Additions:
{{nocomments}}
Additions:
""FuturICT"" aims to contribute to "strengthening our societies' adaptiveness, resilience, and sustainability". This phrasing makes clear that ""FuturICT""'s approach is not limited to studying the structure of networks; the properties of networks which are either timeless or based on a 'snapshot' that is taken during a limited time span (see Newman, 2010). A structural property that is related to resilience is the robustness of a network (ibid., pp. 197). The properties of //adaptiveness//, //resilience//, and //sustainability//, in contrast, depend on processes which must be studied over time, and on which scientific progress has been slow (ibid., pp. 591). A conceptual terminology that is highly relevant has been introduced under the name [[ResilienceThinking Resilience Thinking]] (Walker & Salt, 2006), but it is an open challenge to apply these concepts in a formal or mathematical way. Especially the concepts of //regimes//, //thresholds//, and //adaptive cycles// seem relevant in studying adaptation. These terms now also seem to appear (in a simplified form) in conversations about [[InnovationNetworks innovation networks]].
Deletions:
Additions:
For the [[http://olieman.net/docs/GreenApple.pdf final project]] there, I designed a system which could connect stakeholders that deal with food and/or organic waste to increase food security and recycle nutrients. This was only possible by viewing a food system as a social network. My interest is, however, not limited to networking people. For my thesis in Information Studies, I'm currently working on a Linked Data (Bizer, Heath, & Berners-Lee, 2009) model for book lists that will allow social book cataloging applications (e.g. [[http://goodreads.com Goodreads]]) exchange the creations of their users with each other and with library systems. I will gladly expand on these topics if anyone finds them relevant.
Deletions:
Additions:
1) "There are always dense webs of [[Contingency contingency]] in systems of interacting parts." (ibid., pp. 10)
1) "[[LivingSystems Living systems]] are unique [because] they cause their own development and activity." (ibid., pp. 10-11)
1) "[E]mergent phenomena do not occur by magic." We call them [[Emergence emergent]] because we do not sufficiently understand through which processes these phenomena come about. (ibid., pp. 20)
1) "There are many ways to describe any system; many different [[Modeling models]] could describe the same behavior." (ibid., pp. 22)
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of [[MediaEcology Media Ecology]] (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964: //"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Analogous to how human audiences are usually focused on the //content //that reaches them, instead of reflecting on the characteristics of the medium //through which// it reaches them, slight nuances in interactions between ants may be more interesting to them than to someone who's interested in ant colony behavior. But this does not mean that we, as researchers, should be indifferent towards the media through which interactions take place. Each quick brush of two pairs of antennae expresses nuances that we may overlook, but as an interaction, touch is certainly distinct from, for example, chemical cues.
The intention that ""FuturICT"" will not only be used for research, but also to manage, is an even greater cause for concern. Even with the best of intentions in mind during the development and use of ""FuturICT""'s technology, there will be unintended consequences which may range from highly undesirable to surprisingly pleasant. I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sebastian Deterding on this topic (see Video 2), instead of concluding this page in any way (there is no point in concluding a conversation that hasn't started yet).
=====References=====
Bizer, C., Heath, T., & Berners-Lee, T. (2009). Linked Data - The Story So Far. //International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems//. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com/article/linked-data-story-far/37496
Bryant, A. (2008). Information and the CIO. In A. Huizing & E. J. de Vries (Eds.), //Information Management: Setting the Scene// (2nd ed., pp. 57-69). Howard House, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
""FuturICT"" (2012). //""FutureICT"" Flagship Report May 4//. Retrieved from: http://www.futurict.eu/sites/default/files/docs/files/FuturICT%20Flagship%20Report%20May4.pdf
Gordon, D. (2010). //Ant Encounters: Interaction Networks and Colony Behavior//. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
""McLuhan"", M. (2003). The Medium Is the Message. In N. Wardrip-Fruin & N. Montford (Eds.), //The New Media Reader// (pp. 203 – 209). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Newman, M. E. J. (2010). //Networks: An Introduction//. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Pentland, A. (2011). Society’s Nervous System: Building Effective Government, Energy, and Public Health Systems. //Pervasive and Mobile Computing//, 10. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6035838
Rushkoff, D. M. (2012). //Monopoly Moneys: The media environment of corporatism and the player’s way out//. Utrecht University.
Strate, L. (2004). A Media Ecology Review. //Communication Research Trends//, 23(2), 3-48. Retrieved from http://cscc.scu.edu/trends/v23/v23_2.pdf
Verbeek, P.-P. (2011). //De Grens van de Mens//. Rotterdam: Lemniscaat.
