huiyuk and harryhalpin final collectiveindividuation

7/28/2019 HuiYuk and HarryHalpin FINAL CollectiveIndividuation

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CollectiveIndividuation:TheFutureoftheSocialWeb

YukHuiandHarryHalpin

Weareintheepochofnetworks.Theworldisnowrapidlybeingperceivedasavast

spaceofinterlockingnetworksofseeminglyinfinitevariety:biological,productive,cybernetic,andmostimportantlyofallsocial.Theimageofthenetwork,withitsobviousbiastowardsvision,hasbecometheparadigmaticrepresentationof

understandingourpresenttechnologicalsocietyasaholisticentitythatwould

otherwiseescapeourcognitivegrasp.Yetnoimageisideologicallyneutral,forthe

imageofthenetworkisalsoamediationbetweenthesubjectandobjectthatinscribes

orpre-programsacertainconceptualapparatusontotheworld,namelythatof

nodesandlinks(oringraph-theoreticterms,verticesandedges).Thisisnotwithout

consequences:duetoitsgraspoverourimagination,thenetworkconstitutesthe

horizonofpossibleinvention,asSimondonshowedinImaginationetInvention.1Yet

wheredidtheconceptofthenetworkitselfcomefrom?DespitethehyperboleoverthedominanceofdigitalsocialnetworkslikeFacebook,theconceptofthequantifiedsocial

networkpre-datesdigitalsocialnetworks,originatingfromtheworkofthepsychologist

Morenointhelate1930s,andwearguethatwhattheadventofthedigitalcomputer

hasdonehasprimarilybeentheaccelerationofthepre-digitalconceptualapparatusof

networks.Althoughnoonecandenyitsnowglobalinfluence,thefundamentally

ontologicalpresumptionsofthesocialnetworkhasyettobeexploreddespiteits

presentpreponderance.ToborrowsometermsfromBernardStiegler,howdoesthe

whatofFacebookconstituteourwho?2

TheIndustrializationofSocialRelations

J.L.Moreno(1889-1974),psychologistandfounderofsociometrywasoneofthefirst

sociologiststodemonstratethevalueofgraph-theoreticapproachestosocial

relationships.TheworkofMorenointhelate1930sand1940sdescendsdirectlyfrom

psychology,historicallyprecedingbothcyberneticsandtheinternet.Themost-often

quotedexampleisMorenosworkattheNewYorkStateTrainingSchoolforGirls

Hudsonwheretherunawayrateofthegirlswas14timesmorethanthenorm.Moreno

identifieditasaconsequenceoftheparticularnetworkofsocialrelationshipsamongst

thegirlsintheschool,andhefollowedbycreatingasimplesociologicalsurveytohelp

himmapthenetworkwhatheconsideredasociogram,whichisnothingotherthanthefamiliarmappingofpersonstonodesandrelationshipstolinks.Thesurveyconsists

ofsimplequestionssuchasWhodoyouwanttositnextto?Morenofoundfromthe

1GilbertSimondon,ImaginationetInvention,Chatou:EditionsdelaTransparence,2008.

2BernardStiegler,Who?What?TheInventionoftheHuman,inBernardStiegler,TechnicsandTime,1:TheFaultofEpimetheus,trans.RichardBeardsworthandGeorgeCollins,PaloAlto,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1998,pp.134-180.


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mapthattheactualallocationplanofthegirlsindifferentdormitoriescreatedconflicts;

hethenusedthesamemodeltoproposeanotherallocationplanthatsuccessfully

reducedthenumberofrunaways.Thisbeliefintherepresentationofsocialrelationsby

chartingpromptedMorenotowritethatasthepatternofthesocialuniverseisnot

visibletous,itismadevisiblethroughcharting.Thereforethesociometricchartisthe

moreusefulthemoreaccuratelyandrealisticallyitportraystherelationsdiscovered.3

ToMoreno,thechartingofsocialrelationshipswasnolongeramererepresentationof

socialrelationships,andalsothatthesemapsofsocialrelationshipscouldre-engineer

sociallife,dubbedbyMorenoasanewkindofsocialplanningthatwouldreorganize

organicsocialrelationshipswiththehelpofpre-plannedandtechnologically-embodied

socialnetworks.Alreadyin1941,Morenohadproposedthatthesuperimpositionof

technicalsocialnetworksuponpre-existingsocialnetworksproducesasituationthat

takessocietyunawareandremovesitmoreandmorefromhumancontrol.4Thislossof

controliscurrentlythecentralproblemofthetechnicalsocialnetworks,andinorderto

addressthisphenomenon,weproposetoquestionsomeoftheontological

presuppositionsthathavebeenhiddeninthehistoricaldevelopmentofsocialnetwork

analysis.

Despitetheirexplicitmappingofsocialrelationships,socialnetworkinganalysisis

actuallyanextremeexpressionofsocialatomism.Thispropositionhastobeunderstood

sociologicallyandphilosophically:thepresuppositionofthesocialnetworkisthat

individualsconstitutethenetwork,andhenceindividualswhichintraditionalsociology

tendtobehumanindividualsalthoughtheycouldalsobeotherfullyindividuatedactors

suchasanimalsornationstatesarethebasicunchangingunitsofthesocialnetwork.

Ifthereisanycollectivityatall,itisconsideredprimarilyasthesumoftheindividuals

andtheirsocialrelationshipsasrepresentativebythemapofthequantifiedsocial

graph,whichgivesmathematicalprecisiontotheconceptsofsocialnetworks.Thisviewisatoddswithwhathasbeenwidelyunderstoodinanthropology:namelythatasociety,

community,orsomeothercollectivityexistbeyondthemeresumofindividualsand

theirrelationships,andaredeeplyembeddedintheirtechnical,historical,andeven

zoologicalworld.Itcanbenotedthatthedevelopmentofcollectiveshashistorically

existedintheformoffamilies,clans,tribes,andsoon,andevenpre-datesthenotionof

theautonomousindividual.

