Plebocracy Bias

Abstract

Post-truth. Information bubbles. Echo chamber. Confirmation bias. We’ve all heard a lot about these phenomena recently, but they’re not new. Opinion, regardless of whether it’s founded on fact, has always influenced apparently impartial decision-makers, often unfairly disadvantaging individuals and organisations. We explore the failings of traditional and contemporary reputation systems and why platforms have created so many opportunities for bias, together with the fundamentals of human psychology and globalisation that have created the conditions for this to happen. We present some of the results and responses to this and an outline of how the challenges can be addressed with new approaches to reputation.