Earlier this month at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, a group of high-visibility researchers in the area of Network Theory convened to discuss the state of the science. Network Theory brings together philosophy, law, physics, mathematics, computer science, political science, communications and sociology, among other subjects, to investigate just how networks are shaping and being shaped by concepts like power, access, and data interchange standards.
Dr. Karine Barzilai-Nahon of the UW Information School was one of 12 researchers asked to present during the seminar. Manuel Castells, Yochai Benkler, Bruno Latour, Wendy Hall, Nigel Shadbolt, Peter Monge and Ernest J. Willson III also presented.
"[The goal of the seminar was] to bring together different streams of thought and perspectives on networks to one table," said Barzilai-Nahon. Attendees came to Los Angeles in an effort to make the study of networks more inter and multi-disciplinary. "Annenberg periodically brings the top 20 scholars in a field to foster new conversations in sessions that occur over two days.
"I was honored to be included and inspired by their reaction to my presentation. It's been useful to be at the UW iSchool, while developing Network Gatekeeping Theory, because [iSchool Associate Professor] Cheryl Metoyer's work began the research on gatekeepers. Its development since then has primarily been as a metaphor. I've tried to develop it theoretically in a network context: in networks, gatekeepers don't only provide access, it's also about information control - gatekeepers facilitate, they connect and link, they don't just control access to the 'gate'."
Barzilai-Nahon also recognizes the ambiguity regarding inclusion and exclusion from networks. "Each one of us can be part of different networks, and the blurriness switches all the time between whether we are gatekeepers or gated, included or excluded. As this line between gatekeepers and the gated becomes fuzzier, I try to ask, What does that mean?
"[As theorists, we] usually ignore the notion of what it means to be gated, or subjected to gatekeeping. With the spread of networks, gated people now have a lot of power."
And, in fact, power is increasingly a concern of Network Theory. Dr. Shadbolt, in his presentation on the semantic web and its use in his work in e-government, says "People, if you give them the data, are empowered in really striking ways." He cites a mash-up of open data on bicycle accidents in London that was used to create maps of routes to avoid, and an analysis of open data on water service in Zanesville, Ohio, that provided definitive proof of racial bias in service provision as two fairly recent examples. He suggests that this power can then be used to support objectives like greater accountability and transparency.
"[Network Theory] fits really well with what an iSchool does because iSchools embrace theories from different disciplines and shape and mold them into something that makes meaning out of information," said Barzilai-Nahon. "From that point of view, information schools are a natural venue for attempts to try and break out of silos."
The conversation will continue when the University of Washington hosts Dr. Castells on April 8 and 9 at the Walker Ames Lecture, presented by the UW Graduate School and UW Alumni Association.
Video from the seminar at Annenberg can be found on the seminar website.