DNA: Towards a methodfor analysing Social Machines & Web Observatories

Ian Brown, Wendy Hall, Lisa HarrisWeb Science Institute

Notes:

This work is funded by the EPSRC underSOCIAM: the theory & practice of socialmachines, the Web Science Institute andthe Web Science Trust 

I'd like to acknowledge the ideas, feedback and supportof my colleagues from SOCIAM, the WSI and the Web Science Trust network of Labs (WSTnet)

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This talk is as much about the problems and challenges that drive the proposed method as it is about the method 

Because (observing) the Web is complex - both socialand technical

Because observing the Web is not all about Web Science

Because a usable method is directly driven by theproblems is seeks to address

Scope

Notes:

Overview

What is the problem (opportunity)?

What can you measure/describe? DNA.

So what?

How can we remain inclusive whilst contributing greater differentiation? How do we account for differentapproaches? 

Does this say anything about Social Machines more widely?

Conclusions & Future Work

Notes:

"In attempting to go beyond the

notional and yet stop before the

normative there is a fluid and

and almost fragile space in which

we understand what (the) Web

Observatory is, what it could be

and what it means to Observe.." 

Notes:

An Observatory

The Observatory

A Web Observatory

The Web Observatory

The Web of Observatories

The Web Science Observatory

A social machine for observing social machines

Data on the Web?

Data about the Web?

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Real life is and must be full of all kinds of social constraint – the very processes from which society arises. Computers can help if we use them to create abstract social machines on the Web: processes in which the people do the creative work and the machine does the administration.

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Social machines are Web-based socio-technical systems in which the human and technological elements play the role of participant machinery with respect to the mechanistic realisation of system-level processes.

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Consider the raw artefact ..

Das Ding an sich ...

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We need to consider how our perceptionsare shaped by roles, frames and experienceswhen we come to agree on a definition for anything

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is modified by the perception of the individual of some/all part(s) of the artefact

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The n-blind men and the <insert artefact here>

Note that these people may argue later about a definition

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Brilliant Idea! Jack is the ONLY answer .... obvious really

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Bias

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So back to our question - if everyone is potentiallyholding a different view does it makeany sense to define Observatories at all ?

I submit that it makes little difference if individual or standalone systems decide to adopt the name or align themselves to a single definition of an Observatory (WO) or not

HOWEVERa Web of Observatories (a virtual W3O) does require some common orientation to allow for interoperation.

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Not just the Web but also Web Observatory

With thanks to David de Roure

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Types of social function

Epistemic Object

Technical ObjectBoundary Object

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Boundary objects are objects which are both plastic enough

to adapt to local needs and constraints of the several

parties employing them, yet robust enough to maintain

a common identity across sites. They are weakly structured

in common use, and become strongly structured in

individual-site use.

Boundary Objects

Notes:

" .. initial goal was to analyze the nature of

co-operative work in the abscence of consensus"

Susan Leigh Star

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What are the axes or perspectives that we can use to distinguish, group or differentiate systems that areWeb Observatories WOs or, at least, Observatory-Shaped Objects OSOs.

> What is a WO? 

>> How is WO used?

>>> Why is a WO needed?

Notes:

> What is a WO? 

>> How is WO used?

>>> Why is a WO needed?

Form / Functionality

Process / Operations

Motivations / Roles

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Definition:

A list of features, blocks and boundaries in order to define,what a system comprises, what it can do and where it starts and ends 

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Facets ofFunctionality

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EnhancedConceptMap

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Webscience.meperspective is everything ..

Web Observatory Facets

Feb 2014

Here is a Concept Map for an Observatory highlighted to show which of the features/concepts have been

Notes:

Definition: Knife

"an instrument composed of a blade fixed into a handle"

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The physical form may be quitesimilar but the application is very different in each case ..

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Turns out that 

"WHAT is a WO?" is not a very interestingquestion on its own ..

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Nature:

Defining what a system actually does in terms of exchanges,meaningful operations and how these are framed

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In addition to a list/taxonomy of featureswe are going to need a vocabulary of processes/interactions

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e5 Social Machineprocesses

SWITCH MAPS

Social machines comprise technical,operational (process) and motivationalelements. This maps looks at the widerfield of Social Machine processesincluding the external eco-system factors -the three-phase processing cycle(encounter, enhance and execute) and thepossible emergent efeects. This gives usthe e5 model.

e5 Social Machine Processes Ú

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Webscience.meperspective is everything ..

From Search to Observation: an update

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Archetypes / Aspirations

The individuals/groups who are deriving

some benefit from the the Observatory. 

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DNA WO Reiss Explore Account Logout Support Download

Reiss Motivations Edit

Reiss Motivations

Behaviours

Cognitions

Emotions

Resources

Reiss Motivations

Search

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Where does the data for these perspectives come from:

Definition - literature survey, specs (Deductive)

Nature - literature survey explicit and implied (Inductive)

Archetype/Ambitions - Case study, Interviews (Abductive) 

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Potential objection from the audience ...

"What makes you think that the functionality D is drivingthe usage N which dictates/shapes how people interactand apply this idea A

Doesn't DNA enforce a structure or sequence that may not be there?"

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Choose one (or patterns) as your model/theory suggests

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Does this model carry over to Social Machines? 

non-Webby social machines

Emergent or transient social machines

Summary

Flexible Method / 3D view

Covers major perspectives of social objects

(Physical, Application, Semantic/Cognitive) 

Has a structure (DNA) but allows NDA, AND etc

Notes:

Future Work

Future work includes systematic review of WOs in different

social spaces (academic, business and community) to 

validate that the Ds, Ns and As we have gathered exhaust

the space for WO we can observe (so far)

PoC work to look at the feasibility of mobilising the process

work using ODRL and LSC for policy/permission exchange

across WOs

Synthesising the A interviews into broader theory of

Observation 

Notes:

"In attempting to go beyond the

notional and yet stop before the

normative there is a fluid and

and almost fragile space in which

we understand what (the) Web

Observatory is, what it could be

and what it means to Observe.." 

Notes:

Failure to define leads to confusion, mis-direction and wasted effort

Notes: