#FAIL: Black boxes, open-source, and the collaborative futures of the internet

#FAIL: What we learn from failed tech projects
Alison Powell, London School of Economics
a.powell@lse.ac.uk
Twitter: @postdocal
http://www.alisonpowell.ca

'Failure' and 'Success' in citizen technology projects
Defining Failure
Systemic vs Partial Failure
Transparent vs Opaque Failure
Stated vs Unstated Goals
Policy contributions of 'failed' networks
New taxonomy?

The Vision of the Open Internet
“Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.”
Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace, John Perry Barlow

The Reality of the Black Box

Community Wireless Networks (2000-2008)

Great Expectations:
Some Frameworks for citizen technology projects
Citizen Engagement
Empowerment
Participation
Alternative Technology
Policy Challenge/Governance
Enterprise and business

Types of Failure
Systemic vs Partial Failure (Heeks, 2005)
Easier to understand systemic failure
Partial failure requires recognition of subjectivityTransparent Failure (Kuhn, 1963)
Contributes to future learning or progress
Includes planned obsolescence
Generative vs disruptiveOpaque Failure
Unclear what has failed or how
Perhaps the result of undeclared goals at odds with policy/legal frames

CWN Policy Expectations
Innovation Policy
CWNs can model demand for broadband
CWNs can create new organizational formsSocial Policy
CWNs can bridge the digital divideCommunication Policy
CWNs can create P2P alternatives (mesh networks)

Community Typology of Network Types
commerce net: develops new services or business models
culture net:showcases art, culture and community or is viewed as an artistic project
demo net: demonstrates proof of concept of a technology or mode of organization
equiNet: promotes community wireless as a means of addressing the digital divide
political-Net: draws attention to political issues and the politics of access to communications
picnic net: brings together a social group

Some notable failures
Political Nets (Berlin and Portland, OR)
CWN in Berlin built mesh network to highlight redlining of East Berlin. Network functions poorly
In Portland, CWN replaced by corporate network. Community monitored commercial network's performanceEqui-Nets (France, various)
Replaced by commercial networks
Drove campaign for public access to spectrumPicnic-Nets (Serbia and Athens)
Significant innovation – often illegal
Social relations more important than technical innovation

Today's project: a new taxonomy of failures

Redefining Failure
Policy (and law) posit transparent relations between goals and outcomes
Yet legally marginal actions have outcomes of public benefit
So too do 'failed' projects
Is it possible to develop policy to encourage unstated goals?

Learning from Failure
Design methods
Iteration
Effective use
Critique of power
Context

#FAIL: Black boxes, open-source, and the collaborative futures of the internet

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#FAIL: Black boxes, open-source, and the collaborative futures of the internet Presentation Transcript