Atthesametime,thecombinationofthesocialandthenetworkalsoreactivatesthe

spiritofindustrialization,whichcanbetracedbackfarbeforeMorenotothe19th

centuryFrenchsocialistphilosopherHenrideSaint-Simon.PierreMussoshowedthatSaint-Simonwasthefirstphilosopherwhofullyconceptualizedtheideaofnetworksvia

hisunderstandingofphysiology,whichSaint-Simonthenusedtoanalyzevastlydifferent

3J.L.Moreno,WhoShallSurvive?FoundationsofSociometry,GroupPsychotherapyandSociodrama,New

York:BeaconHouse,1978,p.95.4J.L.Moreno,FoundationsofSociometry:AnIntroductioninSociometry,AmericanSociologicalAssociation 4.1(February,1941):15-35.


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domains,albeitmoreimaginativelyandnotinthemathematicaltermsdonelaterby

Moreno.Saint-Simonindeedenvisionednetworksforcommunication,transportation,

andthelike,holdingtheideaofanetworkasbothhisprimaryconceptandtoolfor

socialtransformation.Saint-Simonbelievedthatthroughindustrialization,itwouldbe

possibletocreateasocialiststatebyreallocatingwealthandresourcesfromtherichto

thepooraswellasfromthetalentedtothelesstalentedviaasystemofnetworks,likeanorganismattainsitsinnerequilibriumbyunblockingallthecirculations.

5

TodayweknowfromhistorythatSaint-Simonssociologywasblindtothequestionsof

politicaleconomy(andthus,inevitably,thequestionofclass)thatwaslateranalyzedby

KarlMarxinDasKapital.6However,therestillappearstobeahintofliberationinthespreadofdigitalsocialnetworking,asitseemsthatthefrictionlessmediationof

networksalsoreleasestheimaginationofanewkindofdemocraticsociety.By

frictionlesswemeantheconceptualizationofamoreflattenedsocialstructurethat

letspreviouslyisolatedcomponentsofsocietyengagewitheachotherevenona

globallevel.ThisphenomenonhasbeencharacterizedbysloganssuchasHereComes

Everybody;onecanuseFacebookandothersocialtools,suchasTwitter,to

autonomouslyorganizeevents,movements,andevenrevolutions.ForMoreno,the

sociometricrevolutionnevergetsridofitsownshadow.

Thegraphicalportrayalofsocialnetworksasnodesandlinksreinforcesthe

philosophicalassumptionthatsocialrelationsalwaysexistinareifiedmanneraslinks

betweenoneatomicunitandanother.Onecanimaginethattheimageofasocial

networkasmerelylinesbetweendotsconstrainsthehorizonofinnovation,assucha

primitiveimagecannotunderstandhowtographicallyrepresentanycollectivitybeyond

theindividualasprimary,andinsteadalwaystakesanycollectivityasaconsequenceor

byproductofthemapofinterconnectedatoms.Seeingeachindividualasasocialatomalreadyimpliesanextremeformofindividualismthatintrinsicallydismissestheposition

ofcollectivity.

SocialnetworkingsiteslikeFacebookstaywithinthisparadigmbyprovidingonlydigital

representationsofsocialrelationsthatoftenpre-existinsomerichersocialspace,and

allowsnewassociationsbasedprimarilyondifferentdiscoveryalgorithmstoemerge.

YethowmanygenuinelynewfriendshasonemetthroughFacebookwithoutfirst

meetingineitheranothernon-digitalordigitalrealm?Asthese,asAdornomightputit,

non-identical(dasNichtidentische)socialrelationshipsareflattenedintotheidentical

spaceoffriend,Facebooksveryexistencerelieslargelyonthepresuppositionofindividualism,astheprimaryunitinFacebookisalwaystheindividualsFacebook

profile.7Thus,thenodesonFacebookbeganfirstaspeoplewhoseonlyrelationship

5PierreMusso,Auxoriginesduconceptmoderne:corpsetrseaudanslaphilosophiedeSaintSimon,

Quaderni3(Hiver87/88):11-29.6KarlMarx,Capital:Volume1:ACritiqueofPoliticalEconomy, trans.BenFowkes,NewYork:Penguin

Classics,1992(1867).7TheodorAdorno,NegativeDialectics ,trans.E.B.Ashton,NewYork:SeaburyPress,1973(1966).


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couldbefriends.Morerecently,certainlinearmodificationsofFacebook'sconceptof

friendshiphavebifurcatedintoothercategoriessuchasclosefriendoracquaintance

(althoughconceptssuchashostileandenemyareofcourseforbiddenexcepton

satiricalsocialnetworkingsitessuchasHatebook8).Facebookhasrecentlysubsumed

newtypesofobjects,suchasplacesandbrands,asnodesintheirnetwork,thistime

connectedbylikerelationships.

Despitetheiroptimizationforgatheringmarketingdataonatomizedindividuals,one

cannotdenythatthesedigitalsocialnetworksareabletobringpeopletogetherand

formgroupswhoseactivityrangesbeyondshoppingtospreadingcensorednewsand

evenpoliticalprotest.Yetwehavetobecarefultopraisesocialnetworkingplatforms

likeTwitter.

Whenusersareconsideredassocialatomssuperimposedontoatechnologicalnetwork,

thespontaneityandinnovationwithintheirpossiblecollectiveintelligenceisdeformed

bythecontrolofthenetworks,drivenasitisbyintensivemarketingandconsumerism

aimedatindividualsratherthanthedevelopmentofthepotentialofthegroup.Within

thesocialnetwork,theindividualsubjectisanatomandsubjectivationbecomesan

engineeringprocessunderintensivemonitoringandcontrol.Thus,socialnetworking

wouldbeconsideredbytheoristslikeFranoisPerrouxasasourceofanewformof

alienationviadenialofcollectivity.9Thereisnoformationofagroupconditionedbya

commonprojectthatdesignatesaninvestmentofattention,libidinalenergy,andtime.

