Lemming
A research project studying collective behavior, social dynamics, and decision-making—with a mini-game.
Lemming explores why we follow, when to lead, and how to diverge. Reserved for social dynamics research and decision-making tools.
The Concept
We’re all lemmings sometimes. We follow trends, adopt opinions, make choices based on what others are doing. Sometimes that’s wisdom of the crowd. Sometimes it’s the blind leading the blind off a cliff.
(The real lemmings don’t actually do that, by the way. That was Disney staging fake footage in the 1950s. But the metaphor persists.)
The site explores these dynamics through interactive demonstrations and a mini-game that lets you experience collective behavior principles firsthand.
Themes
The project touches on several interconnected ideas:
- Collective behavior and herd mentality - When does following the crowd make sense?
- Decision-making under uncertainty - How do we choose when we don’t have complete information?
- When conformity helps vs. when it harms - Social proof can be efficient or catastrophic
- The value of independent thinking - And why it’s harder than it sounds
The Mini-Game
The interactive component demonstrates how individual decisions aggregate into collective outcomes. Make choices, see how others chose, and watch the dynamics unfold.
The goal isn’t to preach independent thinking—sometimes following is correct. The goal is to make the tradeoffs visible so you can make more conscious decisions about when to conform and when to diverge.
Why This Matters
In an age of viral content, algorithmic recommendations, and social media echo chambers, understanding collective behavior isn’t just academic. The same dynamics that help us find good restaurants can also spread misinformation or create market bubbles.
The domain lemming.ca was available. Sometimes that’s all the reason you need to start a project.