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Human Systems / Social Networks / Collectivity

We are entering an era where society as a whole is being exposed to the idea that patterns of human relationship can be understood as networks. With computer networks providing the technical infrastructure for representing social relations in a shared collective space, we are seeing the rise of wholly new applications of social network analysis: tools that enable societies to analyze themselves on a large scale, effecting a kind of collective self-reflection.

The key point is this: when a society gains access to a representation of its own structure, albeit imperfect and approximate, this knowledge can act as a causal agent in the evolution of that structure. Social networks are maps of social territory which are useful for individuals navigating that territory. We navigate social space whenever we search for individuals or groups meeting some criteria--experts, friends, collaborators--with the intention of forming new connections.

Selected Writings

Searching Social Network Landscapes (abstract)
Particle algorithms for social network analysis
When Dissent Is Good: The Interplay Between Reputation & Social Networks in an Artificial Society
Simulating the evolution of social structure
Dynamically Distributed Democracy (abstract)
Social network decision making
Collective Intelligence Quantified for Computer-Mediated Group Problem Solving
Human participant experiment compares group to individual puzzle solving ability
Societal-Scale Decision Making Using Social Networks
Choosing representatives with dynamic delegation along paths of trust

Research Interests

( See also Working Projects in my CV )

Social Networks & Social Software
Folksonomy / collaborative tagging
Particle flow algorithms for social network analysis
Ad hoc online think tanks / Co-creative knowledge communities

Complex Systems Science
Socially constructed fitness landscapes
Collective cognition & autocatalytic social systems
Co-evolution of natural games
Self-modeling systems