WhathappenstodayonFacebook,Twitter,andthelike,isthereverse,whichinspiteof

beingthevirtualhomeofatrulymassiveensembleofhumans,neverformacollective

projectofbeing-together.Inanalmostcruelmockeryofbeingtogether,thetimeand

theattentionofeachsocialatomischoppedintosmallerpiecesanddispersedonsocial

networksbystatusupdates,interactions,advertisements,andthelike.BernardStieglerwouldholdthattheseconstructedsocialatomsarenotactuallyindividuals,but

disindividuals,astheyseemtohavelosttheirabilitytoactoutexceptwithinthe

apparatusofanatomisticsocialnetwork,whosesocialreproductionisguaranteedbyits

peculiartechnicalform.10

DecentralizationandtheSocialWeb

8See,http://www.hatebook.org/.

9TheFrencheconomistFranoisPerrouxtookupthequestionofindustryandsocialtransformationfrom

Saint-Simonanddevelopedavisionofcollectivecreationinwhichhumansandmachinesactoneach

other,andthroughthestandardizationofobjects,humanbeingscanrenewtheirlifestyle,andproducea

systemofautocollectivecreation.NotablyPerrouxwasalsoinfluencedbyJosephSchumpeter,

especiallytheconceptofcreativedestruction.FranoisPerroux,Industrieetcrationcollective,tomeI:Saint-simonismeduXXesicleetcrationcollective ,Paris:PressUniversitairedeFrance,1964.10

BernardStiegler,tatsdechoc:BtiseetsavoirauXXIeSicle ,Paris:Fayard/MilleetuneNuit,2012.


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IfFacebook,asthepredominantexampleofacentralizeddigitalsocialnetworking

platform,istobeconsideredtheapexoftheindustrializationofsocialrelationships,can

usersescapetheirreductiontosocialatomsbysimplydecentralizingFacebook?Indeed,

itisthissimplisticresponsetotheproblemofsocialnetworkingthathasbeentakenon

bymosthackers,rangingfromwell-knownDiaspora*tomoresuccessfulprojectsbuilt

onstandardsforopensocialnetworkinglikeStatus.Net.However,thesehackersandsocialstartupcompaniesmaybeforgettingthehistoryofthesocialweband

centralization.Whiletherewereatfirstalargevarietyofdigitalsocialnetworkingsites,

suchasLiveJournal,Tribe.net,Friendster,andOrkut,thesesiteseventuallybegan

consolidating.ComparedtoitspredecessorslikeMySpace,theprimaryadvantageof

Facebookwasitsconsistentuserinterfacealongwithitsinitialtargetingofexclusive

collegeslikeHarvard,thuscapitalizingontheplacementofitsuserswithindigitalsocial

networksasawaytojudgesocialstatus.Furthermore,inordertopreventitselffrom

beingdisruptedbythenextsocialnetwork,FacebookcreatedtheFacebookDeveloper

PlatformforbuildingappsthatcouldrunontopofFacebook,whichcleverlyviolatedthe

classicalmodelofcreativedestructionattributedtoeconomistandpoliticalscientist

JosephSchumpeter.11

Inthisway,Facebookcouldcapturedevelopersandtrapthemin

itswalledgardenwhileallowingthemtobuildtheirownbusinessontopofFacebook,

thustransformingFacebookfromameresocialnetworkingwebsiteintoanall-

encompassingsocialplatform.

Fromthebeginningofdigitalsocialnetworking,therewasalsoaspreadingrealization

thatthecentralizationofsocialrelationshipscarriesdangers.Perhapsthefirstcasein

pointcamein2005,whenOrkutwasshutdownbytheIraniangovernment,followed

shortlybyothersocialnetworkingsites.AsDanBrickley,atthetimeastaffmemberof

theWorldWideWebConsortium(theW3C,world'sforemoststandardsbodyforthe

Web,whichmaintainsHTMLaswellasotherstandards),wrote,Therego65,000+Iranianblogs(perblogcensus)and7%+ofOrkut'suserbase,inaflipofaswitch.

12At

thattimeDanBrickleywasworkingwithTimBerners-Lee,whoiswidelyacclaimedas

theinventoroftheweb,oncreatingwhatBerners-LeetermedtheSemanticWeb,the

ambitioustransformationfromawebofdocumentstoasemanticweboflinkeddata,

wheredatawouldbegivenawell-definedmeaning.TimBerners-Leefeltthatby

releasingnotonlytheworld'stext,butalsodecentralizingtheworld'sdatafromvarious

closeddatabaseswouldleadtoagiantexplosionofinnovation.ThefirststepwasRDF

(ResourceDescriptionFramework),anopenandextensibledataformatmeantto

describemetadataaboutliterallyanythinginasimpleknowledgerepresentation

languagebasedontheformofanetwork:namelynodesandlinks,wherethenodesrepresentsubjectsandobjects,andthelinkspredicatesbetweenthem.

13UsingRDF,

BrickleydecidedtocreatetheFriendofaFriend(FOAF)projectinorderto[create]a

11

JosephSchumpeter,Capitalism,SocialismandDemocracy,London:Routledge,2003(1943).Formoreoncreativedestructionsee,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction.12

DanBrickley,Re:TwitterandIranElections,postingtoW3Cmailinglist,16June2009,

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-xg-socialweb/2009Jun/0096.html.13

FormoreonRDFsee,http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-rdf-concepts-20040210/.


