from code to memes : how the web is rewiring space

From code to memes : how the Web is rewiring space

Anti Tectonics Forum 751 Art District, Beijing. September, 28th. 2013

Clément Renaud

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Renaud Clément

Freelance Researcher / phD• Data Visualization• Media Studies• Web Development• Information System• Urban Geography

Suburbian phase : cars « Smart » Phase : ICT

(Thrift & French, 2002)

“More and more, the spaces of everyday life come loaded up with software”

How does the social web influence our practices of space?

Online Social networksIm

age from Rian.ru

Online memes :-)

What is a meme?

meme. An element of a culture that may be considered to be passed on by non genetic means‐

‐‐ Oxford English Dictionary

US politics : Grand Old Party

highly polarized discussionJapan Hearthquake in March 2011

Typical hot news spread

Different memes spread differently

Arab Spring strongly connected hubs

Different memes spread differently

From Weng et al., 2012 in Nature

Structure of Social Networks

Random Network Free-scale Network Small World Network

Social Networks are « small worlds »

Facebook Friendship Map by Facebook Data team

The web is rewiring us, but how?

Urban renewal has built unnatural urban spaces that destroyed communities (Jacobs, 1961)

The engineered serendipity of the Web also tends to enclose our “digital surroundings”.(Zuckerman, 2013)

Online Extensibility

The bubble of the Web (Pariser, 2011)

The « guidebook effect »

I am moving to XXX!

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Place B looks strangely familiar…

With social engineering, serendipity and extensibility are decreasing rapidly.

The interface lead us through code, datato find desirable friends , objects and places.

But even by going places online, maybe we are just travelling

through our small worlds.

Thanks for your attention

Clément Renaudclement.renaud@gmail.com