1 Virtual Institutions Daniel Memmi University of Quebec in Montreal Canada.
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Transcript of 1 Virtual Institutions Daniel Memmi University of Quebec in Montreal Canada.
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Virtual Institutions
Daniel MemmiUniversity of Quebec in MontrealCanada
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Computers and Sociology
Information Technology (IT) is having a huge social impact
Electronic communication techniques enable new social organizations
These organizational forms deserve closer scrutiny and discussion
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Virtual Communities
Virtual communities are basically computer-mediated social groups ex: forums, newsgroups...
Such groups have already been discussed to a large extent
They often exhibit specific features:impersonal, functional, flexible, with temporary membership
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Virtual Institutions
Recent emergence of computer-mediated social institutions
There has been little discussion so far Yet this new phenomenon demands to
be described and evaluated...
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What is a Social Institution?
Social institutions are goal-oriented social organizations
They have an abstract character They are structured and durable They possess rules, norms and
arbitration procedures
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Examples of Social Institutions
Social institutions have often emerged more or less spontaneously
They are then formally established with explicit rules and procedures
Ex: churches, universities, banks, firms, trade fairs, unions, political parties...
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Examples of Virtual Institutions
We observe the recent emergence of virtual institutions
Wikipedia and Free Software are two remarkable examples
Let’s now describe how they function
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Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia (started in 2001)
Articles are written and edited by anonymous, free contributors
Enormous size, good quality overall, low cost, continuous update
This is a hugely successful project!
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A Few Figures (in 2012)
Number of Wikepedia articles:4,000,000 (English)
1,430,000 (German)1,270,000 (French) ...
875,000 (Russian)815,000 (Japanese)
82,000 contributors (all languages)
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Wikepedia’s Goals
Wikipedia’s 2 main problems:
Ensure relevant, objective, unbiased, verifiable knowledge
Reach consensus among numerous and diverse contributors
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Wikipedia’s Structure
Explicit social structure(hierarchy of participants)
Explicit rules and norms(writing style, evaluation procedures,
norms of behavior...) Detailed arbitration procedures This is a fully-fledged institution!
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Free Software Projects
Free and Open Source Software movement (ex: Apache, Linux) represents another virtual model
Low-cost, useful, high-quality software Solves neatly an economic dilemma
(high cost of software production, eventual futility of piracy
controls)
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Free Software Model
Free contributions(though largely subsidized in fact)
Highly distributed, collaborative work Clear hierarchical structure
(managers, programmers, critics, users)
But norms and rules remain implicit
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A Few Differences
Free Software is more technical, requiring specialized skills
A tighter organization is necessary Project teams are usually smaller and
more personal Projects are often short-lived
(and not always successful)
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Nature of Virtual Institutions
Is there a specific model common to virtual institutions?
We think there is! But this would just be a general type,
with different variants...
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Features of Virtual Institutions
Voluntary contributions Massively collaborative Highly distributed Informal structure Consensus-oriented Continuous update
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Strengths of Model
Low cost Very reactive Flexible structure Resilient and effective Good results overall
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Weaknesses of Model
Short existence (so far) Unstable structure Potentially fragile Superficiality
These weaknesses are (inevitably?) the other side of the coin!
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Social Needs Fulfilled
Virtual institutions have emerged because they are technically possible
But they also answer social needs: Explosion of content on the Internet Information and knowledge must be
retrieved, evaluated, filtered Virtual institutions are a good answer
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Nothing New under the Sun?
Virtual institutions are not totally new “Classical” institutions have long
performed similar services(production, evaluation, filtering...)
Mass media, publishers, universities are still active and necessary
So what is really new?
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Role of Virtual Institutions
Virtual institutions fulfill similar roles but they are cheaper to operate
They are quicker and more reactive Highly collaborative model can be very
efficient to corrects bugs and errors Virtual institutions will find their place
among other social institutions
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Supporting Virtual Institutions
Virtual institutions are certainly useful but they seem rather fragile
They probably need some help: Social support Economic support Legal support Technical support
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Social and Economic Support
Participation in virtual institutions should be officially encouraged
Contributions to Free Software should be allowed and recognized
This is often the case in academia and in technological firms
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Legal Support
To be sustainable, a free model must be protected against commercial appropriation and copyright fights
Public domain licenses (ex: GPL) have therefore been devised
They seem to hold up so far...
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Technical Support
Technical support for virtual institutions is still rather primitive
Wiki model is useful but minimal Supporting structured discussions,
consensus-building, arbitration, etc, would also be useful
But one should avoid rigid formalisms!
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A Longer View
Computing began with the formalization of arithmetical and logical reasoning
More and more complex procedures and knowledge have been formalized
Social structures are now being formalized and automated
It’s time to formalize social institutions
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Conclusion
Virtual institutions are a remarkable new socio-technical phenomenon
Virtual institutions fulfill specific social needs in novel ways
They deserve more explicit support This is an occasion for the design of
innovative applications
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A Reference
Daniel MemmiInformation overload and virtual
institutions,AI and Society (2012)