Groupthink was a term coined by William H. Whyte in 1952 in Fortune Magazine and studied by Yale Psychologist Irving L. Janis. It is a term used to describe a type of behavior exhibited by a group of individuals who reach a consensus without adequate evaluation and analyzation of the problem. Individuals in groups generally do this to avoid conflict; however, groupthink discourages individuals to bring up ideas outside of the comfort level of consensus thought. This cohesive nature causes individuals to loose aspects of creativity, individuality and uniqueness; thus, this may cause groups to make quick and dirty decisions for fear of not doing so may disrupt the group's homogeneous equilibrium.
The internet can be utilized to decrease these aspect of groupthink, especially in politics. The sheer amount of communicative abilities and opportunities on the internet are innumerable. In the past, without this ease of communication, rumors could be started by one group and spread until it turns into a group consensus, potentially ruining a campaign or particular platform and individual subscribes to. The internet can be used to reach individual members of a group and fight any inconsistencies and errors in communication any party may be partaking in. Barak Obama used the Net to fight rumors he was Muslim and to organize and facilitate fundraisers for his campaign.
The cool thing about the internet is that campaigns like Obama's can reach out to individuals and it will seem as though the campaign is making an effort to connect with that individual on a more personal level (more so than, say receiving an ad in the mail). This can help the campaigns recruit individuals who may not otherwise get involved with politics. It can also eliminate the potential of groupthink. Most of the communicating we do on the internet involves our identity in one way or another, but a lot of it doesn't have to. This is where the concept of groupthink is completely thrown out. Who would hesitate sharing an opinion when there is no group equilibrium to offset? The elimination of group think can aid a democracy. It gives individuals more voice and it can allow politicians to gain access to the opinions of their constituents.
Article 1: Examiner.com
Article 2: CNN.com
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