Executive Guide to Networked Societies

FACILITATOR Michael Netzley, PhD Academic Director, SMU ExD

Jan 2014

Opportunity

DARPA Red Balloon Challenge

•  2009 challenge on wide area collaboration

•  Defense Advance Research Project Agency

•  $40,000 prize to be first at finding 10 balloons around the United States

•  How long did the winning team need to find them?

FEWER  THAN  NINE  HOURS  

How Did the MIT Team Win?

•  Shared the reward –  $2000 correct

coordinates –  $1000 for whomever

invited them –  $500 for inviting the

inviter –  $250 for inviting them –  And so on…

•  Mass & social media were complementary

•  Data mining via social media

What Was The Challenge?

•  Competition to succeed to locating

•  Geographically dispersed information

•  Nontraditional problem required a nontraditional solution

Crowdsourcing  

Today’s Objectives

Today’s Objectives

•  Understand it is all about networks

•  Introduce Castell’s networked societies

•  Learn the mechanics of networks (intro to network theory)

•  Highlight weak & strong ties

•  Feature three trends you need to watch: big data, e-Commerce & mobility

Twitter & Queenstown

We  Live  in  Networks  

Expa

nds

Your

R

esou

rce

Bas

e

Why Now?

Misdirect: Networks, not Information

•  The defining characteristic of the modern age is networks –  All societies have had information (e.g., Ancient

Athens and Rome) –  Digital networks are unique to the current age –  Networks, for the first time, can be a sustained

structure for organizing people and work

Space of Places

Flows: Information & People

How We Now Organize Societal elites are now much less

connected to cities [places], and are instead connected to information

flows. Thus, the network serves as our organizing principle.

Previously, networks were just an ad hoc organizational structure until the

rise of digital technologies.

Network Theory

Research Says

Harvard Med School: Emotions Spread Through Large Social Networks

Conclusion: People’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.

- British Medical Journal 337 (2008) Fowler and Christakis

Harvard Med School: Obesity Spreads Through Large Social Networks

“You may not know him personally, but your friend’s husband’s coworker can make you fat. And your sister’s friend’s boyfriend can make you thin.”

- Fowler and Christakis (2009) Connected

Harvard Political Scientist: Why Americans Vote

If you vote, then it increases the likelihood that your friend’s friend will also vote….Instead of each of us having only one vote, we effectively have several and therefore much more likely to influence the outcome.

- Fowler and Christakis (2009) Connected

Rule: Three Degrees of Influence

25

25

25

25

25

155

Friend’s Friend’s Friend

Rule: Connections need to be strong; you need not know the people.

When to Use Weak Ties

•  Speed of Distribution •  Less Dependent on Others •  Reach Distant Targets with Whom We are not

Connected •  Innovative Ideas or Models •  Episodic Information Flows •  Bridge Diverse Groups

When to Use Strong Ties

•  Urgent Situation •  Dependency for Well Being •  Decision Making •  Ethos-Based Infuence •  Access: Doors Opened •  Regular Information Flows •  Change Target’s Values

Tipping Point for Ideas: Just 10%?

•  Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC)

•  journal Physical Review E in an article titled “Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities.”

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.

Source

The Data

Duncan  Wa(s  Offers  an  Important  Point  of  Contrast  

Influencers or Influenceable?

Benefits of Networks

Tech Lowers Cost of Making Weak Ties

Enable the free flow of

info

Peripheral

Cental

Bridging

Expand Your R

esource B

ase

Solv

e

Prob

lem

s

Messages from Peers more Influential

Embedded

in the N

etwork

What Does It Mean for You?

3 Must-Watch Trends

Big Data Analyzing  large  data  sets—so-­‐called  big  data—will  become  a  key  basis  of  compeBBon,  underpinning  new  waves  of  producBvity  growth,  innovaBon,  and  consumer  surplus      

 -­‐  McKinsey,  Big  Data:  The    Next  Fron2er  for    Innova2on,  Compe22on,    and  Produc2vity.  

E-Commerce e-­‐commerce  spending  topped  more  than  $1  trillion  in  business-­‐to-­‐consumer  spending.  That  number  represents  21%  year-­‐over-­‐year  growth,  which  is  expected  to  conBnue  this  year  as  online  spending  tops  $1.3  trillion.    

 -­‐  Wal-­‐Mart’s  e-­‐  Commerce  Poten2al,    Inc.magazine,  2013  

E-Commerce in China

Mobility

Mobile Driving Online Usage

“Asia  has  an  insa)able  appe)te  for  mobile”  

“By  2015,one  in  two  people  in  the  world  using  the  Internet  will  be  in  Asia  and  in  the  region  a  persons  first  experience  online  will  likely  be  on  mobile.”        

Aliza  Knox,  Managing  Director  of  Commerce,  Google  APAC  

So What Changes? •  Increase in geography-based search terms as people

move about and conduct searches (state source?) •  Most SEO today does not factor in geographic terms, so

SEO must be updates •  People rapidly enter search terms by small screen while

moving, so mistakes increase, and the search engine must still recognize and find the relevant results (and quickly)

•  Many search engines driven by ad revenues, so how do you display ads successfully on such a small screen?

Michael Netzley About The Prof

Michael Netzley, PhD •  Academic Director, SMU Executive Development •  Daddy with 3 daughters & 1 son •  SMU since 2002 •  Champion’s Award, Innovative Course

Design and Delivery •  Research Fellow, Society for New Communication

Research •  Visiting positions in Argentina, Berlin, Finland,

Slovenia, and Japan •  Worked with IBM, TCS, IHG, 3M, Singapore

Airline, Mastercard, Motorola, and Shell