Networks are the basis of our society. This was true throughout history.
Today, we are dealing with something that is setting us on a pace that is unforeseen. In the past, networks were formed around a physical resource, such as food or water. From this sprung the formation of people, along with the city and nation-states.
Over time, we moved towards globalization. This was a natural progression driven by technology. The means of production were no longer local, instead being fed into a global economy.
Naturally, all of this altered how society operated.
We also have the shift towards information. Here is where we see a new level of disruption that also is unprecedented.
Networks Like Hive Will Alter Society
The Internet was originally called "The Information Super Highway".
While this moniker faded away, it does convey what took place. Our society started to be assembled around information. The Internet altered the distribution, causing disruption in many areas. Many traditional systems broke down as new ones emerged.
In short, socio-economic systems faced a new paradigm. We were both global and local. Spatial considerations were instantly eliminated due to the vast communication networks that emerged. Online communities grew in size, facing no geographical restrictions.
At the same time, local focus was still present. This is now occurring at an even faster pace. It is causing a shift among people, with some favoring one side or other. What is actually happening is we are living in both simultaneously.
Networks excel at informal organization. They tend to be horizontal in nature, overcoming the limitations presented by vertical, centralized organizations. Of course, they are flexible enough to be incorporated into those system too.
In the past, scaling was a problem. Informal organizations were limited in their reach. The ability to have distributed coordination started to emerge with the introduction of algorithms. We now have non-linear communications and automated platforms making entities capable of very complex functions.
Network Disruption
What is Hive?
At the core, it is a network. We can add to this by it is a decentralized database of information. This is crucial.
When we look at the disruption of networks, we see how the both destroy and create. Anything that is dependent upon the linear flow of information can be disrupted. This is exemplified by the traditional media and entertainment companies. They are facing network disruption from Web 3.0 simply due to structure.
What ends up happening is that a network like Hive ends up disrupting the means of production and organization with each new connection that takes place. We saw a lot of this in the Web 2.0 evolution. It changed human institutions and experiences, moving to a non-linear model. This radically changed society as evidenced by the fact removing the Internet would collapse most Western economies.
Networks allow us to simultaneously separate and combine. The production process, for the most part, was separated from the local areas, opting for something global. At the same time, context that were defined by local boundaries are now reduced in impact as we see the combination of social constructs (groups) without this basis.
All of this started decades ago. What is changing how?
At present, we mostly have networks that are operated within centralized confines. This is evident with our social media platforms, which allow for the horizontal flow of information yet are owned entities. The equity is not with the users.
Each time we look at a network, it is existing within this framework. It applies to the smartphones we use (operating system), the phone carrier, monetary system, political process, and shopping network. Every one of these has a closed database, something that is within their control.
This means that the value of information is being continually directed towards these entities. Networks change society yet we are watching the value of this being siphoned by a relatively small number of major entities.
Here is where something like Hive can step it.
We are continually moving towards the information society. It is one no longer dependent upon space or even physical resources. Rather, it is based upon knowledge and information processing.
In other words, we are back to data.
With Hive, we see the ability to store text data in a decentralized manner. According to the principle of the "information pyramid", the lower levels of information serve as the building blocks for higher ones. This means data is to the information economy what oil was to the industrial revolution.
Feeding Larger Systems
Nothing operates in a vacuum.
Hive might seem like it is off on an island but it is not. As we see, within each activity is the basis for something larger. Whatever information is in the database can be repurposed, generating even more knowledge. This is how the information economy grows.
The most recent example of this are the Large Learning Models (LLM) that are appearing. We already see the potential for disruption. At the same time, as shown by the NY Times lawsuit against OpenAI, the old barriers are being attacked.
Essentially, the information put forth by the NY Times was used to feed a larger system. This is how networks operate. We are going to see a period where there is uncertainty as the old tries to hold on while the new pushes it out. This certainly includes the legal realm which tends to be very slow to change.
Ultimately, networks always win.
Web 3.0 is another paradigm shift waiting to happen. The reason why it is slow in evolving is simply because the information is lacking. In other words the databases are basically empty.
If we look at this from a ground up perspective, we can see the issue? There are no upper levels of the pyramid without the foundation.
It is the flaw across all of Web 3.0 at the moment, including Hive. People are focused upon the outside instead of realizing what the information age truly means. The lack of services screams this. How do you present a service in this era without information?
This would be akin to running the economy during the 1940s without oil.
Of course, those that had access to this resource and were able to combine it with the knowledge of production and manufacturing were able to excel.
This is no different except the resource is different. Web 2.0 system aced the ability to accumulate, harness, and advance their information. They created powerful feedback loops that keep growing their network effects.
Web 3.0, thus far, is nothing more than potential. It presents a new opportunity for equity stake in networks, providing a piece of the information economy. Essentially, it is monetizing the knowledge base that is created.
That said, until it is exists, we are simply dealing with vaporware.
Posted Using InLeo Alpha