Hybrid Foam

Abstract

The three main concepts that have been used the last ten years to understand social formations on the Internet have fallen somewhat short when it comes to describing new forms of mass-interaction that thrive around computer-mediated practices such as collaborative bookmarking, open source software development or large scale discussion. The notion of community suggests a social closeness (shared interests and values, etc.) that understates the radical heterogeneity of the participating multitude; the concept of the social network implies a stability and permanence of connection that misses the fleetingness that characterizes many social encounters; finally, biological metaphors like the beehive or anthill reduce the significance and richness of individual action and perception.

With reference to the work of German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, this paper will explore the potential of the concept of foam for describing those systems on the Internet that bring together very big numbers of people in forms of interaction and collaboration characterized by fleeting encounters, transient teamwork and weak ties – social spaces that may or may not evolve into more stable forms of sociability. Defined as a substance formed by trappings of many gas bubbles in a liquid, somewhere between solidity and thin air, the metaphor of foam is quite suitable for tackling the social structures developing below the threshold of community and network while not giving in to the reductionism of biological metaphors. We are specifically interested in the role technology plays in enabling this hybrid form of sociability.