Walker, B., & Salt, D. (2006). //Resilience Thinking//. Washington, DC: Island Press.
1) "[[LivingSystems Living systems]] are unique [because] they cause their own development and activity." (ibid., pp. 10-11)
1) "[E]mergent phenomena do not occur by magic." We call them [[Emergence emergent]] because we do not sufficiently understand through which processes these phenomena come about. (ibid., pp. 20)
1) "There are many ways to describe any system; many different [[Modeling models]] could describe the same behavior." (ibid., pp. 22)
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of [[MediaEcology Media Ecology]] (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964: //"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Analogous to how human audiences are usually focused on the //content //that reaches them, instead of reflecting on the characteristics of the medium //through which// it reaches them, slight nuances in interactions between ants may be more interesting to them than to someone who's interested in ant colony behavior. But this does not mean that we, as researchers, should be indifferent towards the media through which interactions take place. Each quick brush of two pairs of antennae expresses nuances that we may overlook, but as an interaction, touch is certainly distinct from, for example, chemical cues.
The intention that ""FuturICT"" will not only be used for research, but also to manage, is an even greater cause for concern. Even with the best of intentions in mind during the development and use of ""FuturICT""'s technology, there will be unintended consequences which may range from highly undesirable to surprisingly pleasant. I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sebastian Deterding on this topic (see Video 2), instead of concluding this page in any way (there is no point in concluding a conversation that hasn't started yet).
=====References=====
Bizer, C., Heath, T., & Berners-Lee, T. (2009). Linked Data - The Story So Far. //International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems//. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com/article/linked-data-story-far/37496
Bryant, A. (2008). Information and the CIO. In A. Huizing & E. J. de Vries (Eds.), //Information Management: Setting the Scene// (2nd ed., pp. 57-69). Howard House, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
""FuturICT"" (2012). //""FutureICT"" Flagship Report May 4//. Retrieved from: http://www.futurict.eu/sites/default/files/docs/files/FuturICT%20Flagship%20Report%20May4.pdf
Gordon, D. (2010). //Ant Encounters: Interaction Networks and Colony Behavior//. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
""McLuhan"", M. (2003). The Medium Is the Message. In N. Wardrip-Fruin & N. Montford (Eds.), //The New Media Reader// (pp. 203 – 209). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Newman, M. E. J. (2010). //Networks: An Introduction//. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Pentland, A. (2011). Society’s Nervous System: Building Effective Government, Energy, and Public Health Systems. //Pervasive and Mobile Computing//, 10. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6035838
Rushkoff, D. M. (2012). //Monopoly Moneys: The media environment of corporatism and the player’s way out//. Utrecht University.
Strate, L. (2004). A Media Ecology Review. //Communication Research Trends//, 23(2), 3-48. Retrieved from http://cscc.scu.edu/trends/v23/v23_2.pdf
Verbeek, P.-P. (2011). //De Grens van de Mens//. Rotterdam: Lemniscaat.
Walker, B., & Salt, D. (2006). //Resilience Thinking//. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Deletions:
1) "Living systems are unique [because] they cause their own development and activity." (ibid., pp. 10-11)
1) "[E]mergent phenomena do not occur by magic." We call them emergent because we do not sufficiently understand through which processes these phenomena come about. (ibid., pp. 20)
1) "There are many ways to describe any system; many different models could describe the same behavior." (ibid., pp. 22)
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964: //"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Analogous to how human audiences are usually focused on the content that reaches them, instead of reflecting on the characteristics of the medium through which it reaches them, slight nuances in interactions between ants may be more interesting to them than to someone who's interested in ant colony behavior. But this does not mean that we, as researchers, should be indifferent towards the media through which interactions take place. Each quick brush of two pairs of antennae expresses nuances that we may overlook, but as an interaction, touch is certainly distinct from chemical cues.
The intention that ""FuturICT""will not only be used for research, but also to manage, is an even greater cause for concern. Even with the best of intentions in mind during the development and use of ""FuturICT""'s technology, there will be unintended consequences which may range from highly undesirable to surprisingly pleasant. Instead of concluding this page in any way (there is no point in concluding a conversation that hasn't started yet), I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sebastian Deterding on this topic.
