ICTlogy

Abstract:

The framework that we present here offers a set of concepts, hypotheses, methods and questions that may help to articulate the study and comprehension of collective action and intelligence in network movements; movements and practices that may, in turn, shape the near future of democracy. Our exposition is divided in six chapters--the first being this introduction. The second is a brief recapitulation of some of the historic events and problems that have contributed the emergence of these network movements especially, 15M in Spain. In the third chapter, we analyze some of the available academic literature on network movements, in order to gather resources that may allow us to better analyze them. In connection to this, we develop a provisional, theoretical framework, making use of previous studies, concepts and methods. More importantly, we present some of the ones developed by the Data-analysis15M research group6, a group of which we are part. In the fourth chapter we present some of the results of our study on 15M (Toret et al., 2013) and try to explore the notion of collective intelligence in relation to it. In the fifth chapter, we try to map some limits, dilemmas and challenges faced by technopolitical practices? focusing primarily, although not exclusively, on 15M. On the last chapter we sketch some conclusions derived from the previous framework and analysis, and connect them to the D-CENT project. We try to outline the possibilities that it may offer to ongoing grassroots movements. Ultimately, this conceptual and methodological framework aims to contribute to the D-CENT project ? or similar ones ? in their task of understanding and anticipating some of the processes that it purports to catalyze, as well as to feed into the development of some of its applications.