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Fabio [.] Giglietto [@uniurb.it] Department of Communication Studies and Human Sciences | Università di Urbino Carlo Bo

Workshop on “Social Systems: from Simulation to Observation”

Merida, Yucatán (México), 24-28 June 201312th International Conference of Sociocybernetics

THE SOCIOCYBERNETICS OF SOCIAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

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Outline

• Social Systems Theory;

• Social semantics in Luhmann;

• Permanence, searchability, scalability & replicability;

• The Era of Mass media for the masses;

• Research opportunities for social scientists;

• Differences among platforms: Facebook, Twitter e YouTube;

• Twitter case study;

• Facebook case study.

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Social Systems Theory

Social systems as

(recursive, operationally closed, self-observing)

networks of communication.

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Semantics

In this book Niklas Luhmann analyses the emergence of ‘love' as the basis of personal relationships in modern societies. He argues that, while family systems remained intact in the transition from traditional to modern societies, a semantics for love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; this semantics was then transferred back into marriage and eventually transformed marriage itself.

Drawing on a diverse range of historical and literary sources, Luhmann retraces the emergence and evolution of the special semantics of passionate love that has come to form the basis of modern forms of intimacy and personal relationships.

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4 properties of Networked Space

•Permanence;

•Replicability;

•Scalibility;

•Searchability.

(boyd 2008)

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The Networked “publics-sphere”

persistence scalability replicability searchability

few Writings Printing press, newspapers Digital media (pc, video-cameras)

World Wide Web + Google (Google News/Books, N Gram Viewer)

many Writings Digital media (pc, video-cameras)

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Searchable Semantics

NGRAM VIEWER

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The Networked “publics-sphere”

persistence scalability replicability searchability

few Writings Printing press, newspapers Digital media (pc, video-cameras)

World Wide Web + Google (Google News, N Gram Viewer)

many Writings Personal online publishing / Social Media (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)

Digital media (pc, video-cameras)

World Wide Web + Google (Twitter Search)

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From simulation to observation (1/2)

Simulation

• Models

Observation

• “Real” data

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From simulation to observation (2/2)

https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/visualizing-friendships/469716398919

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Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

• Gather data trough the platforms Application Programming Interface (API);

• Twitter Search, Streaming API and the Firehose;

• Facebook Privacy & research App.

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Twitter case study

• [LINK]* (link to the modified YourTwapperKeeper version developed within a national interest project on social network sites in Italy);

* Link to beta version of the platform has been removed for publication

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Twitter Case Study

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/2012/01/02/taking-twitter-metrics-to-a-new-level-part-3/

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Twitter case study: earthquake in Italy (21-05-2012)

Twee

ts c

on

tain

ing

#te

rrem

oto

Hours of the dayEarthquake data: INGV

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Twitter case study: earthquake in Italy

2012-05-20 4:00 - 2012-05-20 6:00 2012-05-20 15:00 - 2012-05-20 17:00

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Facebook case study

• https://apps.facebook.com/netvizz/ + Gephi

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Useful references

• Bruns, A., & Burgess, J. E. (2011, August 27). The use of Twitter hashtags in the formation of ad hoc publics. Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/46515/1/The_Use_of_Twitter_Hashtags_in_the_Formation_of_Ad_Hoc_Publics_(final).pdf.

• Luhmann, N. (2013). Introduction to systems theory. Cambridge, UK: Polity.

• boyd, d. (2008). Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf.

• Giglietto, F. (2009) Social semantics in a networked space. New perspectives for social sciences. InTechnology and Social Complexity.

• Giglietto, F., Rossi, L., Bennato, D. (2012) The Open Laboratory: Limits and Possibilities of Using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as a Research Data Source. In Journal of Technology in Human Services 30 (3-4).

• Mazzoli, L., Giglietto, F. (2013) Social Systems: from Simulation to Observation. In Epistemologia III (1).