Forum Post: Why Occupy Wall Street Could Go The Way Of Justin Bieber.........

What does OWS have in common with Justin Bieber? Well, in many ways, this movement is modeled along similar lines as the internet. It is leaderless, faceless, outsourced, and....most important....lacking a filter for it's ideas.

Google made the web navigable, but it did not remove the great excess of irrelevant information that tends pollute desired knowledge.

You see, in the age of the internet, we are all somewhat equal and anonymous. A blogger can compete on par with a veteran reporter from the New York Times. While, at first glance, this may not seem so bad.....it has been disastrous for our society in terms of public discourse.

That doesn't seem clear? Maybe this will help.....WHY DOES ROCK MUSIC TODAY SUCK SO BAD? The answer, is the internet.

In the old days, kids actually had hobbies and many played instruments. These kids reached puberty, got horny, and decided that being in a rock band might make life a little better. These local bands played gigs....the best performers sought out the other best performers....a new band was formed....they rehearsed and rehearsed.....got noticed....bigger gigs....and then they went on to their big break. An album was cut.....it got played.....people bought more.....the guys got rich (and laid).....and this encouraged all those pups in the lower rungs to keep trying.

So, the reason ROCK SUCKS today is that there is no base of talent, there is no filtering of this talent, and online sharing decimated the financial and sexual carrots which inspired many of these guys.

In decision theory, filters are referred to in terms of a signal / noise relationship. With the internet, and your movement, it can be very difficult for people to find the best information and to build upon it. There is simply too much noise.....and too many people not smart enough to tell the difference.

This faceless, directionless, amorphous, and leaderless group has, then, what I would term "The Internet Problem." The world is at your fingertips, on your screen, but you cannot find it because there is simply too much noise and too little filtering of thought.

Forty years ago, a movement like this would have had a number of prominent speakers. You would have coalesced around objectives, and some set of plans would be laid. Those who seemed knowledgeable would be asked to run for necessary posts. A vote would be held. The cause solidified and responsible spokespersons gave a face to the movement's viability. The objectives found traction and the ideas spread. Soon, your little movement could change the world.

What we've lost in America and in OWS is a filter....one that breeds talent, inherently sorts and promotes expertise, and one that rewards its participants for their efforts. What we are left with is the death of the American experiment in meritocracy and a lot of NOISE.

A plan to have no plan is not a plan. A leaderless movement becomes, over time, just a group of anarchists waiting for a spark to do bad things. You should avoid this trap now.

My advice....Each Occupy group should immediately vote five member advisory committees. These five will then begin meetings where the issues facing each group are discussed, speakers and objectives are set, and tactics are devised. All major decisions should, of course, be given a general vote (most importantly, a code of conduct should be decided upon and circulated to all participants immediately). Liaisons to the press, to labor, to sympathetic politicians, to consumer advocacy groups, to church groups, and etc. should develop and.......using a filter.....you might have a chance at actually doing some good.

Otherwise, you are just a Justin Bieber with 15 minutes of fame. You will become martyrs and an echo in the noise or history.