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Futures of a distributed memory. A global brain wave measurement (1800–2000)

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  • Roth, Steffen
  • Clark, Carlton
  • Trofimov, Nikolay
  • Mkrtichyan, Artur
  • Heidingsfelder, Markus
  • Appignanesi, Laura
  • Pérez-Valls, Miguel
  • Berkel, Jan
  • Kaivo-oja, Jari

Abstract

If the global brain is a suitable model of the future information society, then one future of research in this global brain will be in its past, which is its distributed memory. In this paper, we draw on Francis Heylighen, Marta Lenartowicz, and Niklas Luhmann to show that future research in this global brain will have to reclaim classical theories of social differentiation in general and theories of functional differentiation in particular to develop higher resolution images of this brain's function and sub-functions. This claim is corroborated by a brain wave measurement of a considerable section of the global brain. We used the Google Ngram Viewer, an online graphing tool which charts annual counts of words or sentences as found in the largest available corpus of digitalized books, to analyse word frequency time-series plots of key concepts of social differentiation in the English as well as in the Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Italian sub-corpora between 1800 and 2000. The results of this socioencephalography suggest that the global brain's memory recalls distinct and not yet fully conscious biases to particular sub-functions, which are furthermore not in line with popular trend statements and self-descriptions of modern societies. We speculate that an increasingly intelligent global brain will start to critically reflect upon these biases and learn how to anticipate or even design its own desired futures.

Suggested Citation

  • Roth, Steffen & Clark, Carlton & Trofimov, Nikolay & Mkrtichyan, Artur & Heidingsfelder, Markus & Appignanesi, Laura & Pérez-Valls, Miguel & Berkel, Jan & Kaivo-oja, Jari, 2017. "Futures of a distributed memory. A global brain wave measurement (1800–2000)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 307-323.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:118:y:2017:i:c:p:307-323
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.02.031
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Steffen Roth & Jari Kaivo-Oja, 2016. "Is the future a political economy? Functional analysis of three leading foresight and futures studies journals," Post-Print hal-01465701, HAL.
    2. Steffen Roth, 2015. "Free Economy! On 3628800 Alternatives of and to Capitalism," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 27(2), pages 107-128, July.
    3. Steffen Roth, 2014. "Fashionable Functions: A Google Ngram View of Trends in Functional Differentiation (1800-2000)," International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI), IGI Global, vol. 10(2), pages 35-58, April.
    4. Loet Leydesdorff, 2012. "The Triple Helix, Quadruple Helix, …, and an N-Tuple of Helices: Explanatory Models for Analyzing the Knowledge-Based Economy?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 3(1), pages 25-35, March.
    5. Roth, Steffen, 2015. "Free economy! On 3628800 alternatives of and to capitalism," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 27(2), pages 107-128.
    6. Last, Cadell, 2017. "Global Commons in the Global Brain," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 48-64.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Roth, Steffen & Dahms, Harry F. & Welz, Frank & Cattacin, Sandro, 2019. "Print theories of computer societies. Introduction to the digital transformation of social theory," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    2. Palmås, Karl, 2019. "From hacking to simulation: Periodizing digitally-inspired social theory," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 105-112.
    3. Roth, Steffen & Schwede, Peter & Valentinov, Vladislav & Žažar, Krešimir & Kaivo-oja, Jari, 2019. "Big data insights into social macro trends (1800–2000): A replication study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    4. Vladislav Valentinov & Constantine Iliopoulos, 2021. "Social capital in cooperatives: an evolutionary Luhmannian perspective," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 1317-1331, September.
    5. Roth, Steffen & Schwede, Peter & Valentinov, Vladislav & Pérez-Valls, Miguel & Kaivo-oja, Jari, 2020. "Harnessing big data for a multifunctional theory of the firm," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 54-61.
    6. Guy, Jean-Sébastien, 2019. "Digital technology, digital culture and the metric/nonmetric distinction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 55-61.
    7. Ossewaarde, Marinus, 2019. "Digital transformation and the renewal of social theory: Unpacking the new fraudulent myths and misplaced metaphors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 24-30.
    8. Steffen Roth & Vladislav Valentinov & Markus Heidingsfelder & Miguel Pérez-Valls, 2020. "CSR Beyond Economy and Society: A Post-capitalist Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 411-423, September.
    9. Wenzel, Matthias & Will, Matthias Georg, 2019. "The communicative constitution of academic fields in the digital age: The case of CSR," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 517-533.
    10. Acerbi, Alberto & Sacco, Pier Luigi, 2022. "The self-control vs. self-indulgence dilemma: A culturomic analysis of 20th century trends," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    11. Roth, Steffen, 2021. "The great reset of management and organization theory. A European perspective," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 538-544.
    12. Roth, Steffen, 2021. "The Great Reset. Restratification for lives, livelihoods, and the planet," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).

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