This document offers an introduction to the project for developing a"Macroscope for Online Dialogue and Deliberation," which I have recently begun to actualize after four years of thinking through what might be possible if only we had a better tool for this purpose. For more information, +see these hackpads.You can also follow these links to learn more about +who I am and about my work via +The Conversation Collaborative. Ben Roberts, 6/2/14.
The“Macroscope” for Online Dialogue and Deliberation
"Macroscopes" are tools that make complexity visible and understandable(the term was coined by Joel de Rosnay in 1979). In the case of online(asynchronous) dialogue, we need tools that allow meaning and coherence to emerge from the complexity of conversations with large numbers of posts and participants. The Macroscope is a vision for a simple and highly flexible"widget" that can be“tuned” to accomplish this for virtually any type of conversation desired, from casual socializing, to outcome-driven deliberation, to open dialogue on a subject a group cares about deeply. As such, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we“do” online conversation, and could be applied anywhere you now see a comment thread or forum. Those separate conversations could also link together into meta-conversations. These could take place within a single site, and even across many sites, connecting thousands--and potentially millions-- of people.
The Macroscope uses multidimensional maps, as opposed to lists of posts, as the primary means for seeing what is happening in a conversation. The maps are automatically generated from data provided directly by participants, as opposed to the work of a human"mapper" or algorithms for textual data analysis(although either of these could also be overlaid onto the basic structure).
I’m looking for collaborators to help build a“simple” prototype(a“minimum viable product,” or MVP) with which to test out the core design I have been working on. This iteration might not need to have the“mapping” function worked out, as long as the basic data that will generate the map is being collected and can be navigated in some fashion. That will allow“determined” groups of participants to help us play with the core concept.
From there, if the MVP validates our basic design(or leads us to a new one that solves the same problems), I believe we can raise funding to develop a tool that is“ready for prime time.” I have strong connections to at least two potential clients. One of these is a major software company that is interested in a tool to support collaborative design conversations among its users, and the other is a global festival being planned for September 2015, where this tool could potentially be one of the"official channels" for the dialogue portion of the two-week event. This latter possibility is especially exciting, as it might allow us to engage a critical mass of users virtually overnight.
The longer term opportunities are also vast. Virtually any major content provider has an interest in supporting rich dialogue among its readers, especially in ways that prevent trolls from hijacking a conversation(this is one of the anticipated benefits of the Macroscope approach). And there are many other potential applications as well, along with the possibility that whole new conversational approaches might be invented by an avid user community. I am also strongly inclined to have this be an open source project, so the financial model will be based on custom implementation for specific clients, even as the tool is essentially given away to anyone who wants to support nuanced large group dialogue online.
The “Macroscope” for Online Dialogue and Deliberation