1.1.3 How Groups Shape What We ‘Know’ Notes

Communities of Knowers Are Filters of Knowledge

1. Communities of knowers are groups that decide what counts as knowledge.
2. They control what gets created, what gets believed, and what gets ignored.
3. Think of them as filters that stand between raw information and accepted knowledge.

What Are Communities of Knowers?

These are groups that influence how knowledge gets made, tested, and spread.

1. They exist everywhere:
   1. Scientific research teams studying climate change
   2. Cultural groups preserving traditions
   3. Wikipedia editors updating articles
   4. Medical professionals setting treatment standards
   5. Social media influencers shaping opinions

Example

• TikTok creators discussing mental health form a community of knowers.
• They decide what mental health advice gets millions of views and what gets ignored.
• Their algorithms and engagement patterns filter knowledge for Gen Z.

Three Ways Communities Control Knowledge

1. From the moment someone asks a question to the moment that knowledge reaches your phone, communities are making decisions that determine what you get to know.
2. These decisions happen in three key stages, which show you how communities filter reality and why different groups can have such different versions of the "truth."

1. Knowledge Creation

1. Communities don't just discover knowledge sitting around waiting to be found, they actively decide what's worth investigating in the first place.
2. Think about it: there are infinite questions you could ask about the world but communities have limited time, money, and attention, so they have to choose.
3. These choices aren't neutral.
4. They reflect what the community values, fear, and what they think will benefit them.
5. The process works like this:
   1. Communities identify problems they care about
   2. They decide which methods are acceptable for solving them
   3. They allocate resources (money, people, time) to certain questions
   4. They ignore other questions completely
6. Questions that don't fit the community's priorities therefore get left out.

Example

• Consider game gevelopment
  • Indie game developers: Create games about personal stories and social issues.
  • AAA game studios: Create games about action and marketability.
• These are different communities that produce different games and therefore different knowledge about what makes a game meaningful.

2. Knowledge Validation

1. Creating knowledge is only half the battle because getting it accepted as true is the other half.
2. Every community has different standards for what counts as reliable evidence and these standards aren't universal laws, but social agreements about what the community will trust.
3. The validation process determines:
   1. What evidence is considered acceptable
   2. Who has the authority to judge that evidence
   3. What procedures must be followed
   4. How disagreements get resolved

3. Knowledge Sharing

1. Even after knowledge is created and validated, communities still control who gets access to it.
2. This is about how knowledge is packaged for different audiences and controlling how it gets interpreted.
3. Communities make decisions about:
   1. What language to use (technical vs. simple)
   2. What format to use (papers vs. videos vs. infographics)
   3. What price to charge (free vs. expensive)
   4. Which platforms to use (journals vs. social media vs. conferences)
   5. What details to include or leave out
4. These decisions shape:
   1. Who can understand the knowledge
   2. How quickly it spreads
   3. How accurately it gets transmitted
   4. What actions people take based on it

Example

• Take the academic journal to palatable content pipeline:
  • Academic journals: Original study published in Nature Neuroscience - "Hippocampal sharp-wave ripples during NREM sleep facilitate consolidation of declarative memory traces through coordinated reactivation patterns"
  • Pop science book: Author reads 50 studies, writes Why We Sleep - "Sleep helps your brain file away memories like organizing a library"
  • Health blog: Writer reads the book, posts "7 Sleep Hacks to Boost Your Memory" - focuses on practical tips, removes scientific uncertainty
  • YouTube video: "sleep like a baby tonight!" - clickbait title, dramatic music, oversimplified claims

Four Types of Community Influence

1. Professional Communities: Doctors, lawyers, engineers - groups with formal training and official standards.
2. Cultural Communities: Religious groups, ethnic communities, regional populations - groups sharing traditions and values.
3. Digital Communities: Reddit forums, Discord servers, TikTok creators - groups forming around shared interests online.
4. Academic Communities: University researchers, scholarly journals, conference attendees - groups focused on formal knowledge creation.