Networks between facts & concepts

Marianne van den Boomen

Natural networks

Cultural networks

Nature: physical, organic & neuronal networks

Culture: social, technical & media networks

Networks may be facts…

but also

abstract concepts….

A network is a set of links/relations

between elements/nodesof a unit

Networks everywhere

Network definition

Dots stand for?Lines stand for?Colors stand for?Circles stand for?

source:form

target:anything

target:internet

source:highway

Networks as metaphors

3 root metaphors for networks

1.Telegraph 2. Nerve system 3. Diagram

1. Telegraph metaphor

Telegraph: roads, pipes, wires, channels

• empty infrastructure for possible traffic

• homogeneous nodes & connection paths/lines

1. Telegraph metaphor

• external control by architecture, rules & protocol

• example: electronic highway

2. Nerve metaphor

Nervous system (ecosystem, cells, DNA, brains, life)

• organic emergence of structure, elements & traffic

• heterogeneous nodes & connections/relations

2. Nerve metaphor

• internal control by adaptation, mutual shaping, feedback & (self)organization

• example: cyberspace

3. Diagram metaphor

• abstract representation of relations/’links’

• maps of nodes & links: visual patterns

3. Diagram metaphor

• examples: data traffic – Twitter centers – social ties - cell metabolism - movie actors - scientific citations – hyperlinks

• control: internal, external?

Facebook

Network: factual or conceptual?

Phenomenon: ecosystem Model/metaphor: network diagram

Metaphor = theory

Model/metaphor

Theory

Phenomenon

Network theory = network politics

Theory/model: for example rhizome

(or power law, or protocol,or evolution,etc)

‘Phenomenon’: network