Online Communities as Model Systems for Commons Governance

Join this hour-long Topos Institute Colloquium talk exploring how online communities serve as experimental laboratories for self-governance and democratic principles. Examine how Internet-based groups tackle resource management and collective goal achievement through various support technologies, peer networks, and academic research. Delve into three major platforms hosting small self-governing online communities to understand institutional processes and common-pool resource management. Learn how the transparency of millions of online communities provides valuable insights into community design and functionality, while discovering parallels between digital governance and traditional democratic systems. Gain perspective on how building and participating in small-scale online democracies can inform better citizenship in larger democratic structures.