Steven Johnson: The Web as a city

The speaker reflects on the events of 9/11 and its impact on urban density, drawing parallels between city resilience and emergent behavior on the web. He discusses the evolution of web interactivity from simple linking to complex collective decision-making, highlighting tools like Google and Technorati. The talk explores how emergent systems and power laws shape the blogosphere, emphasizing the potential for planned emergence to democratize voices online.

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