Internet as a self-organizing system

Artur SerraSelf-sufficient Systems Theory

ClassIAAC, Oct. 21, 2008

How an anthropologist does see the Knowledge Society?

• Anthropology studies cultures as “shared knowledge systems”.

• ICT is conforming the so-called “knowledge society”.

• Internet is an ICT and the backbone of the knowledge society.

• At the same time, Internet is living lab, selfsystem-organizing system.

I. First Generation InternetA network for everyone

(ISOC, “Internet is for everyone”).

Internet Global Routes (2005)

The Internet community• ISOC, Internet Society• IETF, Internet Engineering Task Force• ICANN, • WWW Consortium.

The IETF Motto:“Rough consensus and running code”

• David Clark,MIT, “We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code.” 1992. Moto of IETF.

• Self-government culture started by computer science researchers working for ARPA in the US.

The Internet principles

• Goal: To avoid the enemy to take control over the network.

• Principles: – Decentralizing structure:

• End to End principle.– Experimental network

• Computer networking innovation cycle.

The “end-to-end principle

• New networking model without central authority. Not hierarchical principle.

• The control of the network is in the hands of the extrems, the users: the “end-to-end principle”.

• New architectures: Peer to Peer networks, ad-hoc networks, ....

The experimental network principle

• Internet is an environment of permanent innovation. – Open network– Permanent version Beta.

• Current GENI project: Global Networking for Network Innovation.

“Internet governance”?

• The Internet community doesn't like the term “governement”, even “governance”.

• The preferable term is “self-regulation”. Not government by minorities (aristocracy), not government of majorities, (democracy), but self-government

• Anybody knows what kind of government is self-government?

II. Web 2.0, The Internet by the People

Internet by the people• Community networks. Freenets.

– Barcelona, 2000. 1er.Congress Global • Open Source communities.

– Linux community of programmers.• Social networks.

– Facebook• Wikis, Wikipedia.• Living Labs.

– European network of Living Labs.• Fablabs....Find more examples....

III. Can we apply self-organizing principles of Internet to

architecture?

Can we build habitats as living labs,

user-driven innovation environments?

An architecture for the knowledge society.

An architecture for a knowledge society

• Habitats as Living Labs:– Organizing a user-driven new architecture.– Open the architectural community to users.

• End-to-end architecture– Experimental architecture

• The habitat as a living lab for creating and sharing knowledge.

• A Noosphere Habitat.

How architecture can develop new habitats?

• What is a living lab habitat?– A knowledge-based habitat. – A self-organizing environment, built by users,

architects, builders, public administrations, and its natural environments for creating and sharing knowledge.

Noosphere ,a new term for

Knowledge society

• Noosphere concept: The knowledge society. • What kind of habitat for the Noosphere era?• A noosphera habitat

The Noosphere Habitats

• Evolution in the human habitat:– Living in Geosphere:

• Still we are living in caves.– Living in Biosphere:

• Increasingly, sapiens is willing to live in a Biosphere. Looking for paradise (paradeisos, gardens).

– Living in Noosphere:• Can we live in a knowledge society? How to do it?