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Webofmachine-readablepagesdescribingpeople,thelinksbetweenthemandthe

thingstheycreateanddo[]FOAFdefinesanopen,decentralizedtechnologyfor

connectingsocialWebsites,andthepeopletheydescribe.14

DanBrickleyhopedthatby

havingsuchastandardfordataportability,userscouldmovetheirdatawiththem

wherevertheywished,escapingtheproblemofhavingtheirdatadestroyedwhentheir

digitalsocialnetworkingsitedisappeared.

BradFitzpatrick,founderofthesocialnetworkingsiteLiveJournal,wasthefirst

championofopeningthesocialgraph.AtfirsthestartedallowinguserstoexportFOAF

profilesfromLiveJournalsothattheycouldcontroltheirowndataandmoveittoother

FOAF-supportingsites.InhisessayThoughtsontheSocialGraph,co-editedby(atthe

time)fellowemployeeDavidRecordonofSixApart,Fitzpatrickstatedthat,

Thereareanincreasingnumberofnew"socialapplications"aswellastraditional

application[s]whicheitherrequirethe"socialgraph"orthatcouldprovidebetter

valuetousersbyutilizinginformationinthesocialgraph[...]Unfortunately,there

doesn'texistasinglesocialgraph(orevenmultiplewhichinteroperate)that's

comprehensiveanddecentralized.Rather,thereexistshundredsofdispersesocial

graphs,mostofdubiousqualityandmanyofthemwalledgardens.15

SoFitzpatrickdeclaredthatsocietyshouldultimatelymakethesocialgrapha

communityassetinordertomakegraphdataasportableasdocumentsareona

personalcomputer.16

Aflurryofworkbegantocreatethespecificationsneededto

createadecentralizedsocialweb.UndertheslogantheFederatedSocialWeb,various

companiessuchasStatus.Net(formerlyidenti.ca)beganproducingworkingcode

demonstratingthepotentialforcreatingagenuinedecentralizedandsocialopenweb

builtonstandards,wheredatasuchasstatusupdatesandprofilescouldbeseamlesslysharedbetweenmultipleserversanimpressivetechnicalfeattosaytheleast.

Littleofthistheworktodecentralizethesocialwebhadanyimpactbeyondtheworldof

hackersandsocialwebenthusiasts,althoughitdidlandafewofthedecentralizedsocial

networkingpioneersjobsatcompaniessuchasFacebookandGoogle.Fitzpatrick'sco-

authorDavidRecordonleftSixApartandbecamethefirststandardsmanagerat

Facebook,inpartatleasttohisoriginalworkaroundOpenAuthorization(OAuth),

OpenID,andhisworkonthedecentralizedsocialgraph.AtFacebook,Recordonbecame

interestedinBerners-Lee'sSemanticWeb,discussingthematterwithFOAFinventor

DanBrickley,andrumorsspreadthatFacebookmightopenupitssocialplatform.Yetwhathappenedwasevenmoreinteresting:theLikeButtonwasreleased,officially

calledtheOpenGraphProtocol.17

FacebookcleverlyusedtheopenstandardsofRDFto

14

See,http://www.foaf-project.org/.15

BradFitzpatrickandDavidRecordon,ThoughtsontheSocialGraph,bradfitz.com,17August2007,

http://bradfitz.com/social-graph-problem/.16

BradFitzpatrickandDavidRecordon,ThoughtsontheSocialGraph.17

FormoreonOpenGraphProtocolsee,http://ogp.me/.


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allowwebmasterstodescribetheirwebpageasoneofafinitenumberofcommodities

(movie,person,book,place,etc.)andthencombinedthatwithJavascripttosendthe

datafromanywebsiteofftoFacebook.UnlikethehyperlinkscrawledbyGoogle,the

informationaboutwhichuserlikesacommodityarenotrevealedtotheownerofthe

websiteandnotevenkeptbytheusersthemselves,butinsteadshippedofftoa

centralizeddatabaseinFacebook.Ironicallyenough,FacebookusedtheopenstandardSemanticWebtobuildagenuinelyclosedplatformconsistingofasinglerelationship,

like,throughouttheentireWeb!InapanicatFacebook'sgrowingdominanceoverthe

socialweb,Googlehiredmanyofthekeyplayersbehindthedecentralizedsocialweb,

suchasBradFitzpatrickandDanBrickley,JosephSmarr,ChrisMessina,andthelike,

someofwhomwentontobuildtheirownGoogle+product.Butsofar,Google+hasyet

tobecometheheartofadecentralizedsocialweb.

Thekeyisthatthedecentralizationofsocialnetworkingsimplyisthespreadofsocial

networking,andassuchisactuallycompatiblewiththespreadoftheopenbusiness

modelsofcentralizedplatformsthatdonothingtochallengetheontological

presuppositionsofsocialnetworkingitself.ThedecentralizednatureoftheSemantic

WebledtothecreationofthemassivelycentralizedLikebutton,whichshowsthatitis

notassimpleasputtingcentralizeddigitalsocialnetworksagainstadecentralizedsocial

web.Decentralizationisneverfullycompleteandoftencontradictory.Eventhoughwe

cansaytheinternetisdecentralizedintermsofIPaddresses,atthepresentmoment,

theextractionofmonetaryvaluethroughtheserversanddatabaseofGoogleand

Facebookremaincentralized.

