Hi Harold:
I'm totally with you on the basic mechanism here. I do believe that trust is vital for social networks to thrive and when it is present, networked learning increases trust. I think the real lynchpin is in the information allowed into the system and the social validity that information can achieve. Unfortunately, we can see a negative version of that being played out here in America. If you can subvert or at least call into doubt information - say, it was Ukraine, not Russia who tampered with US elections - and you have enough of the social network that will repeat this information as being true, you can subvert the network effect that normally would hone down falsehoods to leave the truth standing free.

You are right in praising the social network for honing down he falsehoods China was building to hide the epidemic, but it's also clear that it was close to succeeding if it weren't for Doctor Li's death. Social networks can give credence to falsehoods and erode trust.

Social networks enable knowledge-sharing but don't guarantee that the knowledge shared is truthful. Healthy social networks with authentic, service-oriented leaders; that welcome dissent and questioning of current knowledge; and are open to change will tend to weed out falsehoods, build trust in the network and its members, and provide knowledge that can be trusted to the point other networks may test it and revise it.

But there are social networks whose leaders are self-serving; whose members fail to question "known" knowledge - either out of convenience or by coercion; and are resistant to change what they hold to be true. These networks will seldom issue information that is "true" but with propaganda, diffusion, and bluster to cover the fact that they haven't vetted this information against all other information they put on a charade of network behavior that seems to generate truth.

I guess what I'm saying is that your model holds well with the assumption of health social networks. What it doesn't address is when the system has been corrupted and unhealthy social networks begin to change the equation. The challenge is how can we stem the influence of unhealthy social networks - without trampling on their rights to believe what they believe.

Thanks for your wisdom on this important aspect of networks and how they can drive us forward.

Dave