Looking to the crowd for knowledge isn’t a new concept. The Sydney Opera House was the result of an open call for designs to a global community (to which 233 people submitted ideas) and the now-iconic building was selected from amongst them. Margarine was the answer to an open call for a butter alternative when Louis Napoleon III faced a butter shortage and looked to his citizens for a solution. And, of course, democracy is a long-held tradition of asking the public to weigh in on important decisions and representatives. These are just a few examples.