Thetermdecentralizationdemandsfurtherscrutiny,forthecruxofthephilosophical

matterathandisthatevenindecentralizedsystems,thereisneverachallengetothe

ontologicalreductionofhumanstoatomsandrelationshipstolinksbetweenatoms.Thefailuretomovebeyondthisgivesrealhumanuserslittlereasontoadoptalternativesto

centralizeddigitalsocialnetworkingplatformsandtheirmanagementofthesocial.We

admitthatdecentralizationisoftenadesirablecharacteristic,yetwemustremember

thatdecentralizationdoesn'tnecessarilyimplyapositivereadingoftheterm,which

wouldsimplisticallyleadtoacertainfetishismofpeer-to-peersystems.Thatbeingsaid,

thereversemove,tobelievethatdecentralizationisalwaysnegative,wouldpaintus

intoacornerwherewecouldonlypointoutlikeGallowayhownetworksimply

control.18

Instead,ratherusefultousisBernardStiegler'stermwherethetechnologyof

decentralizationisalwaysapharmakon,somethingthatissimultaneouslypositiveand

negative,aremedyandapoison.

19

Thus,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatthemassadoptionofcentralizeddigitalsocialnetworkingplatformsimpliesboththespreadof

democracyaswitnessedbytheroleofTwitterandFacebookinvariousprotestsin2011,

andsocialcontrol,aswitnessedbythesurveillanceanddestructionofsomeofthese

18

AlexanderGalloway,Protocol:HowControlExistsafterDecentralization,Boston:MITPress,2006.19

BernardStiegler,Cequifaitquelavievautlapeined'trevcue:Delapharmacologie,Paris:Flammarion,2010.


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movementsviatheverysametechnology.Thepointofexploringhowthenew

phenomenonofsocialnetworkingisembeddedwithinalargerideologicalapparatus

thatismorethanhalfacenturyold,isnotmerelysomecriticalrevealingoftruth

content,forwealsoholdthatthepossibilitiesofimaginationandinventioncanstill

openanewspaceforindividuationbyconsciouslyanalyzingandmovingbeyondthe

rigidandpaltryontologicalassumptionsoftheclassicalrepresentationofsocialnetworksbygraphs.Decentralizationisnot,andneverwillbe,enough.

CollectiveIndividuation

Isitpossibletorethinkthenotionofcollectivityasaremedytotheindividualized

atomismofthecurrentdigitalsocialnetworks?Thisdoesn'tmeanthatwewanttoerase

theindividualandreplaceitssingularitybysomekindofmysticalandreifiedcollectivity

withpotentiallypoliticallydubiousimplicationsaswitnessedbyStalinistcollectivism.

Rather,wewanttoputthecollectiveandindividualtoco-createeachother,likethe

necessaryrelationshipofpropagationbetweencertainflowersandhoneybees.

Sociometrydemandsamappingthatisevermorepreciseinordertoaccuratelyreflect

andpredicttheprobabilitiesofconnectionsandinteractionsinordertomaximizethe

profitmarginsoftheplatformitselfviamarketing;andthustechnologicalindividuation

withindigitalsocialnetworkingeasilyslipsbackintodisindividuation.Canwethinkofanewkindofindividuationthatneitherglorifiesnorrejectsthepossibilitiesofdigital

socialtechnologies?Amodelofindividuationthatcanbetherapeutictothecurrent

disindividualizingconceptofthesocialpresupposedbynetworksandsocio-technically

engineeredbytheminpractice!ispreciselywhatGilbertSimondonproposedinhis

bookL'individuationpsychiqueetcollective.20

Simondonsuggeststhatindividuationisalwaysbothpsychicandcollective.What

Simondonmeansbypsychicindividuationistheformationofthepsychologyof

individuals,ascanbeexemplifiedbytheirbeinginthesituationofanxiety,grief,anger,

andsoon.BycollectiveSimondonpointsoutthattheformationoftheseindividual

statesareinevitablylinkedtothewidersocialandtechnicalworld.Yetthebinaryofthe

psychicandcollectivearenotenough,buthavetobethoughtsimultaneously.

Individualsandgroupsarenotopposing,theindividualandthecollectiveconstitutea

constantprocessofindividuation.PsychicindividuationtoSimondonismoreasimple

individualization,whichisalsotheconditionofindividuation,whilecollective

individuationistheprocessthatbringstheindividualintoastateofconstanttransformation.

Theformationofthecollectiveisoftenreducedtoconsiderationssuchaswhythe

individualwantstoparticipate,atypicalquestionforthosewhodomarketingorplan

20

GilbertSimondon,LindividuationPsychiqueetCollective ,Paris:EditionsAubier,1989.


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startupventures.Thisquestiononlyviewssocialnormsandcollectivesaspredefined

structures,supposingfalselythatinordertocreateacollective,anengineering

methodologyneedstoimmediatelysetupthesocialcategoriesandmoldtheinvolved

individualsaccordingtothesepre-configurations.Simondonconsidersindividuationasa

processakintothatofcrystallization.Likewise,onecanseethegenesisofagroupasa

kindofindividuation,sothateachindividualisatthesametimebothanagentandamilieu.Onemayask:isntwhatwehaveseenonFacebookalreadyapsychicand

collectiveindividuation?ItistruethatthephilosophicalapproachesofSimondoncan

becometoolstoanalyzesocialrelations,butonemustgobeyondthelimittograspthat

thesetheoriesarenotmerelytoolsofanalysis,andrecognizethattheseconceptsare

alsotoolsfortransformation.Aswehaveseen,Facebookindividuatesprimarily

atomisticindividuals,Thus,agenuinealternativetoFacebookwouldnotcopyits

features,butbeginfromsomewherecompletelydifferent:startingfromthecollectivein

ordertoredesigntherelationbetweentheindividualandthecollective.Insteadof

askinghowatomizedindividualsformcollectives,wemustfindouthowacollective

socialnetworkchangesandshapesindividuals,andtakethisphenomenonasprimary.

