Hive Mind
Collective Consciousness · Group Mind
Group intelligence that emerges from the collective efforts of individuals and reflects a collective intelligence. Commonly seen in sociology, political science, biology, and technology.
Origin
Science fiction writer James H. Schmitz coined the term in his 1950 short story "Second Night of Summer," published in Galaxy Science Fiction. Though HJ Wadey had referenced the hive mind of bees in Bee World magazine in 1944, Schmitz popularized the metaphor for collective intelligence. The term relates to French sociologist Émile Durkheim's "collective consciousness" from his 1893 The Division of Labour in Society. Kevin Kelly's 1992 book Out of Control further popularized "hive mind" as a metaphor for networked intelligence.