Initial thoughts

about existence in

the Web

Philoweb 2011Thessaloniki, 5/10/2011

Michalis Vafopoulosvafopoulos.org

Preface Web needs science & philosophyScience should “pay back” the Web This Not a philosopher’s approach

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Main issues

Discussing existence in the Web through a simple framework

• more complex reality• Web-centric abstractions• Linking, virtualization • networks, URI

(work in progress, few things fixed, comments are welcome)

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Outline ① The easy part: criticism ② The hard part: build concepts & models③ The Being-Query framework: network

inside!④ Introducing the Web: Web Beings ⑤ The Being – Query framework expanded⑥ How can this framework be useful?– Understand & compare diverse models– Expand existing & create new concepts – Initiate interesting questions

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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 Web

thing”• Not descriptive, too general, multiple meanings

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The hard part: build concepts

Step 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 by a weighted network of Beings (not very useful!)

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… and models

Step 2: building the framework• Users, are Beings that can “consciously”

form Queries.• Queries are organized in Topics (tractable

and processable).

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Topics

Queries

Users

Beings

The Being-Query framework: network inside!

A quad network: contraction of 4 interconnected networks

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Queries

Beings

Topics

Users

Introducing the Web: Web Beings

Beings that can be communicated through the Web. 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.

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The Being – Query framework expanded

“Teleportation”, Search Engines, relevance feedback, …Search Engine: get as inputs Queries and produce collections of Web beings

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Topics

Queries

Web Queries

Users

Web Users

Beings

Web Beings

“teleportation”

Search engine

How can this framework be useful?

Networks facilitate understanding, measuring, modeling, comparing, deciding & forming policy when connections matter and today matter more than ever…

A. Understand & compare existing models

B. Expand existing & create new concepts C. Initiate interesting questions

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A. Understand & compare existing models

① 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

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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

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Web Users and economy

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C. Initiate interesting questions

Incorporates 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, network individualism, privatised spaces and peer production.

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Thank you!

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Michalis Vafopoulosvafopoulos.org

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Supplement

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Web Science Subject Categorization

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A.GeneralB.Web History and MethodologyC.Web TechnologiesD.Web AnalysisE. Web Society

http://webscience.org/2010/wssc.html

Web economy

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Web users

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