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.