Collective sensemaking is the social and cognitive process by which people work together to gather, share, synthesize, and interpret information during moments of high uncertainty or ambiguity, particularly during crises. Rather than receiving information passively, groups actively construct explanations and theories to make sense of confusing, contradictory, or incomplete evidence. This framework bridges social psychology, organizational communication, and media studies.
Core process
During crisis events or periods of information ambiguity, sensemaking unfolds through:
- Information gathering: Seeking and collecting relevant information from multiple sources
- Evidence interpretation: Using mental frames to select and assign meaning to evidence
- Theory building: Constructing explanations or narratives about what is happening
- Collaborative refinement: Testing theories through discussion, debate, and exposure to new evidence
- Feedback loops: Adjusting frames and theories as new evidence emerges
Key properties
- Frame-dependent: The same evidence leads to different interpretations depending on which cognitive frame someone brings to bear
- Inherently social: Sensemaking happens through discussion, sharing, and collective deliberation
- Productive and destructive: Can generate accurate shared understanding OR conspiracy theories, depending on which frames dominate and which evidence is amplified
- Ambiguity-driven: Flourishes during crises or high-uncertainty moments (natural disasters, political disruptions, pandemics)
- Evidence and interpretation entangled: People don't just select evidence neutrally; their frames shape which evidence they seek, while new evidence can shift which frames they adopt
Relationship to rumors and misinformation
Rumors emerge naturally from collective sensemaking—they are theories, speculations, and interpretations people construct to make sense of uncertain situations. When a dominant frame is wrong or strategically manipulated, the sensemaking process produces misinformation rather than accurate understanding. Conversely, sensemaking can self-correct if multiple frames are tested and evidence is interpreted openly.
Related concepts
- Frame manipulation: Strategic actors (political operatives, influencers, media) deliberately promote frames that serve their interests, steering collective sensemaking toward false conclusions
- Participatory disinformation: Collective sensemaking co-opted by elites and influencers to guide ordinary people toward pre-chosen false narratives
- Crisis informatics: The study of how people use technology to make sense during emergencies
Key works
- nodate-starbird-facts-frames-misinterpretations — Presents collective sensemaking framework applied to rumors, conspiracy theories, and disinformation; emphasizes the role of frames in misinterpretation
- 2022-starbird-unraveling-the-big-lie-participatory — Applies collective sensemaking to 2020 U.S. election disinformation campaign
Related topics
- rumors — outputs of collective sensemaking
- crisis-informatics — using technology during emergencies
- conspiracy-theories — malformed sensemaking anchored on conspiracy frames
- misinformation-spread — propagation of false interpretations
