1. Initial thoughts
about existence
in the Web
Philoweb 2011
Thessaloniki, 5/10/2011
Michalis Vafopoulos
vafopoulos.org

2. Preface
Web needs science & philosophy
Science should “pay back” the Web
This Not a philosopher’s approach
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3. Main issues
Discussing existence in the Web through a
simple framework
• more complex reality
• Web-centric abstractions
• Linking, virtualization
• networks, URI
(work in progress, few things fixed, comments are
welcome)
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4. Outline
① The easy part: criticism
② The hard part: build concepts & models
③ The Being-Query framework: network
inside!
④ Introducing the Web: Web Beings
⑤ The Being – Query framework expanded
⑥ How can this framework be useful?
– Understand & compare diverse models
– Expand existing & create new concepts
– Initiate interesting questions
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5. The easy part: criticism
“Web …
resource”
• economic and ecological connotations
– human, natural, renewable etc.
– land, labor, and capital
– 12 appearances in Economics classification
(JEL)
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource
not a single word about Internet or Web
thing”
• Not descriptive, too general, multiple meanings
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6. The hard part: build concepts
Step 1: definition & assumptions
• A Being exists if and only if there is a communication
channel linking to it. (possible update based on HH)
• A Query is the phrasing of a question by a Being,
usually in terms of a code. The questions are messages
expressed as sequences of symbols in the query
language. Beings have Queries that address them to
other Beings.
up to now: an abstract model that could be described by
a weighted network of Beings (not very useful!)
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7. … and models
Step 2: building the framework
• Users, are Beings that can “consciously” form
Queries.
• Queries are organized in Topics (tractable and
processable).
Querie
Topics s
Users Beings
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8. The Being-Query framework: network inside!
A quad network:
contraction of 4 interconnected networks
Querie
Topics s
Users Beings
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9. Introducing the Web: Web Beings
Beings that can be communicated through the
Web.
 URI: The minimal description of invariant
elements in communication through the Web.
 Directly connected to existence (birth, access,
navigate, edit & death of a Web being)
 Other characteristics of Web beings may change
in time.
 A change in URI means the death of existing &
birth of a new WB.
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10. The Being – Query framework expanded
“Teleportation”, Search Engines, relevance
feedback, …
Search Engine: get as inputs Queries and produce
collections of Web beings
Queries
Topics
Web
Queries
Search engine
Users “teleportation” Beings
Web Web
Users Beings
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11. How can this framework be useful?
Networks facilitate understanding, measuring,
modeling, comparing, deciding & forming policy
when connections matter and today matter
more than ever…
A. Understand & compare existing models
B. Expand existing & create new concepts
C. Initiate interesting questions
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12. A. Understand & compare existing models
① Computer science [e.g. User models, TF (single: Web)]
② Network science [e.g. Barabasi (single: Web)]
③ Economic modeling (e.g.)
– Stegeman (dual: Users-Web)
– Papadimitriou et al (triad: Users-Queries, Topics, Web)
– Katona-Sarvary (triad: Navigators-Users, Editors-
Web, Topics)
– Not yet published (quad-network models)
Possible extensions in DSS, ERP, Bus. Intelligence
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13. B. Expand existing & create new concepts
• Existing: e.g. Digital economy, ICT4D,
internet of things,…
• New: e.g. Web goods
Web beings with economic value
Web Users
Web economy
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14. Web Users and economy
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15. C. Initiate interesting questions
Incorporates directly the relation and co-
evolution between online and physical world
• What is the quality & quantity of this relation?
• Rethink influential concepts under the
proposed framework:
Embodiment, artifactualization, network
individualism, privatised spaces and peer
production.
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16. Thank you!
?
Michalis Vafopoulos
vafopoulos.org
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17. Supplement
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18. Web Science Subject Categorization
A. General
B. Web History and Methodology
C. Web Technologies
D. Web Analysis
E. Web Society
http://webscience.org/2010/wssc.html
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19. Web economy
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20. Web users
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