Hence,wewanttoreflectonthequestionofthegroup,andproposethatwhat

distinguishesacollectivefromanindividualisthequestionofacommonproject

pertainingtothegroupsthatthenshapetheprocessofcollectiveindividuation.Takefor

exampleUshahidi,awebsitethatprovidedacrowdsourcedmappingservicebuiltontop

ofGoogleMapsthatoriginatedasanattempttomonitorviolencearoundtheKenyan

elections.AftertheearthquakeinHaitiin2010,inordertohelprecoverfromthe

catastrophe,UshahidienabledbothlocalandoverseasvolunteerstocollectSMS

messagesviaaspecialhashtaginordertomapthecrisis,savingpeopleinHaitiwho

mighthaveotherwisebeenlost.AftertheearthquakeandtsunamithathitJapanin

2011,engineersfromJapandevelopedamapofthedamagescausedbythetsunamiandtheemergenciesthatneededtobetakencareofbyanalyzingtweetsandother

socialmedia.Thedynamicsoftheseprojectsgofarbeyondsimplypostingindividual

statusupdates,andallowpeopletoactivelyworktogetheroncommongoals,thus

developingacollectiveprojectuality.Itisthemomentoftheformationofprojectsthat

allowstheindividualstoindividuatethemselvesthroughthecollective,andsogives

meaningtotheinvestmentsofindividuals.OnFacebook,onecanestablishagroup,a

page,anevent,butneitherFacebooknorGoogle+andTwitterprovidethetoolsfor

collectiveindividuationbasedoncollaboration.Inotherwords,onFacebookagroupis

nodifferentfromanindividual,yetanotheratominanetwork.Wewanttogobeyond

atomsandlinks,beyondnodesandvertices!

CollectiveSocialNetworking

Letusbeclear:ourargumentiswiththephilosophicalassumptionsthatsocialnetworks

makeconcerningindividualsandtheirrelationships,sothatpreciselybychangingthose

assumptions,wecanimaginesocialnetworkingtobetransformedintoatechnologyfor


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collectiveindividuation.Passingfromaglimpseofanewkindofphilosophicalmodelof

collectiveindividuationtoitsrealizationinatechnicalsystem,weproposethatthe

socialnetworkingsitesshouldexistasadynamicandopen-endedsetoftoolstoenable

thecreationandadministrationofcollectiveprojects.Collectiveintelligencecanthen

becomeactualinsofarasthegroupsuccessfullyusesitsbio-technicalabilitiesto

accomplishwhatevergoalsarisefromtheprocessofcollectiveindividuation.So,ausermustalwaysbelongtoaparticularcollectiveproject,withoutwhichheorshewillnotbe

abletofullyutilizethefeaturesanddatadefinedbysuchaplatform.Eachcollective

projectcouldbedefinedbyanagreedupongoal,andrequirementsoffulfillmentare

collectivelyinitiatedandupdatedbymembersofthegroup,thosethatgothrough

collectiveindividuationtogether.Taskscanthenbeassignedeitherintheformof

individualactionsorsubgroups,andtheprogressofthetasksshouldbemonitoredand

indicated.However,thecollectiveshouldbedynamicratherthanstatic,groupscanbe

mergedtogethertoformlargerprojectsatanytime,andaprojectcanalsobesplitinto

smallercollectives.Inthismanner,collectivescandiscovereachotherandcommunicate

toseekpossibilitiesofcollaborationsandinformationsharing.

Interestinglyenough,theonlysuccessfulexamplesofalternativedigitalsocialnetworks

areonesthatintegrateacollectivefunctionalityforgrassrootspoliticalprojects.Indeed,

thefirstWeb2.0siteranbyuser-contributedcontentwasarguablyIndymedia,the

globalnetworkofindependentmediacenterssetupinthewakeofthealter-

globalizationmovementattheturnofthemillennium.21

Almostallwebsitesformass

mediachannelsnowfeaturetheonce-innovativeopencommentingofIndymedia.

Furthermore,theoriginalactivistsandprogrammersthatimaginedanaugmented

socialnetworkthatwouldenhancetheabilityofcitizenstoformrelationshipsandself-

organizearoundsharedinterestsincommunitiesofpracticeinordertobetterengagein

theprocessofdemocraticgovernance22seemstohaveforthemostpartsurrendered,andarenoweitherworkingfortraditionaldigitalsocialnetworks,orperhapsplayingthe

longgametorealizetheiroriginalvision.Finally,rangingfromFOAFtoDiaspora*,23

the

successofthesealternativestoFacebookandTwittercanbeobjectivelymeasuredin

termsoftheirusersandtheirconsistentlong-termgrowth.Whilealternativesocial

networkssuchasDiaspora*hadatemporarylargeinfluxofusersduetotheircoverage

bytheNewYorkTimesinmainstreammedia,theyneverofferedthecollaborativetoolsneededforcollectiveindividuation.Thusunabletodifferentiatethemselvesfrom

Facebookinawaythatuserscouldunderstand,exceptintermsofabstractvaluesand

anengineeringdesign,theiruserseventuallylostinterestandeventodayitsremaining

foundersaremovingtodifferentprojects.Furthermore,anyprotocolthatonlycreatesadecentralizationofsocialnetworkingis,atbest,subsumedintocurrentsocial

networkingplatformslikeFacebookorGoogle+.Morelikely,anysupposedalternative

21

See,https://www.indymedia.org/.22

KenJordan,JanHauserandStevenFoster,'TheAugmentedSocialNetwork:BuildingIdentityandTrust

intotheNext-generationInternet',FirstMonday8.8(4August2003),http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1068/988.23

See,https://joindiaspora.com/.


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thatdoesnotgobeyondtheconceptionofaprimitivesocialphysics,socialatomslinked

byreifiedsocialrelationships,simplywithersanddies.Despitecritiqueaftercritiqueof

centralizeddigitalsocialnetworkingplatforms,theconceptualapparatusofsucha

primitivesocialphysicsseemstohavelittleimpactonactivists,whofromtheEgyptian

Revolutionto#occupyallregularlyusetraditionalatomisticnetworkslikeTwitterand

Facebook,primarilyforpublicityduetothemassivenumbersofpeopleonthem.Itissimplythemostefficientwaytogetnewsout.Itstillseemsratherpaltrythattheend

resultoftheglobalinterconnectionofhumanityviadigitalsocialnetworkingisthe

sharingofphotosand140charactercriesforattention.

CloserinspectionrevealsthatactivistsorganizeamongstthemselvesnotonFacebook

andTwitterbutonlittle-knownalternativesocialnetworkssuchasthedecentralized

digitalsocialnetworkLorea24

,andtheCrabgrass25

socialnetworkrunbytheactivist

serverriseup.net.Objectivelyspeaking,bothofthesenetworksaresuccessfulwithin

theircommunitiesforeachhavearound50,000users,consistentgrowth,andconstant

updatingoftheirsoftware,likelybecausetheyarewell-knownandintegratedwithin

existingsocialmovementsdirectlyrelatedtoboththecollectiveindividuationpresentin

thestreetsandontheweb.Loreaisthepreferredcollectivesocialnetworkingplatform

oftheIndignadosinSpainandCrabgrasshasalong-standingrelationshipwithvarious

anarchistmovementsintheUnitedStates,Germany,andBrazil.Thisisnottosayany

socialnetworkingplatformcreatedbygrassrootspoliticalactivistsispre-destinedfor

success;farfromit,forthemuch-hypedplatformplannedtobebuiltbythe#occupy

movement,theFederatedGeneralAssembly,stillremainsadraftplanratherthana

workingcodebasewithactualusers.ThereasonforthesuccessofplatformslikeLorea

andCrabgrassisstraightforward:whatatomisticdigitalsocialnetworkslikeFacebook

andTwitterlackarepreciselythetoolsnecessaryforthecoordinationandproductionof

data,suchasthecollaborativeeditingoffilesandtaskorganizationthatisprovidedbythe'groupware'oftheseplatforms.Whiletheterm'groupware'isusuallyassociated

withbusinesssoftwaresuchastheIBMLotusphere,forthemostpartthesekindsof

toolshavebeenrestrictedtocorporateuserswillingtopayaheftypricetag,andtheir

functionalityhasbeenrestrictedtoonlycorporateuse-cases.Whatweseehappening

nowisthemovementofgroupwareintothehandsoftheself-organizationofcitizens.

Furthermore,neitherofthesenetworksisparticularlydecentralizedinpractice:Loreais

decentralized,butalmostallactivityisonasinglenode,andduetosecurityconcerns

Crabgrasshasyettoimplementanyfeaturesincludingfederation.Inthisregard,whatis

clearlyimportantforusersisnotdecentralization,butthepresenceoffeaturesthat

enablecollectiveindividuation.

Currentlytheseactivistsocialnetworkingplatformshavebarelyscratchedthesurfaceof

thetoolsrequiredforcollectiveindividuation.OnCrabgrassandLorea,themostpopular

toolisthecollaborativeeditingofwikis,buttightlyrestrictedtosmallactivistgroups

24

See,https://lorea.org/.25

See,https://we.riseup.net/.


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whoseprivacyisprotectedfrompossiblesurveillancebythealternativesocial

networkingplatform.Yetwhatisnecessaryisevenmoreformsoftoolsforcoordination

acrossawiderrangeoflatencyandmedia,rangingfromthereal-timechatofEetherpad

tocollaborativeeditingandannotationofvideo.Indeed,whatagenuinealternativeto

atomizedsocialnetworkingwouldproducewouldbethecultivationnotjustofthe

collectiveproductionofinformation,butaspaceforreflectionandknowledgeofallkindsacrossallpossibletypesofdata.Thuswefindthatthesecollectiveplatformscould

indeedbetheheartoftheSemanticWebofBerners-Lee:theyshouldfeaturetheability

tostore,refine,andsharedata,usingopenandflexibleformatssuchasRDFthatcan

thenbeeasilyinterpretedbyprojectingsuchdataontomapsandotherkindsof

visualizations.Movingbeyondthesimplisticvisionofthewebasauniversalspace

wherealldatacanbeeasilyaccessedbyanyuser,aplatformforcollectiveindividuation

allowsonlythoseinvolvedinthecreationofdataandknowledgetohavecommand

overthedataviaaccesscontrol,sothattheycanreleaseittothewiderworldwhen

ready.Justascurrentsocialnetworkingplatformshave,astheirprimaryraisond'etre,theharvestingofdataabouttheirusersformarketing,agenuinealternativewould

allowuserstocreatemanifoldtypesofdataabouttheirworldtoincreasetheirown

collectivepresenceinit,avastmultiplicityofopen-endedrelationsthatultimatelyare

notconnectionsbetweenatoms,butdifferentwaysofbeinganddwellingindata,the

re-establishmentofanewdaintheDaseinoftheinternetera.

Inthisvein,thoseinvolvedinthecollectiveindividuationprocessmustbeabletoreveal

themselvesinamannertheyseefit,withthecapabilityofexposingthemselvesusing

differentpersonaeorevenremaininganonymousratherthanalwaysbeingtiedtoa

singleidentity.Onecanimaginethatsomewouldratherrevealthemselvesvia

pseudonymsorbeanonymous,orevenonlyoperateincollectivesthatareentirely

anonymous.Currentdigitalsocialnetworksexistprimarilyasmarketingmachinesforwhich(dis)individuationisameresideeffect,wherewhatappearstobeprivateis

alwaysaccessibletothosethatruntheserver.Thusinordertoopenthespacefor

collectiveindividuation,eventhesystemadministratorsthatruntheservershouldnot

beabletoaccessthedataofthecollectivegroupsonit.Thisshouldbepossibleusing

public-keytechnologyandencryptionontheserver-side,whichwouldpreventthose

thatruntheserverfromspyingonitsusers.Indeed,forsecurityreasons,

decentralizationdoesmakesense,ifdoneproperly,alongwithstoringdataina

decentralizedandredundantfashionacrossmultipleserversinordertominimizethe

consequencesofattacksandthedestructionofthecollectivelyproduceddata.

