NLab Social Networks Conference - Roland Harwood at Custard In The Ether

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NLab Social Networks Conference - Roland Harwood

By admin | July 7, 2008

Harwood’s whirlwind talk collected together lots of thoughts, research and parallels considering the question: “Are social networks the new cities?”, a title which Harwood noted is more than just a metaphor. Social networks are already starting to fulfil some of the functions that grow cities – creating a networked business economy and fostering public characters, who act as connectors within communities, developing common experiences and associations for those within the community.

Harwood referred mainly to two texts: Jane Jacobs’ “Death and Life of Great American Cities” and Steve Johnson’s “Emergence”. He talked of the rise of urbanism in the world and the way in which technology changes places. People who study urban growth, look at the rule of technology. He also noted that we are only at the start of understanding how the web is changing places…

In a quote from Jacobs, Harwood explained that the essence of cities – why they are exciting – is the freedom to walk around the busy streets – in a car-dependant society you are isolated from other individuals, whereas whilst walking the streets in a city means there is interaction and changed behaviour in response to your actions and those of others.

What interested Harwood about social networks is the way you interact with people you don’t know well – the weak ties. I referred to this recently in my post Translating the Reality into the Virtual when I noted that we have taken the “Christmas card list” social convention online. In online social networks you can build relationships with people who are on the periphery of your network –sometimes building relationships before you meet people.

Harwood went on to say that social networks allow communities to form in our pockets, which replaces the isolation of cities. For communities to develop, there has to be a balance between the quality of interaction and the convenience of interaction. Cities erode both of these elements, whereas social networks help replace them.