Kenyatta Cheese spoke at our Entrepreneurial Design class last week.  He spoke at length about the emergence of social networks and the virality of memes.  The internet is a platform for participatory media, and there’s an art and a science for engaging in it.

What struck me though was the uncanny similarity between how signals become amplified or suppressed in neurons in the brain, and how memes spread or die on social networks. 

In On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins proposed a model of neural learning based on prediction validation.  The idea is that clusters of neurons are monitoring signals (e.g. a sound frequency) over some period of time from a particular sensory input.  That cluster is also constantly making predictions about what might come next.  Hence, that cluster can be surprised by what comes through.  When a cluster of neuron is surprised, it will let other neurons connected to it know!  What does that mean?

[Warning: overstretched twitter/neuroscience metaphor.]

Let’s say that music unexpectedly comes on.  Your lowest level neuron clusters which was previously anticipating more silence is surprised, and will let other neurons “following” it know.

@auralNeuron85: Unexpected sound! http://your-ears.com/soundSample/ (cc: @auralPatterns)

Now, @auralNeuron85 is a simple, low level neuron. In the next moment its going to expect continuation of the sound, instead of silence. @auralPatterns, however, is a higher level neural cluster, following a whole bunch of low level neurons just like @auralNeuron85, and it begins to look for patterns.

@auralPatterns: @auralNeuron85 Yeah, @auralNeuron72 and @auralNeuron32 tweeted too. Some sort of music. @musicalPatterns @speechPatterns thoughts?

You start to see the signal spreading, because the appropriate parties are connected and “following” one another.  If the sound were just the hum of the air conditioner, @auralPatterns might recognize it and not tweet her followers.  However, since this is so unexpected, the meme continues to spread.

@musicalPatterns: @auralPatterns @auralNeuron85 sounds familiar.  It’s an A - see if the next note is a B?

@speechPatterns: @auralPatterns sounds like the beginning of an “N” sound.  Might be “new” “nerd” or “never” - Keep me posted?

Talking back and forth, your neurons are constantly making predictions, and validating them or discrediting them with each other in real time.

@speechPatterns: We have a word: It’s “Never” - @sentenceParsing what do you think? (cc: @auralPatterns)

@sentenceParsing: @speechPatterns it’s a song right? @musicalPatterns any leads?   My guess next word is “say” or “going.” (cc: @songsDatabase, @auralNeuron85)

@songsDatabase: I think I know what this is @knowyourmemes RT @muscialPatterns A B D B … there’s a song here. (cc: @sentenceParsing)

The different layers of neurons operate a different levels, some with concrete signals, others with abstract concepts, but through their constant chatter they make sense of the world. @knowyourmemes, for example, represents a particular part of your long term memory system dealing with internet memes.

@songsDatabase: @PrefrontalCortex @humour @knowyourmeme you’re not going to like this, or maybe you will. a-b-d-b-E-E-D and “Never going to”

@humour: @PrefrontalCortex Rickroll’d LOL! (cc: @sentenceParsing, @speechPatterns, @knowyourmemes)

@knowyourmemes: @humour Hahahah how come this does not surprise me?

@PrefrontalCortex: Geez guys. Calm down. @motorCortex can we shut that off please?

[End overstretched Twitter/Neuroscience metaphor]

At an organizational level, our brains are highly tuned to surprises.  Whenever a signal is surprising at a certain level, it gets amplified.  Highly surprising signals or patterns activates intense activity, and new neural circuitry are formed to deal with unfamiliar patterns.

Coming out of Kenyatta’s lecture, I can’t help but think how the various social network platforms have come to operate like giant neural networks.  Our social networks are highly tuned to the new, the cool, the surprising.  As we engage in social networks, decide who to follow, we position ourselves in this giant network.  Our position in the network and who we follow determines what kind of information we receive.  On these networks, we learn, we are surprised, and we share what we learn with others.  Ideas and memes are amplified and spread to individuals who are tuned in.

Let’s look at another example. On a site like Reddit, the frontpage is the metaphorical prefrontal cortex of this global brain.  On any given day our “mind” is full of distractions, like cat photos and advice animals - but persistently important issues will surface again and again, because they are amplified by upvotes.  When something really important and threatening comes up, like SOPA and PIPA - the entire neural network really activates, and you see collective action.

This is why we must continue building and protecting our digital public space.  Our collective intelligence depends upon it.