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Editor's Letter
Openness, Democracy, and Interactivity
 Welcome to the debut of Planetwork Journal. In this issue we focus on the emerging systems for online social networking, and the new kinds of knowledge and information sharing they make possible. We also look at why the high bandwidth, low byte media terrain on the horizon could effect how news is reported – not to mention how our planet is understood.
There is no denying the effect that technology, broadly speaking, has on society. But post dotcom bomb, to speak assertively about the potential of digital communications is often awkward, problematic. At Planetwork, we're not techno-utopians; we share a healthy concern about the misuse and unintended consequences of technology. What excites us, however, are the ways that emerging technologies are capable of reflecting progressive values, in particular: openness, collaboration, democracy, and ecological awareness. Digital communications especially seem to offer practical applications of this kind. Consider the developments covered in our special section, "Social Networks: Where Software Meets Citizenship."
Now that cell phones regularly double as low-end video cameras, and movies for theatrical release are edited on laptops, we are becoming used to the ubiquity of inexpensively produced moving images. But are we ready for their widespread, decentralized distribution? In his article "Anyone Can Be TV," Drazen Pantic explores the horizon of this next wave of digital downloading, and the implications it has for news reporting. After all, once anyone with a laptop, a camcorder, and a blog can post and distribute video, how will the big media companies maintain their monopoly on deciding what is or isn't news?
Biella Coleman, in her analysis of the global network of Independent Media Centers, "Indymedia's Independence," takes this notion of decentralized news delivery one step further. Since 1999, the IMCs have built an online news publishing system that supports some 130 activist organizations worldwide. Coleman explains that by using an approach known as "open publishing," the IMCs have pioneered a transparent method for the reporting of news – so that reports have a direct connection to the community from which they come. IMCs also provide an interactive forum for news readers and viewers to analyze a reporter's observations. Indymedia is at the forefront of emerging models for news creation and distribution that represent a true challenge to business as usual.
Both Pantic and Coleman describe aspects of an emerging media ecology in which knowledge and information flow openly through distributed networks. In "Earth as A Lens," Bonnie DeVarco looks ahead to the next generation of Web browsers, which will be able to take advantage of this open data flow. She explains how the vast repository of dynamic, ever-changing data could be presented to deepen our visceral understanding of the way Earth operates as an integrated system. DeVarco surveys the many relevant projects now underway that actively contribute to the creation of such a device, and proposes a "3D GeoBrowser," inspired by Buckminster Fuller, that makes possible sophisticated visualizations of dynamic information that could prompt a fundamental change in our personal relationship to the planet.
Randall Packer, in "The Pavilion: Into The 21st Century," also examines how dynamic information can be presented in a networked, interactive environment. But Packer comes to this question as an artist, and pursues it from a largely esthetic perspective. He describes his in-progress net art installation, inspired by Billy Klüver's landmark 1970 installation at the Osaka World's Fair, and the ways that it plays with the malleability of digital media over the wired network, exploring media as the by-product of interaction between the artwork's online spectators.
What these visions for new media have in common is an emphasis on openness and knowledge sharing. Social networking websites, like Friendster or LinkedIn, extend this open approach to the introductions of personal contacts through trusted third parties. Judging by their popularity, people can see the value of using the Internet to be hyperlinked to others, just as the Web had previously enabled linking between all sorts of different media. But considering the sensitive nature of private information, and the potential for abuse, how should personal data be handled on these "six degrees" websites? Duncan Work, Chief Technology Officer for LinkedIn, explores the ethical questions in his article, "Call for A Social Networking Bill of Rights."
The authors of "The Social Web" propose a new, open protocol for extending the value of social networking websites so that trusted third-party introductions can be made across the entire Internet. This XML-based protocol, called XDI, would add a "social layer" to the Net, creating a trusted, interoperable platform for persistent identity and trusted data sharing. It would, in effect, instill a sense of permanence in this network of ever-changing bits – at least those parts of the online experience that would benefit from some stability and attribution. On websites like eBay, the reputation of members plays an important role. XDI would help bring reputation to the Internet as a whole. Here, again, the prospect for abuse is real. But the authors of "The Social Web," who are members of the XDI technical committee at the standards body OASIS, are aware of the dangers and are doing their best to address them. But XDI still needs to pass the "sniff test" of privacy advocates.
The prospect of Friendster-type connections being made Internet-wide is intriguing. It certainly should fire up those impressed by the social networking successes of MoveOn.org or the Howard Dean campaign. Some of these possibilities are addressed in a paper I co-authored last year, "The Augmented Social Network: Building Identity and Trust into The Next-Generation Internet." Now an increasing number of practical advances are leading toward the creation of the ASN. XDI is one of the most promising.
The recent success of social networking software in the campaign realm has added momentum to this effort. In "Network-Centric Thinking," Jed Miller and Rob Stuart explore just what this trend toward social networking-based campaigns means for traditional advocacy organizations, most of which are not prepared to interact directly with membership. They also examine the many advantages of what they call a "network-centric" approach over a more top-down, centralized, "ego-centric" operation. The difference for non-profit civil society groups is significant, and they need to start paying attention. Not that the shift toward incorporating more "network-centric" thinking will be easy for them. But, ultimately, it should be worth it – not least because "network-centric" approaches, made possible by digital technology, reflect the deep, democratic values of these institutions.
Still, the challenge to traditional norms that this use of computers implies means that it won't be greeted universally with open arms. The impact of these technologies is bound to be confusing. What do we make, for instance, of Kajsa Klein's effort to engage concerned citizens from around the world in the upcoming U.S. presidential election? As she explains in her article "Democracy Aid '04," our familiar sense of geographic borders is becoming irrelevant. It is increasingly plain common sense to global citizens that the election of the most powerful official in the world should be decided internationally. If not, why not?
Our digital communications network is opening possibilities to a vast array of new conditions and behaviors. As it does so, we need to consider how best to stay true to democratic values, while encouraging new structures that can help us improve our ability to confront global problems (as the visionary Douglas Engelbart would insist). In his article, "Interactivity and The Open Society," Hardin Tibbs draws attention to a crucial piece of the digital puzzle: interactivity, and how it contributes to a robust online experience. The range of action allowed to us by our online infrastructure will have an immediate impact on our ability to act as citizens. As Tibbs suggests, we need to treat our digital infrastructure as an essential part of our public commons – and not as a shopping mall. The way we engage in our communities, our ability to see ourselves as part of an interdependent, dynamic web of life, depends on our doing so.
peace,
Ken Jordan
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