ED C&I 831 Ken Meredith’s Blog

In Stephen Downes’ presentation he eluded to the how technology and networks create order out of an otherwise chaotic system.  He used an analogy of a TV and a picture of Richard Nixon.  If we look at a single pixel it seems like chaos; however, if we look from the perspective of how the pixels interact with one another, they become organized in the form of a picture. 

When he was explaining these phenomena, I thought of an author that I have read a little bit about.  Steven Johnson explains his theory called emergence.  Emergent theory suggests a bottom-up structure with very few rules.  The structure is chaotic, yet the result is organized.  If you ever get a chance to read about emergence theory, it is certainly takes a different spin on the evolution of technology.