Picking Up Pieces

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Now that #IndieWeb buillding blocks have reached a each generation originally proposed in the Generatiosn model the community has begun to explore a broader conceptual models to explain our work.

In our research I stumbled on System Network Agent Theory the model provides many interesting parellels for our community.

In effect the IndieWeb community seeks to bring about transitions in society as an innovation system. 

Theoeritical Model of Social Network Agency Framework

In the model there are three levels, the agent level, network level, and system level. On the left you see how the system level evemts effect the network, and the then the agent level. This causes the agents to seek  types of technologies and interactions and they get unvolved and become actors. Often what drives action is a drastic occurence at the system level that shocks agents to mobilize.

Then on the right side of the diagram the actors come to some general agreement of proposal to move forward and the actos begin to change their routines which over time influences the itneraction mechanisms of the network. This mass has an influence of dynamics at the system level and positive change occurs overall.

I think the model is missing some element of resistance at each level, but this could make an interesting model for thinking about #IndieWeb.
IndieWeb and System Network Agent Theory

At the system level you have the backgroung charaterstics of the web, the current dominance of social media and  governance boards such as W3C, a standards board overseeing many protocols that run the web. Members of the IndieWeb community have worked at this level since the beginning of IndieWeb.

In fact the first desired transition to a distrubance or drastic event was seeking an alternative to not justt the  direction the W3C took around the social web but to the process of how the system did work. Strict inital propositions were introduced, you had to have your own domain (relaxed since 2013-2014), and all work would be done vida blogs, wikis and chat. No list serves or email. 

In more recent years IndieWeb  has grown beyond the web standards community and begun to encompass anyone seeking to own their data in a place you control online, preferably from your own domain.

The occurence of drastic events has also grown in scope. Most recently public digust with social media like Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr , and the demise of Google+ have driven folks to seek an alternative. 

Three levels of Innovation and Resistance

System Network Agent thory draws heavily from (Geels, 2002) three level model. Geels described innovation systems at the macro meso and micro level with bidirectional interaction between the macro and meso levels. At the meso level network effects an lockin effects influence and reinforce change at the micro level.

 I think it is useful to hone into the lock in effect, learning processes, scale benefits, and network effects with IndieWeb specificially with the importance of having your own website. The community also uses the class attritubte that any HTML element can carry metadata called microformats and the majority believe in keeping the web in human readbale first approaches, meaning if you printed out the source code you could still understand the text.

Microformats has served as a semiotic signifier of membership, created lock in effects and brought scale and network effects that allowed the learning processes innovation systems require.
Functions of Innovation Systems

Negro and Hekkert discussed seven functions of innovation systems in a model that seems to be driven by free market ideals. The first function entrepreneurial activities can be cast as more agent or creative based. 

    Function 1: Entrepreneurial activities-sounds a little free market bias to me, could be creative activites
    Function 2: Knowledge development (learning)-liking this concept of agentive apprenticeships
    Function 3: Knowledge diffusion through networks-liking Affinity Spaces
    Function 4: Guidance of the search-If you read the description this is more shared values
    Function 5: Market formation
    Function 6: Resource mobilisation
    Function 7: Advocacy coalition (creation of legitimacy/counteract resistance of change)

Yet there is evidence of all seven as the members of the IndieWeb community come to agreement on proposals.

For example In the community we develop different post types using microformats. This can include common media types such as articles, notes, photos, and bookmarks. Rather than begin with defined standards, the normative system level approach, the IndieWeb model of self sogfoodiong encourages experimentation until consensus emerges.
Innovation at the Agent Level

The focus of developing and building for yourself., a process the community calls selfdogfooding, a spurs the innovation system by focusing on change at the agent level first. Efforts to influence system change will fail if you do not live these changes yourself.

 

Once again the models seem to downplay the resistance to change encumbent poers and systems exert but by stressing the importance of having youw own website the #IndieWeb community performs one of the first functions of innovation systems.

The community also comes to agreement on a set of overarching principles and a Code of Coduct to govern behaivor. 
Innovation at the Network Level

Overtime IndieWeb actors made changes in their routines. Many document their growth on a shared wiki and meet daily in a chat channel that combines IRC, internet relay chat,  with Slack, a commercial chat app,

Overtime the interaction lead to changes in the mechanisms of the system. This is most evident in the emergence of social readers that provide the fourth and fifth functions of innovation systems whil stregthening network lockin. 

The tools for learning also encouraged knowledge development and diffusion. The community mantains agrowing wiki. This wiki is connected with a chatbot. People can query for articles and write stubs from the chatroom. Unlike most wiki communities no talk page is provided. Emphasis is put on editing the wiki rather than talking about editing.
Innovation at the System Level 

IndieWeb as an innovation system has already influenced transition at the system level. One of the greatest lockin draws the community offers is no lock in at all. All of the technologies deployed in IndieWeb building blocks align to W3C and current HTML standards.

More importantly, the founding members of the IndieWeb community, while initialing seeking space to work outside of the normal channels did not get involved in system level decision making. The interaction mechanism developed by the IndieWeb community have started to to become standards themselves.

For example, webmentions, which connect all the websites in the IndieWeb community have reached recommendation status for the W3C.

Simultaneuosly the news coming from the social media silos grows more and more disturbing. As the #IndieWeb community has greater influence at the system level more people are driven to being to make the changes at the agent level to get more involved in the #IndieWeb community. 

 

== See Also == [[https://quickthoughts.jgregorymcverry.com/2019/03/02/understanding-socio-technical-change-a-system-network-agent-approach--catherine-miluska-chiong-meza|System Network Agent Approach]]