Michalis Vafopoulos: Initial thoughts about existence in the Web

Initial thoughtsabout existence in the Web Philoweb 2011 Thessaloniki, 5/10/2011 Michalis Vafopoulos vafopoulos.org

PrefaceWeb needs science & philosophyScience should “pay back” the WebThis Not a philosopher’s approach 2

Main issuesDiscussing existence in the Web through asimple framework• more complex reality• Web-centric abstractions• Linking, virtualization• networks, URI(work in progress, few things fixed, comments arewelcome) 3

Outline① The easy part: criticism② The hard part: build concepts & models③ The Being-Query framework: network inside!④ Introducing the Web: Web Beings⑤ The Being – Query framework expanded⑥ How can this framework be useful? – Understand & compare diverse models – Expand existing & create new concepts – Initiate interesting questions 4

The easy part: criticism“Web …resource”• economic and ecological connotations – human, natural, renewable etc. – land, labor, and capital – 12 appearances in Economics classification (JEL) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource not a single word about Internet or Webthing”• Not descriptive, too general, multiple meanings 5

The hard part: build conceptsStep 1: definition & assumptions• A Being exists if and only if there is a communication channel linking to it. (possible update based on HH)• A Query is the phrasing of a question by a Being, usually in terms of a code. The questions are messages expressed as sequences of symbols in the query language. Beings have Queries that address them to other Beings.up to now: an abstract model that could be described bya weighted network of Beings (not very useful!) 6

… and modelsStep 2: building the framework• Users, are Beings that can “consciously” form Queries.• Queries are organized in Topics (tractable and processable). Querie Topics s Users Beings 7

The Being-Query framework: network inside!A quad network:contraction of 4 interconnected networks Querie Topics s Users Beings 8

Introducing the Web: Web BeingsBeings that can be communicated through theWeb. URI: The minimal description of invariant elements in communication through the Web. Directly connected to existence (birth, access, navigate, edit & death of a Web being) Other characteristics of Web beings may change in time. A change in URI means the death of existing & birth of a new WB. 9

The Being – Query framework expanded“Teleportation”, Search Engines, relevancefeedback, …Search Engine: get as inputs Queries and producecollections of Web beings Queries Topics Web Queries Search engine Users “teleportation” Beings Web Web Users Beings 10

How can this framework be useful?Networks facilitate understanding, measuring,modeling, comparing, deciding & forming policywhen connections matter and today mattermore than ever…A. Understand & compare existing modelsB. Expand existing & create new conceptsC. Initiate interesting questions 11

A. Understand & compare existing models① Computer science [e.g. User models, TF (single: Web)]② Network science [e.g. Barabasi (single: Web)]③ Economic modeling (e.g.) – Stegeman (dual: Users-Web) – Papadimitriou et al (triad: Users-Queries, Topics, Web) – Katona-Sarvary (triad: Navigators-Users, Editors- Web, Topics) – Not yet published (quad-network models)Possible extensions in DSS, ERP, Bus. Intelligence 12

B. Expand existing & create new concepts• Existing: e.g. Digital economy, ICT4D, internet of things,…• New: e.g. Web goodsWeb beings with economic valueWeb UsersWeb economy 13

Web Users and economy 14

C. Initiate interesting questionsIncorporates directly the relation and co-evolution between online and physical world• What is the quality & quantity of this relation?• Rethink influential concepts under the proposed framework:Embodiment, artifactualization, networkindividualism, privatised spaces and peerproduction. 15

Thank you! ?Michalis Vafopoulos vafopoulos.org 16

Supplement 17

Web Science Subject Categorization A. General B. Web History and Methodology C. Web Technologies D. Web Analysis E. Web Society http://webscience.org/2010/wssc.html 18

Web economy 19

Web users 20

Michalis Vafopoulos: Initial thoughts about existence in the Web

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Michalis Vafopoulos: Initial thoughts about existence in the Web — Presentation Transcript