Additions:
{{vimeo id="29480781" width="622" height="350"}}
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964: //"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
{{video id="h1Yg1rURKR0" width="640" height="390"}}
===Video 2: What your designs say about you. Presentation given at the ""TEDxHogeschoolUtrecht"" conference.===
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964: //"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
{{video id="h1Yg1rURKR0" width="640" height="390"}}
===Video 2: What your designs say about you. Presentation given at the ""TEDxHogeschoolUtrecht"" conference.===
Deletions:
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964://"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Additions:
===Video 1: A basic introduction of the ""FuturICT"" project.===
Gordon's remark about 'the message' has a special relevance to me, as someone involved in information studies. She expresses an understanding of the limits of the mathematical model of communication that has been so successful in engineering disciplines. This model, that was proposed by the engineer Claude Shannon (reproduced in Figure 1), suffers from the use of 'the conduit metaphor' of communication (Bryant, 2008). The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conduit_metaphor conduit metaphor]] is misleading and misconceived for its focus on "signal", but is unfortunately also widespread and influential (ibid., pp. 63).
{{image class="center" url="/uploads/ShannonCommunication.png" title="Claude Shannon's model of communication." alt="Claude Shannon's model of communication. Adapted from Bryant (2008, pp. 62)."}}
===Figure 1: Claude Shannon's model of communication. Adapted from Bryant (2008, pp. 62).===
As seems conventional in network science, Gordon takes the stance that it is more important to focus on the pattern of interactions than on what might be communicated between two agents. I wouldn't say that this is incorrect, but it still omits a very important aspect of communication: //media//. Real-world networks (as opposed to theoretical examples) require a medium for the vertices between the nodes to exist in. My, perhaps provocative, way of thinking abstractly about this, is that adaptation must take place through this medium.
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964://"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Analogous to how human audiences are usually focused on the content that reaches them, instead of reflecting on the characteristics of the medium through which it reaches them, slight nuances in interactions between ants may be more interesting to them than to someone who's interested in ant colony behavior. But this does not mean that we, as researchers, should be indifferent towards the media through which interactions take place. Each quick brush of two pairs of antennae expresses nuances that we may overlook, but as an interaction, touch is certainly distinct from chemical cues.
=====Adaptation Is Mediated=====
We may just as well talk about 'types of interactions' instead of media; what matters is that each medium introduces its own biases into the interactions that take place through it. Chemical cues, for instance, are biased towards asynchronous interactions. One ant puts down a pheromone trail at one time, and only at a later time do other ants respond to these molecules. This bias is certainly not unique to ants, and in the human world is found in most writings and for example streaming video. These conceptual analogs of media between different domains might be useful to create new hypotheses with which to look at empirical data about interactions. The current approach to network science leans heavily towards mathematical abstractions (e.g. of adaptation), and I think that Media Ecology can form a bridge towards more qualitative abstract work on networks.
One researcher in particular has produced groundbreaking results on interaction networks in humans. MIT Professor Alex Pentland, who also advises the ""FuturICT"" Consortium, studies people in a way that is very similar to how Deborah Gordon studies ants. He has had to make the same decisions as Gordon in deciding what to measure: "In our experiments mapping corporation information flows we typically find that the //pattern //of information transfer - face-to-face, email, etc., independent of the //content //of the information - accounts for almost half of the performance variation within a corporation. [...] In short, we now have the capacity to collect and analyze data about people with a breadth and depth that was previously inconceivable." (Pentland, 2011).
I expect that most people would be severely disturbed if they would understand this research, and its use in ""FuturICT"", to its full extent. At the least it is a very novel approach to understanding the collective behavior of communities and societies by gathering enormous amounts of data about individuals. We should not forget that any understanding of networks that we gain through new technologies, such as used in ""FuturICT"", is mediated in some way, and that this introduces biases into our understanding that we will only uncover much later (see Verbeek, 2011). Actually, a recent turn in the philosophy of technology suggests that all [[TechnologicalMedia technologies are media]], and that they are morally 'charged'.
The intention that ""FuturICT""will not only be used for research, but also to manage, is an even greater cause for concern. Even with the best of intentions in mind during the development and use of ""FuturICT""'s technology, there will be unintended consequences which may range from highly undesirable to surprisingly pleasant. Instead of concluding this page in any way (there is no point in concluding a conversation that hasn't started yet), I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sebastian Deterding on this topic.
Gordon's remark about 'the message' has a special relevance to me, as someone involved in information studies. She expresses an understanding of the limits of the mathematical model of communication that has been so successful in engineering disciplines. This model, that was proposed by the engineer Claude Shannon (reproduced in Figure 1), suffers from the use of 'the conduit metaphor' of communication (Bryant, 2008). The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conduit_metaphor conduit metaphor]] is misleading and misconceived for its focus on "signal", but is unfortunately also widespread and influential (ibid., pp. 63).
