The conversations that surround social media and data mining generally focus on how organizations gather information on consumers. In this model, consumers are considered at the bottom of a top down power hierarchy. However, social media allows for this power structure to be turned around.
I read an article this week about how the FCC plans to release a "Speed Test App" the crowdsources mobile users to report on data speeds to measure the extent to which wireless providers are able to deliver on their data speed claims.
There still seems to be some skepticism on the app's ability to accurately measure actual data speed delivery, but the larger picture is an illustration on how crowdsourcing via social media can democratize the power of data mining. In this example, consumers have a very real ability to monitor and hold organizations to the services they promise. As a result, organizations are forced to operate more transparently. As transparency necessitates communication, a two-way relationship in formed reinforcing the democratization process.
While this power cycle may be a somewhat utopian vision of social media's affect on the relationship between organizations and publics, it is a very real demonstration on how social media technology can drive the process of democratization.
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