Conclusion:ASocialWebtoCome

Wearenotagainstthemathematicsofgraphs,butagainsttheWeltbildofthenetwork,aparticularimageofthetotalityofourworldthatconstrainsandshapesour


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potentialities.26

Liketheimageoftheworldasaclockoracomputerbeforeit,this

particularimageisfarfrominnocent,butreflectstheontologicalassumptionsofour

socialandeconomicorder:itisnoaccidentthatAdamSmithclassicaleconomists

viewedexchangesakindoflink!asalwayshappeningbetweenindividuals.Wehave

pointedoutagainandagainthatthetheoryofthenetworkhaslittletodowithdigitality

perse,asSaint-Simonsfailedimaginarysocialismdesiredtobuildaworldofnetworksfarbeforetheadventoftheinternet.Digitalsocialnetworks,combiningthe

mathematicaltheoryofthesocialgraphwiththereal-worldartifactofglobe-spanning

digitalcommunicationnetworks,representanindustrializationofsocialrelationships

thattransformstherichpossibilitiespointedtobytheelusiveadjectiveofthesocialto

atotallyatomicindividualism,withconnectionstoaworldreducedtomerelinks.Far

frombeinganeutralscientificmethodology,thepresuppositionsofsocialnetworking

todaymediateourrealcommunication.

Collectiveindividuationproposesthatanothersocialnetworkisnotonlypossiblebut

necessaryforaneconomythatisfarmorethanmarketing,clickrate,numberofusers,

andthelike.Acollectivesocialnetworkingispossible,andisonebasedontherevealing

ofourselvesandourbeing-in-the-world-with-others,thegroupbasedarounda

commonprojectorcalling.Aprojectisalsoaprojection,thatis,theanticipationofa

commonfutureofthecollectiveindividuationofgroups.Bytyinggroupstoprojects,we

holdtothefactthatindividuationisalsoalwaysatemporalandexistentialprocess,

ratherthanmerelysocialandpsychological.Byprojectingacommonwilltoaproject,it

istheprojectitselfthatproducesaco-individuationofgroupsandindividuals.

Furthermore,bycreatinganewtechnicalsubstrateinfluencedbyopenstandardsthat

arebasedonthisconceptionofgroups,differentalternativescanexchangeandmake

elementsoftheirsocialnetworkscommunicableintermsofprotocols,dataportability,

andespeciallyconceptualizations.Sowhilewecriticizethelimitsofsocialnetworksandresearcherswhoembracesociometryassomeroyalroadtounderstandingsocial

computing,wealsowanttooutlinethatanewmethodforunderstandingandeven

programming!thesocialanddigitalispossible,andurgent.

Letusendwithafewsurprisingwordsindefenseofsocialnetworking.

Acrosstheglobe,wearecurrentlyincreasinglybothfascinatedandenmeshedinanew

Weltbild,theglobalsocialnetwork.Perhapssocialnetworkingperformsasimilarfunctiontothatofthenovelinthenowbygoneeraofearlycapitalismasanalyzedby

LukcsintheTheoryoftheNovel:astheindividualwasuprootedoutoftheirpreviouslystablepastoralworldandpushedintothecity,thenarrativeofthebourgeoisienovelprovidedacrucialrepresentationthatservedasatestamenttothedamagecausedby

theadventofcapitalismandgaveameanstosymbolicallyobtainanewholistic

26

YukHui,ComputationalTurnoraNewWeltbild?,Junctures:TheJournalforThematicDialogue13Unseen(2010):41-51.Availableat,http://www.junctures.org/index.php/junctures/article/view/6/4.


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understandingintheoverwhelmingnewworldofthemetropolis.27

Intheeraoflate

capitalism,oursociallifeisnowuprootedbeyondaparticularcityandnation,anddue

torisingunemploymenttheimportanceofajob(thefactory,theworkplace,theoffice)

declines;soisitanysurprisethatintheimageofFacebookwecanglimpseawayof

understandingournowglobal-spanningnetworksofrelationshipsandmakesenseof

the'timeline'ofourlives?Doesnotthegeneralobsessionwith'friends'revealthelonelinessofthisglobalworld,yetalsorevealourhumandesireforgenuinefriendship?

Isitnotself-evidentthatthelibidinalinvestmentinprofilesservesamerelyall-too-

accuratereflectionofthedifficultyofmaintainingoursenseofidentityinaworldadrift

fromanytraditionandsenseofplace?Despiteitsfaultyontologyofnodesandlinks,

withintheimageoftheglobalsocialnetworkthereisapictureofthepossibilityofa

unifiedworld,muchmoresothantheimageoftheglobeasdistinctnationstates,each

withtheirownpeculiarcolorandrigidboundariesthataretonevermix.Thereisan

unredeemedpromiseinMorenotoday,visualizedbytheimageoftheworld-spanning

socialnetwork,namelythepossibilityofconstructingatrulyglobalconceptionof

friendshipandconnection.ItisstillunknownwhatimagecomesaftertheWeltbildoftheglobalsocialnetwork,butwecanonlyhopeitistheabolitionofallsuchimages.An

imageisalwaysatestamenttoouralienationandfailuretograspthatwhichisreally

alreadythere.Therewillbenoimageoftheworldwhenwehavecultivatedour

cognitivepowerstoletustakeresponsibilityforourcommonworld.Therewillonlybe

theworlditself.

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huiyuk and harryhalpin final collectiveindividuation

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