{{image class="center" url="/uploads/ShannonCommunication.png" title="Claude Shannon's model of communication." alt="Claude Shannon's model of communication. Adapted from Bryant (2008, pp. 62)."}}
===Figure 1: Claude Shannon's model of communication. Adapted from Bryant (2008, pp. 62).===
As seems conventional in network science, Gordon takes the stance that it is more important to focus on the pattern of interactions than on what might be communicated between two agents. I wouldn't say that this is incorrect, but it still omits a very important aspect of communication: //media//. Real-world networks (as opposed to theoretical examples) require a medium for the vertices between the nodes to exist in. My, perhaps provocative, way of thinking abstractly about this, is that adaptation must take place through this medium.
The stance that comes forth from this way of thinking, is that if we fail to acknowledge the potential role of media theory in networks, we might simplify the mathematical work, but will simultaneously close ourselves off from opportunities to study adaptation in networks qualitatively. The specific type of media theory that seems relevant to networks is that of Media Ecology (Strate, 2004). This scholarly field originates with a remark by Marshall ""McLuhan"", that was originally published in 1964://"The Medium Is the Message"// (""McLuhan"", 2003). Media should, in this sense, be regarded as a broader concept than just 'communications media'. In his recent dissertation, Douglas Rushkoff has even treated corporations and currencies as media (Rushkoff, 2012), with interesting results.
Analogous to how human audiences are usually focused on the content that reaches them, instead of reflecting on the characteristics of the medium through which it reaches them, slight nuances in interactions between ants may be more interesting to them than to someone who's interested in ant colony behavior. But this does not mean that we, as researchers, should be indifferent towards the media through which interactions take place. Each quick brush of two pairs of antennae expresses nuances that we may overlook, but as an interaction, touch is certainly distinct from chemical cues.
=====Adaptation Is Mediated=====
We may just as well talk about 'types of interactions' instead of media; what matters is that each medium introduces its own biases into the interactions that take place through it. Chemical cues, for instance, are biased towards asynchronous interactions. One ant puts down a pheromone trail at one time, and only at a later time do other ants respond to these molecules. This bias is certainly not unique to ants, and in the human world is found in most writings and for example streaming video. These conceptual analogs of media between different domains might be useful to create new hypotheses with which to look at empirical data about interactions. The current approach to network science leans heavily towards mathematical abstractions (e.g. of adaptation), and I think that Media Ecology can form a bridge towards more qualitative abstract work on networks.
One researcher in particular has produced groundbreaking results on interaction networks in humans. MIT Professor Alex Pentland, who also advises the ""FuturICT"" Consortium, studies people in a way that is very similar to how Deborah Gordon studies ants. He has had to make the same decisions as Gordon in deciding what to measure: "In our experiments mapping corporation information flows we typically find that the //pattern //of information transfer - face-to-face, email, etc., independent of the //content //of the information - accounts for almost half of the performance variation within a corporation. [...] In short, we now have the capacity to collect and analyze data about people with a breadth and depth that was previously inconceivable." (Pentland, 2011).
I expect that most people would be severely disturbed if they would understand this research, and its use in ""FuturICT"", to its full extent. At the least it is a very novel approach to understanding the collective behavior of communities and societies by gathering enormous amounts of data about individuals. We should not forget that any understanding of networks that we gain through new technologies, such as used in ""FuturICT"", is mediated in some way, and that this introduces biases into our understanding that we will only uncover much later (see Verbeek, 2011). Actually, a recent turn in the philosophy of technology suggests that all [[TechnologicalMedia technologies are media]], and that they are morally 'charged'.
The intention that ""FuturICT""will not only be used for research, but also to manage, is an even greater cause for concern. Even with the best of intentions in mind during the development and use of ""FuturICT""'s technology, there will be unintended consequences which may range from highly undesirable to surprisingly pleasant. Instead of concluding this page in any way (there is no point in concluding a conversation that hasn't started yet), I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sebastian Deterding on this topic.
Deletions:
Gordon's remark about 'the message' has a special relevance to me, as someone involved in information studies. She expresses an understanding of the limits of the mathematical model of communication that has been so successful in engineering disciplines. This model, that was proposed by the engineer Claude Shannon (reproduced in Figure 1), suffers from the use of 'the conduit metaphor' of communication (Bryant, 2008). The [w:conduit metaphor] is misleading and misconceived for its focus on "signal", but is unfortunately also widespread and influential (ibid., pp. 63).
