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self-organization

The process by which decentralized systems form coherent and functioning communities or markets, dependent on good local rules and honest participants.

1 chapter across 1 book

Release 2.1 (1998)Esther Dyson

Why I wrote this book

Esther Dyson articulates her motivation for writing the book as a way to help readers understand the Internet as a social and civic space requiring active digital citizenship and self-governance. She emphasizes the transformative impact of decentralization on power structures and advocates for a culture of voluntary disclosure and mutual responsibility to build trustworthy, self-organizing online communities governed by adaptable local rules rather than legal mandates.