by: David Armano
When we think about social networks—we tend to focus on the connecting
nodes. The links that bind us and what makes a network, a network.
But the less frequently told story is the one where we spend countless
hours building and maintaining our own little “social solar systems“. In these “social systems” we have multiple planetary ecosystems revolving around us.
(click for larger image)
We are the center of our own micro-universe.
The related concept of a “social graph“
is difficult to explain, but social systems is easy. Many of us are
now managing multiple social ecosystems. If you think of these as
planets—some rotate in closer proximity to us. We “warm” them with our
attention frequently. Others may orbit at further proximities—but they
are still in our social systems. When we abandon a social ecosystem
that we can no longer sustain, it drifts away from our orbit and dies.
Many of us have had these experiences.
But when we find ourselves as the supplier of light in our
self-created microverse, the implications become clear. There are only
so many ecosystems that we can meaningfully sustain. And I suppose if
you were to zoom out of this specific “social system”—you might
encounter others. The number could be infinite. And maybe it would look a little like this.
