. It also signaled to others who privately suffered for years that they were not alone and created a unified front against a common problem. Now that everybody knew that everybody knew how the man operated, the entire industry quickly made an about-face and avoided associating with Weinstein and eventually led to his arrest. The transition ended once companies viewed Weinstein as a risk to their business.
We have the same problem in the data economy. We all feel something is wrong with how we are treated by many companies we interact with, but we don’t have the language to describe it. The feeling is scattered knowledge. Despite being essential stakeholders in the data economy, people are not treated fairly. For example:
- Many companies demand much more of people’s information than necessary;
- People must give their informed consent at a moment’s notice with no discussion; and
- Bad actors in the industry routinely violate people’s property rights.
Understandably, nothing happens to benefit people because there is no unified front to be seen and heard. They have no representative at the table to defend their best interests and push back on unfair terms. They don’t even have the language to describe the problem or the ability to see what’s happening to them.
The thing that motivates me and my work at My Data Union is that I believe in the power of an idea. I’ve seen many examples of people and ideas changing a rigid dynamic, triggering scattered knowledge to become shared knowledge. It all starts with a beacon, a visible pack with clear motives to initiate the transition. If a critical mass of people stood up tomorrow, clearly stated that they knew the status quo was not serving them, and offered a reasonable alternative, companies would understand the jig is up and they need to adapt.
My Data Union serves as a beacon for those who want the data economy to serve them. Join the waitlist and become part of the critical mass that makes the knowledge shared.
